Overview
A gripping tale of survival and resilience in the face of terror.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- tense
- harrowing
- earnest
- serious movie night
- historical drama viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as an engaging, precisely directed real-life rescue drama with excellent performances and unusually strong production values.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The captured nurses' survival is intercut with efforts to secure their release and evacuation from Tikrit.
The film fictionalizes the 2014 capture of Malayali nurses while emphasizing the ordeal's human and historical dimensions.
The reception specifically notes documentary-like precision in the gathering and dissemination of information, supported by grounded production design.
Malayali nurses working in Iraq become exposed to terrorist control and the instability of a foreign conflict zone.
Films like Take Off, and why
Airlift
real-life hostage ordeal, geopolitical crisis, and determined rescue operation
Roja
political hostage drama with documentary-like precision and national stakes
Hotel Mumbai
grounded wartime survival drama centered on civilians trapped in violent conflict
Argo
intense historical rescue thriller balancing individual suffering with institutional response
Movie Details
- Director
- Mahesh Narayanan
- Release Date
- 2017-03-24
- Runtime
- 139 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (54)
Cast
- Kunchacko Boban
- Parvathy Thiruvothu
- Fahadh Faasil
- Divya Prabha
- Prakash Belawadi
- Eric Zachariah
- Maala Parvathi
- Anjali P Nair
- Prem Prakash
- Rukhsar Rehman
Common questions
- What is Take Off about?
- Malayali nurses endure terrorist captivity in Iraq while an intricate diplomatic rescue effort races to bring them home.
- What is Take Off like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Take Off as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Take Off violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Take Off as graphic.
- What did critics think of Take Off?
- Critics broadly praised the film as an engaging, precisely directed real-life rescue drama with excellent performances and unusually strong production values.
- Which films are like Take Off?
- Films with a similar feel include Airlift, Roja, Hotel Mumbai, and Argo.
- How long is Take Off?
- Take Off runs 139 minutes.
