Taken Movie
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Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
Seventeen year-old Kim is the pride and joy of her father Bryan Mills. Bryan is a retired agent who left the Secret Service to be near Kim in California. Kim lives with her mother Lenore and her wealthy stepfather Stuart. Kim manages to convince her reluctant father to allow her to travel to Paris with her friend Amanda. When the girls arrive in Paris they share a cab with a stranger named Peter, and Amanda lets it slip that they are alone in Paris. Using this information an Albanese gang of human traffickers kidnaps the girls. Kim barely has time to call her father and give him information. Her father gets to speak briefly to one of the kidnappers and he promises to kill the kidnappers if they do not let his daughter go free. The kidnapper wishes him "good luck," so Bryan Mills travels to Paris to search for his daughter and her friend.
| Liam Neeson | Bryan |
| Maggie Grace | Kim |
| Famke Janssen | Lenore |
| Xander Berkeley | Stuart |
| Katie Cassidy | Amanda |
| Olivier Rabourdin | Jean Claude |
| Leland Orser | Sam |
| Jon Gries | Casey |
| David Warshofsky | Bernie |
| Holly Valance | Diva |
| Nathan Rippy | Victor |
| Camille Japy | Isabelle |
| Nicolas Giraud | Peter |
| Gérard Watkins | Saint Clair |
| Don Abernathy | Airport traveler |
| Pierre Morel |
7.90 out of 10 (101720 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Next time Liam Neeson says "I will find you and kill you", you better watch out!
posted on 31 Aug 2009As you all know I am very rarely wrong(note the sarcasm, lol), well this is one of those cases where I was extremely wrong. When I saw the trailer for the movie Taken, I thought "Oh, great, another 'surprising and suspenseful' thriller that will I'm sure be the ending we never saw coming", after all I've seen way too many of those movies. But after so many positive reviews of this movie I decided to go ahead and give it a fair shot. I adore Liam Neeson, but when I heard the role that he took as a deadly agent that you don't wanna mess with, I was in question. I tell you, this movie took me by complete and total surprise, this was a great movie. The story is something that we've seen a million times before, but what made this movie more special then the others are the fantastic performances and script that made this into an exciting and intense thriller.Bryan Mills is a retired CIA operative from their elite Special Activities Division. He describes his former job as being a "preventer," but has recently retired in Los Angeles solely in order to be close to his 17-year-old daughter Kim who now lives with his ex-wife Lenore and her new wealthy husband Stuart. Mills discovers that Kim wants to take a holiday trip to Paris, with her friend Amanda. Despite his initial concerns about the trip, Mills allows her to go, later discovering that their actual plan is to travel around Europe following the band U2. Arriving at the Paris airport, Kim and Amanda meet a Frenchman named Peter, who offers to share a taxi with them to their apartment. When they arrive, Amanda reveals to Peter that she and Kim are unsupervised, because her family is in Spain. Peter invites the two girls to a party; Kim is reluctant, but Amanda, who is sexually attracted to Peter, hastily agrees. In the house, Kim receives a phone call from her father, which she answers in the bathroom. From the bathroom window, she sees men entering the main room and abducting Amanda. Mills is able to gain critical information about the kidnappers in the final moments after Kim is kidnapped by telling her to shout out everything about them that she notices. Briefly, Mills talks to one of the kidnappers, warning him that unless Kim is released, he will pursue him and kill him.Seriously, I'm so glad that I was wrong about this movie, I couldn't tell you how many times I had my hands over my face or cheered or screamed during this movie, it was so exciting. Liam Neeson, I couldn't believe how scary he was, I've seen him in tough guy roles before but just the delivery of the line "I will find you and kill you" was delivered so perfectly, just calm, cold and confident. I just loved how the bad guy said "good luck", yeah, he wasn't as confident when Liam popped up in to get his revenge. Another thing about this movie that I absolutely loved is that it wasn't one of those "big twist" endings that are so stupid and predictable, this was just one of those "in the wrong place at the wrong time" situations. I highly recommend Taken if you get the chance to see it, it's exciting and a great movie. Liam is one dude you do not want to mess with.8/10
When Americans leave America, bad things happen...
