The Take

The Take is a 1974 British-American action neo noir crime drama film directed by Robert Hartford-Davis and starring Billy Dee Williams, Eddie Albert, Frankie Avalon, Sorrell Booke, Tracy Reed, and Albert Salmi. It is based on the 1970 novel Sir, You Bastard by G. F. Newman. The film was released by Columbia Pictures in May 1974. Plot Lt. Terrence Sneed, a San Francisco policeman, is summoned to Paloma, New Mexico to help take down a local organized crime syndicate led by kingpin Victor Manso, a respected community leader. Soon after Sneed's arrival, he and Captain Frank Dolek stop a group of gangsters who ambush a courthouse and attempt to flee in a truck, but four officers are killed in the shootout. Later, Sneed visits his former lover, Dr. Nancy Edmondson, but she refuses to revive their relationship and accuses him of corruption. Sneed drives to the home office of Manso and accepts an envelope of cash to act as a middleman between law enforcement and the crime syndicate; Sneed learns that Capt. Dolek is also on the take. Sometime later, Sneed hooks up with his money launderer Oscar, whom Sneed orders to follow Dolek. Sneed goes to the apartment of suspect Danny James, overpowers him and intimidates him into becoming an informant. Later, James informs reveals that a drug dealer named Zeno Elliot will be making a delivery to Manso. Sneed and Native American detective John Tallbear break into Elliot's apartment and find cocaine. Back at the station, Dolek tells Sneed that Elliot is to be released from police custody under orders of Manso, but Sneed blackmails Manso by revealing that he's had the captain followed. When Sneed returns to Manso's office he is beaten up for betraying Dolek, but Manso nevertheless calls Sneed valuable and gives him another cash payment. Manso's henchmen dump Sneed at Nancy's house, where she tends to his wounds. Sneed and Tallbear raid Manso's mansion while he is attending a ceremony. They have to flee when Manso returns early after suffering a heart attack, but they obtain enough information to put a strike force into operation to intercept the vans Manso uses to transport illegal goods. Sneed leads a stakeout of Manso's front business, a paper company. However, Dolek has informed Manso of the plan. After two decoy vans mislead police, Sneed gives chase to a third van headed for the Mexican border; after it stalls in a river and Sneed fights the driver, Benedetto, he finds the van full of counterfeiting equipment.