The Take (Cert 15, 91 mins)

Expert pickpocket Michael Mason (Richard Madden) steals passports, accessories and smartphones at major tourist hot-spots like the Sacre-Coeur at Montmartre to fulfil orders for middleman Baba (Eriq Ebouaney). He steals a shopping bag from a young activist, Zoe Naville (Charlotte Le Bon), when her back is turned. Michael takes the valuables and casually discards the bag, unaware that a bomb is buried inside.

The device detonates, killing innocent bystanders, and Michael is unwittingly condemned a terrorist by CCTV footage.

Rogue US operative Sean Briar (Idris Elba), who is assigned to the CIA station in Paris under Karen Dacre (Kelly Reilly), vows to apprehend Michael before an elite French SWAT team led by Rafi (Thierry Godard).

A game of cat and mouse between Briar, Michael and Rafi plays out around the arrondissements.

Originally titled Bastille Day until horrifying real life events in the French capital necessitated a tasteful change of identity for the home entertainment release, The Take is an action-packed thriller shot on location in London and Paris, which boasts a thrilling rooftop chase performed by the actors rather than stunt doubles. Elba is a surly, muscular presence at the centre of every action sequence. After one breathless chase, his strapping 6-foot 3 CIA agent asks a petty criminal why he decided to run. "You were coming after me. Have you seen yourself?" comes the tongue-in-cheek response. Budgetary constraints and haphazard plotting from screenwriter Andrew Baldwin conspire against the leading man. Alas, Madden is a tepid sidekick, and Le Bon is completely superfluous.

Rating: **