Apr 06 2009
“Taken” (2009) ***
Preview
Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Xander Berkeley, Katie Cassidy, Olivier Rabourdin, Holly Valance, Jon Gries, David Warshofsky, Nathan Rippy, Camille Japy, Nicolas Giraud, Gerard Watkins, and Leland Orser.
Directed by: Pierre Morel.
Story:
Retired CIA agent, Bryan Mills, ventures to Europe in search of his daughter whose been kidnapped by slave traders.
Characters:
*Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson): Retired CIA agent.
*Kim Mills (Maggie Grace): Bryan’s daughter who gets kidnapped.
*Lenore (Famke Janssen): Bryan’s ex-wife whom often disagrees with him.
*Stuart (Xander Berkeley): Lenore’s newly married husband who is a millionaire.
*Amanda (Katie Cassidy): Kim’s best friend who gets kidnapped with her.
*Jean-Claude (Olivier Rabourdin): One of Bryan’s old allies who works for the French authorities.
*Sheerah (Holly Valance): A pop singer whom Bryan is hired to protect.
*Peter (Nicolas Giraud): One of the kidnappers; a charming Frenchman who deceives Kim and Amanda.
*Saint Clair (Gerard Watkins): One of the main villains.
*Sam (Leland Orser): Bryan’s best buddy and former co-worker.
Overall:
“Taken” is steroids-paced kidnap/crime/thriller that takes one too many camera shooting ideas from “The Bourne Identity” films instead of paying attention to effective films of this nature like “Ransom”. It has a protagonist that is very intelligent and professional at what he does, so percise down to the final detail. He is a very relentless killing machine who is capable of counteracting against every move, punch, kick, weapon, and vehicle. He may be a little too counteractive though.
There is simply not enough challenge set against the hero in this film. Every time the bad guys come up with a new trick up their sleeve to throw Neeson’s character off, he’s already a step or two ahead of them because he had figured it out beforehand. This happens quite often in the film and while it is entertaining to watch him do this, it feels a bit cheated in the end. It’s almost as if he gets the villains too easily.
I can guarantee that you will definitely route for Liam Neeson in this film as he outsmarts, batters, and bruises up every bad guy he comes across here. The first act is perfect but the rest of it is a breeze. Try “Frantic” or “Ransom”, two films which handled this type of plot much better.
Rating: ***
