Robert Pattinson and Denzel Washington rob a bank in first look at unconventional heist film “The Take” (exclusive)

Derek LawrenceMon, November 9, 2026 at 2:00 PM UTC

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Robert Pattinson as Noah in ‘The Take’Credit: NetflixKey Points -

Here’s your exclusive first look at Netflix’s The Take.

The heist thriller stars Denzel Washington, Robert Pattinson, and Daisy Edgar-Jones.

The three lead actors and director Fernando Meirelles pull back the curtain on their secretive film.

For Robert Pattinson, Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Denzel Washington, teaming up for the twisty, unconventional Netflix heist thriller The Take was a no-brainer. But figuring out what they can or should say about it is another story.

As part of Entertainment Weekly’s exclusive first look, Edgar-Jones admits, “I don’t want to set it up too much, as the fun of this film is the mystery and its turns.”

Plenty of mystery has surrounded The Take (previously titled Here Comes the Flood), since the only previously known information was the brief and suspiciously simple logline: “A bank guard, a teller, and a master thief get caught in a deadly game of cons and double crosses.” And don’t expect too many new answers or reveals from the cast or director Fernando Meirelles, who teases that it’s only until the final 10 seconds of the movie that “everything falls into place.”

“When I first read the script, I wasn’t quite sure whether I was reading a heist film or a psychological drama with a love story at its center; it’s this interesting combination of genres,” the Brazilian filmmaker tells EW. “The structure of the script really caught my attention. You start watching the film without quite knowing where it’s going to take you. You have to come along for the ride without too many expectations. The story keeps surprising you right up to the very end.”

Robert Pattinson as Noah and Denzel Washington as Carter in ‘The Take’Credit: Netflix

That said, it’s no surprise that Pattinson, Washington, and Edgar-Jones were drawn to join forces with the Oscar-nominated Meirelles. (“City of God is one of the most exquisite films,” Edgar-Jones declares of Meirelles’ 2002 crime epic.)

“At this point in my life, I’m focused on doing the best work with the best filmmakers,” Washington shares. “So, what I do from this point forward and who I do it with is very important to me, both spiritually and artistically.”

In Pattinson’s eyes, The Take is the type of project that “very rarely” comes along. “It’s a really interesting and exciting script,” he says of writer Simon Kinberg’s work (X-Men: Days of Future Past). “Plus, getting to do a heist movie set in New York with Denzel Washington and Daisy Edgar-Jones, what else is there to say? It was one of those dream-team situations that was pretty easy to say yes to.”

Robert Pattinson as Noah and Daisy Edgar-Jones as Rose in ‘The Take’Credit: Netflix

As he prepared to take on the biggest film of his career, Meirelles revisited a string of heist classics like Heat, Point Break, The Killing, and Dog Day Afternoon. And yet, as explored as the genre has been over the years, he found something new in both The Take’s “puzzle-like structure” and perspective.

“Heist movies usually show us both sides: the criminals and the police, or whoever is chasing them,” he explains. “This film doesn’t do that. The entire story is told exclusively from the point of view of Robert’s character, Noah. We only know what Noah knows, either because he’s physically present or because he hears something over the intercom. We never get to see what’s happening elsewhere or what the other characters are doing when he’s not around. This strict subjectivity felt quite unique.”

The POV character is Pattinson’s Noah, a former Army captain adjusting to civilian life when a charismatic thief, Christian Carter (Washington), recruits him to help rob Manhattan’s richest bank, where Noah’s girlfriend, Rose (Edgar-Jones), happens to work as a teller. With time and love on the line, Noah must decide who he can count on.

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“Noah is someone who has a hard time trusting people, but, ironically, he’s also quite deceitful himself,” Pattinson shares. “He doesn’t even fully understand why he’s robbing the bank or what’s happening around him. It’s a bank robbery, but there are so many unexpected things happening at every turn, with each individual scene feeling like a little set piece unto itself.”

Robert Pattinson as Noah and Daisy Edgar-Jones as Rose in ‘The Take’Credit: Netflix

Washington describes his puppet master as a “frustrated musician” and “precise mathematical mind who believes time is of the essence.”

“He thinks there’s a mathematical equation for success, but he’s wrong,” the legendary actor says of Carter. “He manipulates everyone around him, using anyone in any way he can to get what he wants. He wants to dominate everyone, and he believes he’s smarter than everybody else. Ultimately, he doesn’t care about anyone but himself.”

Denzel isn’t the first Washington that Pattinson has partnered with for a high-stakes theft, having previously worked with the actor’s son, John David Washington, on Christopher Nolan’s Tenet. No offense to the younger Washington, but this was a chance to check off a bucket-list item.

“Denzel is one of the reasons I wanted to become an actor, so getting to work with him was pretty incredible,” Pattinson shares. “What I loved was seeing how alive the material is for him. Even after all these years of acting, he’s still looking for something new in every take. I also didn’t realize how much he liked to improvise, which made it all the more exciting. You’d start a five-page scene thinking you knew where it was going, and then suddenly you’re completely off-piste. It was really thrilling.”

Meirelles echoes that sentiment, adding that Washington’s “search for the truth of the moment” often led him to unexpected places. “He constantly surprises you,” Meirelles says. “Sometimes, when I ask him where a particular line came from, he’ll simply say, ‘I have no idea.’ There are quite a few of those moments in the final cut.”

‘The Take’ key artCredit: Netflix

The final version also showed a complete change in Noah, but, thankfully, Pattinson was ahead of the game and Meirelles.

“Rob is one of the best actors working today,” the director declares. “In the first cut, his character came across as more insecure and hesitant, which was interesting. During the editing process, we decided to make him more self-assured and confident. All we had to do was go back to the footage, and that other version of Noah was already there in his performances — we just had to find it.”

Also starring Danai Gurira, Moisés Arias, Justin Kirk, and Sean Harris, The Take premieres Jan. 15, 2027, in select theaters and on Netflix.

on Entertainment Weekly

Original Article on Source

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