Take Cover

Professional mercenary sniper Sam Lorde (Scott Adkins) finds himself in the middle of an existential crisis when he accidentally kills an innocent who throws herself in front of his intended victim. He contacts his remote boss and tells her he wants to leave the business. The boss is very disappointed but books him and his spotter Ken (Jack Parr) into a posh hotel where she'll meet them to go through formalities. However, someone else knows they are there and they are out for vengeance... Right let's say the good things first. By the end of the film, it's quite feel good and you've enjoyed a convoluted story. I very much liked the performance of Madalina Bellariu Ion who plays call girl Mona. Perhaps the best performance of the entire film.

Right, the dogs ears...the script is truly awful. The non stop pseudo-hateful banter between Sam and Ken is acutely badly written and sounds as fake as it is. Fight scenes are pretty poor. Acting is pretty poor. Verbalised emotions are half felt and not explored properly. There are so many plot holes it borders on ridiculous, and there's too much melodrama from poor actors.

Having said all of that the story while not new at all, isn't bad. If this film had great actors and a top end director it probably would have been pretty good. As it was it wasn't dire, it just wasn't very well produced or directed in so many ways. I have had a very tasty and enjoyable dinner so I am in a great mood and I give it a 5.

While I had indeed never heard about the 2024 action thriller "Take Cover", as I stumbled upon it here in 2025, I opted to watch it regardless. Why? Well, I believe in giving all movies a fair chance. And the fact that it was a movie with Scott Adkins in the leading role certainly was a cherry on top of the serving.

The storyline in "Take Cover" was okay. It was entertaining enough for what it was, but it was a bit on the simplistic side. This movie requires no particular commitment from the audience, so just lean back and enjoy the action. "Take Cover" is a popcorn movie, pure and simple. So writer Joshua Todd James didn't really impress me with the script and storyline for the movie.

The acting performances in the movie were fair. And of course you know what you are getting with the likes of Scott Adkins on the cast list. Aside from Scott Adkins, the only familiar face on the cast list was Alice Eve.

"Take Cover" does have a good amount of action sequences, which certainly do more than their fair share of keeping the movie afloat and interesting.

This movie will appeal to fans of Scott Adkins, no doubt about that. But if you opt to sit down to watch "Take Cover" on account of it being an action thriller, well let me just say that there are far better choices of movies out there with a more compelling and interesting storyline.

Watchable, for sure, but hardly an outstanding action thriller. Nor is it a movie that has the contents to support more than a single viewing.

My rating of director Nick McKinless's 2024 movie "Take Cover" lands on a five out of ten stars.

It is not like it is some great story, but it is decent enough. I am not saying more, because I do not want to spoil. It is true, though, that the script is terrible - the conversations! Just awful. The characters are not that bad, it is all in the conversations.

You won't see the best of Scott Adkins' fighting, but that is not the idea, as he is supposed to be differently skilled. And the situation he and his teammate got stuck in is a good idea. So overall, I am rating the movie six stars, which is ok on my scale, as five and below is bad to worst. And to be honest, I think there are worse action movies (and movies overall) being on cinema, pretending that they aren't crap.

Here's my review of Take Cover:

Scott Adkins was the only redeeming factor in this film, though calling it "enjoyable" would be a stretch. His performance managed to elevate certain moments, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough to save the movie.

The opening scene failed to make an impression, with a script that lacked both engagement and impact. The issue was compounded by the overly loud background music, which often drowned out the dialogue and made it hard to follow. This pattern continued throughout, making the viewing experience frustrating at best.

The plot and script were major disappointments, wasting the potential of some decent acting. The narrative felt dragged out and underwhelming, with scenes like the one in the hotel room coming across as bland and predictable. There was no tension or excitement, as it was far too easy to guess what would happen next.

While the cinematography was decent, the music often overstayed its welcome, especially in moments that were supposed to be pivotal. The script felt rushed and uninspired, leaving the actors with little to work with, though some performances stood out slightly above the rest.

Overall, Take Cover had potential but was let down by its weak script, predictable narrative, and poor sound design, making it a forgettable experience despite Scott Adkins' best efforts.

The script itself was not really all that bad. Scott Adkins always performs fight scenes very well, so there's that. However, this supposed professional contractor makes some of the most ridiculous decisions just to prolong the plot/movie that it's hardly relatable. Example: being pinned down for a long, long time by a sniper, supposedly unable to reach his weapon, with people getting shot the whole time, when I guess he gets tired of it and just goes for the gun... successfully, of course, then, within 3 seconds, sets up a shot and takes out the shooter in a building 1/2 a mile away. Really? There are several more "why in the heck don't you just..." scenarios like this that even a not so smart person would think of almost immediately. Like I said, the only redeeming value are the fight scenes. It's worth a watch if you can find absolutely nothing else to do.