posted on 31 Aug 2009To save you the time in either watching this film or reading my critique of it, here is a brief summary: This film is the worst film I have ever seen. This film is atrocious. This film is so unbelievably awful that all the writers, directors, producers and cast that worked on it should be sent to the Hague and tried for crimes against humanity.In the first chapter of this film, three facts are established:1. There exists a man. He's pretty tough. 2. He loves his daughter very much. 3. Aforementioned daughter is going to Paris.In order to establish these three facts, which any competent writer or director could do in about ten minutes, the film takes over half an hour, quite possibly the most laborious half an hour in cinematic history.As soon as the daughter reaches Paris, she is of course kidnapped. Literally AS SOON. So there is a sudden escalation in pace that doesn't leave the watcher thinking "WOW, I didn't see that coming" or "Wo, what a skillful escalation in pace" but simply "OH Jesus Christ SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD THANK GOD THAT SOMETHING FINALLY HAPPENED!" This sudden plot "twist" of course makes the liberal mother and fat, short stereotypically wealthy stepfather look villainous and the absurdly-paranoid-to-the-degree-that-he-should-seek-professional-help father, who believes his daughter is safer in Los Angeles than Paris, becomes the all-knowing hero.And of course the CIA can detect from a tiny and poor-quality voice sample the hometown of any speaker. So we learn that the daughter has been kidnapped by an Albanian gang who intend to sell her into sex slavery. This is of course the point where the film ceases to be just bad and becomes outright immoral: people trafficking with the intent of prostitution is a real and tangible problem in Europe and indeed all over the world (if you want to see an actually worthy film that deals with the issue I suggest "Eastern Promises", "Dirty Pretty Things" or "Spare Parts"). Making it the subject of a Hollywood action film in which the American hero overcomes all the odds to rescue his daughter is insulting to those women who have actually been in this situation. Particularly appalling is the scant disregard that our "hero" shows for the wellbeing of any of the other women. It left me questioning "is it supposed to be ironic? morally ambiguous? No, it's just a film that chose a very sensitive and inappropriate subject for a formula-produced action movie.As the film continues we are given more and more ridiculous scenes that insult our intelligence. One particularly stupid oversight comes when the hero walks into a brothel posing as a Parisian police officer and the villains show absolutely no suspicion of his being impostor, despite the fact that he talks exclusively in English.And the most ridiculously appalling scene comes at the very end. The girl is safe as she returns from Paris to Los Angeles. Finally, back in America, where everyone's safe! In spite of murdering and torturing so many people and shooting the wife of a leading Parisian police officer, our hero steps off the plane with absolutely no problems. Despite her best friend's death and a terrible ordeal, the girl is happy and shows no signs of trauma whatsoever. And in spite of the thousands of women who suffer in sex slavery every day of their lives, a plight which this film does absolutely nothing to enlighten the world on, we are made to believe this is a happy ending.This film is an insult to my continent and my intelligence, and a mockery of so many people who suffer in silence.But I'm European, so of course, I'm an evil people-trafficker n'all...
Intense but too short
posted on 29 Aug 2009When the daughter of a former CIA agent gets abducted the guy gets to use all his skills to track her abductors down. There are a few lines of story twisted through this, but the main line stays the same: quick, sometimes crude, action.It all starts when the daughter, who is living with her mother, asks her father to sign a paper that allows her to travel out of the US because she wants to see Paris. The guy is a bit reluctant because he's seen too much darkness on this planet during his days of work for the agency, but he signs anyway and thus the story starts rolling.And roll it does. Taking a few plot holes at a time it finds its way to the bottom of the rabbit hole pretty quickly and as things get more and more dirty the plot holes get deeper.The film isn't entirely bad, but if they had listened to the call of reality a bit more often it would have been a lot better. Now it is just another film where some invincible angry human chases after a lot of bad guys and that really doesn't credit it as well as it might have been.Another irritation factor to this film is its short running length. Taking just under 90 minutes this feels a bit like a rip-off - having to buy full price for a film that rushes its way to its end doesn't make me happy.6 out of 10 bad guys beaten to a pulp
Predictable yet thoroughly entertaining
posted on 29 Aug 2009Action packed thriller in which Liam Neeson plays an ex spy out for revenge on whoever has kidnapped his daughter.I was quite impressed as I expected 'Taken' to be cheesy and repetitive but the acting and the fight scenes were all handled very stylishly. The story was fast paced and although it was a bit predictable at times it was actually quite tense.The characters were built up well so that you felt for them and cared about their fate. Neeson gave an awesome performance both emotionally and physically - quite frankly he kicked butt!! All round some great entertainment!
