Take Out (2004)

Ah, yes, the American Dream. It’s what has attracted countless immigrants to the land of opportunity, right? But shortly after arriving, there are so many instances in which said immigrants face the harsh reality that the American Dream seems to be a myth. This type of reality, while seldom told, is the focus of Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsoe’s social-realist film, Take Out. And courtesy of the Criterion Collection, this (sadly) forever-relevant story has finally been given the finished visual and audio treatment that the directors always envisioned with a brand-new 4K restoration.

It’s a simple story. Ming Ding (Charles Jang) is a Chinese immigrant who was smuggled into the United States to try and have a better life than he had in communist China. He works very hard for a Chinese take-out restaurant as a bicycle delivery-man. But Ming Ding owes a lot of money to those who smuggled him into the country. After getting behind on his payments (that have a ridiculous 30% interest rate attached to it), the debt collectors invade the over-filled apartment while Ming Ding is sleeping. They give him until the end of the day to come up with the payment that is owed.

"is gritty and honest. With a practically non-existent budget"


The decision to film in the upper-Manhattan area is really one of the hallmarks of the film. When first conceiving Take Out, the directors wanted to make something that really showed off drastically varying types of apartments, and more importantly, the varying types of people living in those apartments, that can be found in one just small area of the city. We see the cordial one. The rude one. The generous one. The slightly racist. The asshole who makes a big deal about getting the wrong food, and much more. And while this sure is interesting to see, it becomes a powerful social statement to see how these different people interact with Ming Ding and how it affects him. It really shines a light on what he has to deal with every single day he works. But this singular story is not unique to Ming Ding. This is the kind of danger, abuse, and overall struggle that immigrants (especially illegal ones) have to go through all of the time.Take Out (2004)

But the film is not without its humor that can be found in its wonderful supporting characters. Young (Jeng-Hua Yu) is Ming Ding’s best friend and fellow delivery man at the restaurant. He gives Ming Ding all of his deliveries the day the film takes place so Ming can get the extra cash he needs. Young’s care-free attitude as he hangs around the restaurant all day serves for some nice comedic relief as he tries to cure his boredom. And his conversations with Ming are also as heartfelt as they are funny, especially when he gives Ming advice on how to get bigger tips.

The manager of the restaurant, Big Sister (played by the actual cashier of the real take-out pace they filmed in, Wang-Thye Lee) will probably be your favorite character. Her no-BS attitude while interacting with the workers and especially with the customers is respectfully hilarious. Nothing throws her, and it is just fantastic.

With Take Out, you are fully immersed into the life of a struggling immigrant, and not just because of the setting and the characters. The style with which it was filmed, on a basic consumer-grade video camera, is the best and only way this movie could have and should have been filmed. It is gritty and honest. With a practically non-existent budget, Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou really seemed to hit the nail on the head with how difficult and dangerous this kind of life is and how it feels to be in those shoes. At least to me, Take Out really begs the question, is the American Dream worth it?.

4/5 stars

 

Take Out (2004)

Blu-ray Details

Home Video Distributor: Criterion
Available on Blu-ray
- September 13, 2022
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles
: English
Audio:
Mandarin: LPCM 2.0
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; Single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

The American dream has rarely seemed so far away as in Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou’s raw, vérité Take Out, an immersion in the life of an undocumented Chinese immigrant struggling to get by on the margins of post-9/11 New York City. Facing violent retaliation from a loan shark, restaurant deliveryman Ming Ding has until nightfall to pay back the money he owes, and he encounters both crushing setbacks and moments of unexpected humanity as he races against time to earn enough in tips over the course of a frantic day. From this simple setup, Baker and Tsou fashion a kind of neorealist survival thriller of the everyday, shedding compassionate light on the too often overlooked lives and labor that keep New York running.

Video

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, the new digital transfer was created from the original MiniDV camera master tapes, output to a digital intermediate, and scanned in 4K resolution.
Films like Take Out are one of the prime examples of why film restoration and physical media is so crucial to this industry. The upgrade we have not from what co-director Sean Baker sent into Slamdance almost 20 years ago is pretty unreal. With this new restoration, they were able to color grade it, smooth everything out, print it onto celluloid, and then scan it back in to give the film a polished look they it never had before while still keeping its videotape charm. Finally, the finished version that Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou always wanted Take Out to look like has finally arrived.

Audio

The new, uncompressed stereo soundtrack was remastered from the MiniDV camera masters and remixed in stereo. Also, thanks to this remaster, the film finally got a proper audio mix that the directors always wanted. Everything comes in clean and clear, but it also mixed to wonderful levels so you can hear the happenings of the busy take-out restaurant, the dialogue, and the non-stop street noises of New York. Overall, a phenomenal remaster.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • Audio commentary featuring Baker, Tsou, and actor Charles Jang

Special Features:

  • New interviews with Baker, Tsou, Jang, and actors Wang-Thye Lee and Jeng-Hua Yu
  • Program about the making of the film
  • Deleted scenes
  • Screen test
  • Trailer
  • PLUS: An essay by filmmaker and author J. J. Murphy

Blu-ray Rating

  Movie 4/5 stars
  Video  5/5 stars
  Audio 5/5 stars
  Extras 4/5 stars

Composite Blu-ray Grade

4.5/5 stars


Film Details

Take Out (2004)

MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime:
97 mins
Director
: Sean Baker; Shih-Ching Tsou
Writer:
Sean Baker; Shih-Ching Tsou
Cast:
Charles Jang; Jeng-Hua Yu; Wang-Thye Lee
Genre
: Drama
Tagline:
Once you enter America, you have succeeded.
Memorable Movie Quote:
Theatrical Distributor:
Cavu Pictures
Official Site: https://www.criterion.com/films/30084-take-out
Release Date: June 6, 2008 (limited)
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
September 13, 2022.
Synopsis: The American dream has rarely seemed so far away as in the raw, vérité Take Out, by Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou, an immersion in the life of an undocumented Chinese immigrant struggling to get by on the margins of post-9/11 New York City. Facing violent retaliation from a loan shark, restaurant deliveryman Ming Ding (Charles Jang) has until nightfall to pay back the money he owes, and he encounters both crushing setbacks and moments of unexpected humanity as he races against time to earn enough in tips over the course of a frantic day. From this simple setup, Baker and Tsou fashion a kind of neorealist survival thriller of the everyday, shedding compassionate light on the too often overlooked lives and labor that keep New York running.

Art

Take Out (2004)