Timing is everything. Sometimes, it's also a curse. If you were looking for the Bastille Day 2016 movie—which was later rebranded as The Take in several markets—you might have noticed it has a bit of a weird history. It's an action thriller starring Idris Elba and Richard Madden. It should have been a massive, straightforward hit. Instead, it became a case study in how real-world tragedies can completely derail a film’s legacy and commercial life.
Honestly, the movie is a total blast. It’s a lean, mean, 90-minute throwback to those 1990s "unlikely duo" movies. You’ve got Michael Mason (Richard Madden), an American pickpocket in Paris who accidentally steals a bag containing a bomb. Then you’ve got Sean Briar (Idris Elba), a CIA agent who likes punching his way through problems. They team up. Things explode. It’s classic stuff. But for reasons that have nothing to do with the acting or the directing by James Watkins, this movie almost vanished from the public consciousness shortly after it arrived.
The elephant in the room: Real-world timing
You can’t talk about the Bastille Day 2016 movie without talking about July 14, 2016. The film was released in French cinemas just before the national holiday. Then, the horrific truck attack in Nice occurred on the actual Bastille Day. It was a nightmare scenario for the studio, Studiocanal.
They pulled the advertisements immediately. They tried to be as respectful as possible, eventually withdrawing the film from French theaters entirely while it was still mid-run. It wasn't because the movie was "bad" or "offensive" in its content—it’s a fictional thriller about a rogue group of cops—but the title and the central plot involving a terrorist plot in Paris felt too raw. Too soon.
This happens in Hollywood more than you’d think. Remember how Spider-Man (2002) had to digitally remove the Twin Towers from a trailer? Or how the movie Collateral Damage was pushed back after 9/11? The difference here was that Bastille Day was already out. The marketing was already on the walls. By the time it reached North America and other territories, the title was changed to The Take to distance itself from the tragedy. This rebranding definitely hurt its "findability." Even now, people search for the "Idris Elba Paris movie" because they can't remember if it's called Bastille Day or something else.
Idris Elba and Richard Madden: The chemistry that works
Forget the controversy for a second. Let's talk about the actual movie.
🔗 Read more: A Simple Favor Blake Lively: Why Emily Nelson Is Still the Ultimate Screen Mystery
Idris Elba is basically playing a more aggressive version of his Luther persona. He’s Sean Briar, a man who has been "reassigned" to a desk job in Paris because he doesn’t play by the rules. It’s a trope, sure, but Elba carries it with so much weight that you don’t care. He looks like he could walk through a brick wall.
Then you have Richard Madden. This was post-Game of Thrones but pre-Bodyguard. He plays Michael, a guy who can swipe a wallet in three seconds flat. The pickpocketing scenes are actually some of the best-directed parts of the film. Watkins used real sleight-of-hand consultants to make sure Madden looked legit.
The movie thrives on their friction.
- Briar is all blunt force.
- Michael is all finesse and cowardice.
- They’re stuck in a rooftop chase that is genuinely one of the better-edited sequences in mid-budget action history.
It feels tactile. Paris looks gray and gritty, not the "Emily in Paris" postcard version. You see the back alleys, the crowded housing projects, and the bureaucratic hallways of the French Ministry of the Interior. It feels like a European cousin to the Bourne franchise, just with a bit more swagger and fewer shaky-cam headaches.
Why people still search for the Bastille Day 2016 movie
Despite the rocky release, the film has found a massive second life on streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Why? Because we don't make movies like this anymore.
💡 You might also like: The A Wrinkle in Time Cast: Why This Massive Star Power Didn't Save the Movie
Lately, action movies are either $200 million superhero epics or $5 million indie projects. There’s no "middle" anymore. The Bastille Day 2016 movie sits right in that sweet spot of a $20-30 million budget. It has high production value, great stunts, and stars who actually know how to act.
It’s not actually about terrorism
If you’re worried the movie is a heavy political commentary, don't be. Without spoiling the twist, the "terrorism" in the plot is actually a smokescreen. It’s a classic heist movie at its core. The bad guys aren't religious zealots; they’re greedy professionals using chaos as a distraction to rob the French National Treasury.
This pivot makes the movie much more "rewatchable." It stays in the lane of an old-school thriller like Die Hard or The Fugitive. It’s about corruption and the "deep state" rather than the ideological conflicts that were dominating the news cycle in 2016.
The rooftop chase scene
I need to mention the rooftop chase again. It’s the standout moment. James Watkins (who also directed The Woman in Black) filmed it with a focus on geography. You always know where Michael is in relation to Briar. In an era where most action scenes are a blur of 500 cuts per minute, seeing a well-choreographed foot chase across Parisian chimneys is refreshing. It’s also where the movie’s score—composed by Alex Heffes—really kicks into gear.
The "The Take" rebranding confusion
If you go to buy this on Blu-ray or find it on a streaming service today, you’ll likely see it listed as The Take. This was a marketing decision made to help the film travel to international markets without the "baggage" of the 2016 events.
📖 Related: Cuba Gooding Jr OJ: Why the Performance Everyone Hated Was Actually Genius
Is it a better title? Probably not. The Take is generic. It sounds like twenty other movies. Bastille Day at least had a sense of place and urgency. If you’re searching for it, just know that Bastille Day 2016 movie and The Take are exactly the same 92-minute film.
There’s also a bit of a misconception that the movie was "banned." It wasn't. It was voluntarily withdrawn by the distributor in France as a mark of respect. In the UK, Ireland, and Germany, it stayed in theaters. In the US, it had a limited theatrical run before heading to VOD. The "mystery" around its disappearance is mostly just a result of a very complicated PR nightmare that the studio handled as best they could.
Comparing it to other Elba actioners
How does it stack up against Elba’s other work?
- Faster than Luther: The Fallen Sun: It doesn't have the baggage of a long-running TV show.
- Better than Beast: While the lion movie was fun, Bastille Day feels more grounded.
- Simpler than Hijack: It doesn't drag out the tension over ten hours; it gets it done in under two.
If you like the "buddy cop" dynamic but want something that feels a bit more modern and "European," this is the one. It doesn't try to reinvent the wheel. It just tries to be a really good wheel.
Actionable insights for fans of the genre
If you’re planning on watching or re-watching the Bastille Day 2016 movie, here is how to get the most out of it:
- Check the title variants: Search for both Bastille Day and The Take on your streaming apps. Depending on your region (especially in the US or UK), it might be listed under either name.
- Pay attention to the pickpocketing: Richard Madden actually learned those tricks. There’s a scene in a bar early on where he lifts a watch and a wallet; watch his hands. It’s not all camera tricks.
- Watch the credits: There’s a song called "The Road Less Travelled" performed by Idris Elba himself. He’s a legitimate DJ and musician, and he brought that energy to the film’s soundtrack.
- Pair it with Ronin: If you want a double feature of "Gritty Paris Action," watch this alongside the 1998 classic Ronin. They share a similar love for the city's darker, more industrial corners.
The film serves as a reminder that sometimes great entertainment gets lost in the shuffle of history. It’s a lean, efficient piece of filmmaking that deserves to be seen for what it is: a high-octane thriller that showcases two of Britain's best actors at the top of their game. It’s a shame that its release was marred by such tragic real-world timing, but that shouldn't stop you from enjoying the craft that went into making it.
Check your local listings or digital storefronts. Whether you call it The Take or the Bastille Day 2016 movie, it's a ride worth taking on a Friday night when you just want to see Idris Elba throw a guy through a window.