Great movie
posted on 27 Aug 2009Now I'm not into any action movies but upon seeing the trailer, I just knew I wanted to see this one. I've just arrived from the cinema and I wanted to write a review suggesting this movie to everyone because even if there hasn't been much enthusiasm about it, this movie is so incredible. The acting is really great, the story is very very good, the ending is awesome. I couldn't ask for anything more in this movie. Everything is in moderation and the plot is also very realistic. Makes you think how easily you could get into danger without knowing. This movie kept not only me but also my friends stuck to the seat just wanting to see what happens. Honestly, I would recommend this movie to everyone, even though it is slightly under rated, this movie deserves a 10/10.
Not just another action flick
posted on 27 Aug 2009The last time I sat through an action movie and was completely impressed by it was back in 2006 when I watched 'Casino Royale', a James Bond flick which topped all its predecessors in terms of substance and intelligence and very strong emotional undercurrent wheeling the story instead of just plain height-jumping stunts. 'Taken' follows suit with 'Casino Royale' in that respect.The utmost impressive fact about 'Taken' is its non-nonsense approach. Its pretty admirable that the director convincingly manages to establish the emotional undercurrent of the movie within such a short period that makes you really feel Liam Neeson's hunger and desire to find his kidnapped daughter. And the movie is only 90 minutes long. It ends before you know its ending. That's how pacy the screenplay of this flick is.Sure, this is no masterpiece, but you can't expect much more from an action flick. Its an action movie, and it serves its purpose well, and not to forget the film also exposes sex slave trading activities (which still exists) in parts of the world. Some of the scenes depict the brutality of the business so convincingly, and unlike your typical action film, the avoids many common clichés- a silent, unspectacular start which gave more space to show you what a father-daughter relationship is like, and the stunts are not actually as much over-the-top as other action films tend to be.Liam Neeson's performance is simply talismanic. You can simply feel the hunger and desire for revenge that beams in him, and the way he goes about with an uncompromising approach towards finding his daughter is another high point. Famke Janssen (of X-Men fame) and the rest of the cast are adequate, but its Neeson's show all the way- it simply goes down as one of his career-best performances to date. (right there with Michael Collins, Love Actually and Henri Ducard of Batman Begins). He owns this film. And its also his first action film in a long, long time and he seems fresh and fit to jump around ships like a 16-year-old again.The film also has one of the best action monologues I've seen or heard in a long time, Neeson's 'I will find you, I will kill you' is damning, downright chilling statement of a dialogue that sets the tone for the rest of the film. Not to forget how he mentions it again when he meets Marko in person. 'I told you I would find you'.Kudos to director Pierre Morel and the team, and of course to Neeson for making what is inarguably the best action movie of 2008.
Truly entertaining
posted on 25 Aug 2009Absolutely well crafted movie. Great performance by Liam Neeson- he gets into the skin of the character and his face shows pain of a father, i don't think anyone could have suited for that role better, he was very believable as an ex-agent or "preventer" and his body language was also very much to the character. The plot is fast and dialogues short but effective. A special mention to the cinematography will be needed as the director being a cinematographer himself has given the movie an urban sleek look.There were times in the movie which made me really scary about people i know being in a similar situation, human trafficking, though the its just hinted in the earlier part of the movie. Though only one small complaint, the editing in the chase sequences was too sharp, it doesn't allow you to grasp whats going on for few seconds and after that its over. It gelled with the drive of the movie though, because long cuts would make the scenes look more adventurous.Overall, movie is must watch for intense cinema lovers but this one doesn't come with heavy explosions and stuff unlikely.!!
