Jay Hernandez On 'Takers' v. 'Ocean's Eleven:' Those Old Guys Can't Keep Up'
The film comparisons are unavoidable. Some people are calling Takers a multiculti Ocean’s Eleven for the 21st century. And because both films are sleek and smart heist films we did too. But Takers star Jay Hernandez says there’s one huge difference. If the Ocean Eleven’s gang ever went up against the Takers posse there's no question about who would outtake who.
“The Takers,” Hernandez says laughing. “We got a younger crew. Those old guys wouldn’t be able to keep up.”
And he just might be right. Takers injects the heist film genre with a similar shot of adrenalin that Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas did for the big screen mob story as previously told by The Godfather saga. And Takers looks just as amazing as Eleven, and Michael Mann’s Heat, (plus boasts a 32 million dollar budget) but it’s faster, more modern, multiracial and just as fun.
If Hernandez looks familiar to you, there’s a good reason why. The 32-year old usually plays ‘that guy next door’ types in movies, and blends into the fabric of a film so well, he's often unrecognizable. But the California native always ushers in a completely believable performance whether he’s starring in family film comedy fare like 2008’s Nothing Like the Holidays, or a cop thriller like Lakeside Terrace alongside Samuel L. Jackson.
In Takers, Hernandez plays Detective Eddie Hatcher and even though he’s one of the good guys, his character is just as complex and multilayered as the bad guys in the film played by Idris Elba, Paul Walker and Chris Brown.
[Nonspoiler alert:] “There’s an interesting parallel between what my character does and what they [the Takers crew] do because I’m chasing them down,” says the former Friday Night Lights star.
“Eddie has an ethical struggle that he has to deal with," he says. "Does he maintain the standards of being a detective and do his job well? Or does he save the life of his kid?”—Ronke Idowu Reeves
