TAKEDOWN (TRANSPARENCY)
Canada, 2010, 96 minutes, Colour.
Lou Diamond Phillips, Estella Warren, Deborah Kara Unger, Aaron Pearl.
Directed by Raul Sanchez Inglis.
Takedown is a violent drama about trafficking in women, especially from Eastern Europe to the United States via cargo ships and trucks. The film shows the devastation on some of the woman, the brothels where they are held and drugged, the role of social workers trying to help.
The film centres on Lou Diamond Phillips portraying David, a former policeman whose daughter was raped (and he was unable to help her, as seen in flashbacks). This has cost him his marriage and contact with his daughter. He has taken a job as a security guard in a trucking company and so discovers the trafficking, wanting to rescue a young girl whom he finds, in some kind of compensation for what happened to his daughter.
The film is very much a death wish vigilante kind of film, but shows in a little more depth, something of the torment of the central character, his concern about the women, his working with the social worker, his encounters with the rather ruthless lawyer who is part of the organisation for trafficking, in meeting his ex-wife, imagining his daughter and meeting her, his interactions with his fellow security guards and drivers.
The film is fairly straightforward in its presentation of its story, the various steps taken by David to track down what was actually happening, his encounters with the drivers, the bosses, the lawyer. This leads to quite a number of deaths – and David is involved in some of the killings. While there is a happy ending for most of the characters, David is trapped in his situation and his vengeance. Other films which treated this particular topic include Taken with Liam Neeson, set in France. There is a very powerful Israeli film by Amos Gitai, The Promised Land. There are also the European films Lilia 4 Ever and My Name is Justine.
1. The impact of the film? Human trafficking? The law? Crime? Vigilante justice?
2. The title, David and his confrontation of the traffickers?
3. The American settings, the town, the bars, the apartments? The trucking company, the warehouses? The brothel? The ugly face of America?
4. David as a character, his work as a security guard, his memories of being in the police force, his daughter being raped, searching for her and discovering her, unable to help her? His wife leaving him? His daughter alienated from him? His later visit to his wife in the shop, discussion with her, seeing his daughter, her saying that it was too late? His ordinary work, supervision, sense of responsibility? Inconsistencies in the paperwork?
5. The fellow drivers, the bonds between them, the shifts, taking people’s places and time being made up? The aloof members of the security force? The puzzle?
6. David and his search, finding Ana, finding the truck, the dead women? Ana and her lack of English? His helping her to escape? His sense of mission?
7. The meeting with Monika, memories of her and the therapy for his daughter? Her background, her work? The Baptist church? Helping David? His bringing Ana to her? Her helping to place Ana? The build-up to the confrontation, with Danielle? The dangers? Her helping David?
8. Danielle, the legal discussions, wanting him to sign the paper? His being wounded, in hospital? The cover-up? The later encounters with Danielle? Her coming to Monika’s centre? Her plausibility, her ruthlessness, her involvement in the trade, the confrontation with David and his shooting her?
9. The meeting with Reg, Reg and his concern, the officials telling him not to talk to David? The information? Reg being shot? David and his confronting the others, Dale and his signing the trucks in and out?
10. David’s visit to the brothel, the Eastern Europeans and their brutality? The girls, drugged? The confrontation, David shooting, his escape?
11. The expose of the trade? David and his achievement? Ana and her safety? The personal cost to himself?