American fascism?
posted on 23 Aug 2009The action scenes of this movie are terrific and enjoyable but they are in the service of some very nasty ideological messages: sex-trafficking is simply a displacement of America's paranoid war on terror, in which the revenge plot gives the audience a fantasy solution to the mess of Iraq and Afghanistan. The choice of Albanian villains is cunning as it conveniently blurs the distinction between post-Communist and Muslim 'threat', and the choice of Paris as a centre of white slavery and police collusion is patently a retaliation for French resistance to the neo-con agenda. And while the fact that the hero is also a father allows the audience to sympathise with his increasing desperation, his daughter is clearly a symbol of America's elite social class: in time-honoured fashion, she is the virginal princess who has to be rescued from the clutches of immoral foreign (Eastern) baddies (the idea that sex-traffickers would kidnap a rich American tourist for other purposes than ransom is laughable). If we believe this movie, George Bush's tax-cutting pampering of the rich has clearly failed to make America's upper middle classes feel secure: better not step out of the country, and lock up your (millionaire) daughters, the only ones worth saving. This is a backlash movie: anti-feminist (it is no coincidence that the daughter's travelling companion declares her promiscuous intentions before she is 'taken' - this is propaganda for abstinence), anti-liberal (good America v evil outside 'threats'), anti-Bourne trilogy (let's stop demonizing the CIA! ), and socially exclusive. If you thought the use of torture was indefensible, this movie will set your mind at rest. Why are such invidious films made? Does it have anything to do with the corporate ownership of Hollywood?
Great, REAL Action
posted on 23 Aug 2009There was a solid enough suspense story to this film, but it was the action that was unexpected and exciting. There was very little (or very unobtrusive) digital special effects, which is so rare nowadays. There was plenty of quick fights with guns, hands, knives and other handy equipment. A lot of "MacGyver" moments, some car chases and cool spy stuff. I wouldn't say it always kept you guessing, but there were plenty of gasps and more than enough interesting bits throughout. I think what really impressed me is that there were REAL actors/stuntmen on film, moving about, no digital enhancement needed, and it looked great. I saw this at the drive-in after Wolverine and that was full of poorly finished computer effects and overdone fight scenes that ruined the movie. This was a perfect contrast and a better film.
Breathless Action Film that remains Human
posted on 23 Aug 2009TAKEN is a fast paced, well designed and choreographed action thriller that details the return to duty of an intelligence man, whose career distanced him from his family, when his own daughter falls victim to the crime syndicate in Paris. The driver of this well written (Luc Besson! and Robert Mark Kamen), well directed (Pierre Morel) film is the non-stop violence filled mission of a desperate father whose skills at getting to the heart of a matter have not been diminished by his 'early retirement'. Liam Neeson is in grand form as Bryan Mills, the skilled and committed father who can out kill and out wit even the most vicious of the Albanian forces against whom he must struggle to save his kidnapped daughter from being sold into human slavery to an Arab sheik. The film moves so rapidly, with the skills of cinematographer Michel Abramowicz, that the various other characters who populate this drama scarcely have time to establish an identity (Famke Janssen, Radivoje Bukvic, Maggie Grace et al). The violence is constant but due to Bryan Mills' skills each death is so rapid that the camera doesn't linger There are scenes in the brothels where the drug induced young girls serve as prostitutes that are quite disturbing, but again the camera doesn't pause long enough to make them gruesome. This is a fine performance by Liam Neeson who demonstrates a mastery of the action roles that likely will lead to others in a similar vein. It is a wild ride, but a very fine one. Grady Harp
The film delivers
posted on 21 Aug 2009First of all this is my first review on IMDb but there will be more so thank you for reading.If your a fan of fast paced action thrillers with sentiment thrown in for good measure,then my friends you have arrived! Neeson delivers in a well written high octane thriller that will leave any red blooded male with a tingle surging through his body. The acting and delivery is brilliant which is a credit to the casting directors and producers. We get enough content and character background to have sympathy for our hero and find ourselves throwing imaginary punches with every brutal stroke. The fight scenes are well choreographed and action is fast paced. At no point did I ever feel the film had hit that wall that so many other titles in this genre hit. We are allowed to enjoy a solid story, a believable premise and some very enjoyable acting from all concerned. The Story without giving it away is about a former US government spy that must come out of retirement to save save his Daughter. I left the plot brief and wrote the above comments first because most people, including myself switch off after hearing this type of plot. So what makes this film different? The acting and dialog for a start, they go hand in hand, no line or action in this film is thrown away. The direction and story are very compelling but I have to admit without Liam Neeson I may have well overlooked this little gem. I gave this a 10 not because it was the best film i had ever seen but because I know that at the box office it will be overlooked. It will in my opinion become a DVD seller and get many of its fans from this base.I give this film a 10 in the hopes it not be overlooked however I am one man with one vote. I hope my hollowed cries do not fall on deaf ears, this film deserves a loyal and steady fan base. Real mark 7/10
Just simply brilliant
posted on 21 Aug 2009I don't want to spoil this film at all. Just rent it or buy it. Just simply excellent!!! Brilliant. Liam Neeson at his best. This is so fast paced and does not stop at all until the end credits.Just read the rest of the user comments.Liam Neeson is trying to save his daughter! This film scares you a bit. Daughter goes on holiday to Paris with a friend and something bad happens. Liam goes and rescues her... Don't want to say anything else. Simply brilliant. The film brings you right in and you are cheering him on for getting a step closer! Liam Neeson is like a Jack Bauer! 24? Like Series 1? Make sense? Get it................one of the best films ever! Definitely a movie for your collection.Simply brilliant film.Excellent..Amazing...And I don't have shares in the movie.Amazing...Brilliant!
Every Now And Then...
posted on 21 Aug 2009What can I say? Every now and then you need a movie like this. One where you can just sit back, and enjoy the ride. Yes, this was Bourne without the thinking...Bond without most of the gadgets...and the thinking. Yes, the plot was simple. Basically it can be summed up like this: Man has someone he loves taken from him. Man then does anything, and I MEAN anything, to try and get said loved one back. Many, many dead people later man gets loved one back. That's about it. But the action is almost non-stop once it gets going, and I can honestly say that I was thoroughly entertained for most of this movie (the first fifteen minutes, and the last two I could have done without). Neeson is not as polished looking as Matt Damon. He's not even as rugged or as tough looking as Daniel Craig. But he plays this character in the way it was meant to be played. He's the type of person you can believe in...literally. When he says he's going to do something, he does it (and then some). Is this movie going to win any awards? No. Is it going to be in many people's top ten? Probably not. But, and nowadays this is pretty doggone important, it will get you your ten bucks worth. And that's more than can be said for most of the movies that get released this time of year.
amazing and unique action stuff
posted on 19 Aug 2009from many days i was expecting a good action movie...after batman 2.. and this is the one i really like it.. if you're favorite genre is "action" then this is for you.the plot is usual but action makes this film outstanding... action and nice cinematography are the 2 plus point of this movie..a spy's daughter get kidnapped in Paris with her friend. they want to put her in slave business by giving her drugs. girl calls her father before kidnap and a spy try to found her in Paris based on this call.i will not compare this movie with James bond but story itself has good plot to include in James bond series.it's just a movie with unknown faces..but if you are true film lover then go for it,
I was pleased, but not at all Taken
posted on 17 Aug 2009Adverts for this film had me looking forward to, at the very least, a formulaic that cannot fail: Bad guys get their due by the hand of a righteous good guy. Vengeance is served somehow, and all that. Overall, the film delivers on its promise.It is not exemplary in its genre however. I wish I could cite a title that really gives that satisfaction that is set up by the words 'I will find you and I will kill you'. A film or TV show that does that is a rare find.To get that vigilante righteousness where you can applaud the protagonist for banging heads and killing everyone that crosses his/her path is a key issue. It most often requires that the antagonist be really really bad, to the point that that their crimes are so disturbing as to be unimaginable. This is perhaps why I cannot name a more satisfying film. I may have blocked it out.Perhaps "Die Hard" could be called into play here, because I recall it was eminently satisfying and not too disturbing. But "Die Hard" does not exactly fit into this genre. It should not be a spoiler to say that kidnapping is an element of both, but that alone would hardly describe either film."Taken" does not spend enough time on the guy that offered 'good luck'. You barely know who it is before it is gone from the story. Once you see it, you will agree that this is no spoiler, the film and the adverts did that already. Action sequences are implemented with more cuts than bristles on your toothbrush.It is more convenient to have a series of action sequences filmed and then piece them together in an ineffective effort rather than choreograph them before the start. This shortcut has plagued many an otherwise good film and "Taken" is no exception. See, I just did that. You have no idea what I am saying.I will now make it clear, this movie is not all that great. It was not bad, I enjoyed it. I watched it alone and was expecting to re-watch it with someone else once I could recommend it, but I cannot. I will not invest another 14000 heart-beats that would be required for a 2nd viewing.
Completely Dumb Violence Actioner
posted on 17 Aug 2009The film Taken was a surprise hit. From a budget of $25 million this film made $145 million in the American box-office, and $221 million worldwide. It made Pierre Morel's career as a director and some people on IMDb have touted him as a potential Bond director and shows at the tender age of 56 that Liam Neeson can be an action star. But is this film any good? In my opinion, sadly not.Liam Neeson plays Bryan Mills, a retired CIA agent whom career led to the break up of his marriage and missing important time with his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace). Bryan stay in contact with some of his CIA buddies and even does some bodyguard work, including saving a young singer played by Holly Valance. Kim has just turned 17 and wants to be a singer. Her friend invites her to go to Paris for the summer and follow U2 on their first European tour (what 17-year-old girl listens to U2?). Bryan warns her, saying that Paris is a dangerous place to go, but lets her. After being in Paris for a few hours Kim and her friend are kidnapped, as happens to every teenage girl who goes to Paris, and Bryan has to use his skills to go use to find his daughter. He has 96 hours before Kim would be addicted to drugs and never be found.The good points of the film are there are some good action sequence, especially with its budget, Maggie Grace isn't bad playing a teenager and its good to see Liam Neeson in a leading role (even if he has a weird accent). That's it! The plot is simple; I have nothing against simple plots, but there is a fine line from simple and enjoyable to completely stupid. Sex Trafficking and the sex trade are complex subjects and are terribly mishandled in this film. If it wasn't for the fact that film was directed by a Frenchmen, and written and produced by Luc Besson, then it could have easily been made by American neo-cons. As I said, within hours the girls are kidnapped and that Paris is a city unsafe for Americans. Paris is no different to any other city in the world. All non-Americans are stereotypes, the French are corrupt and there is a very simple black and white morality in this world, even if the large amount of torture used. It is a very one-dimensional world, from the set-up to the characterisation. This is a film for xenophobic Americans.The film also plays like an extended episode of the show 24. Bryan Mills is basically Jack Bauer who is in a race against time. He uses torture to great affect and doesn't seem bothered by the consequences. But at least in this film, Bryan is doing it to find his daughter, not on behalf of the American government. The action of the film is also much like the action in 24, with elements of Paul Greengrass' Bourne films; over-edited and a lot of shaky cam (I don't like that). An element I liked was that Bryan was an older action hero, but seems too good, finding things with ease and getting out of situations without many problems.This film isn't that good. I expect better from Luc Besson; he is the man who gave us Leon and the Fifth Element.
Liam Neeson at his best
posted on 15 Aug 2009Again we see Liam Neeson at his best in this under-rated action thriller. Taken exhibits perfectly how a film with a sustained story line should be shot; fast, exiting, witty and gritty. The film's plot revolves around the abduction of Kim the daughter of Bryan Mills a highly successful US spy. Bryan's journey to France to track Kim down from the hands of an Albanian criminal mob grips the audience in Pierre Morel's first serious attempt to display his craft in directing. Two things stand out about this film, the superb acting by Bryan (Liam Neeson) and the camera shots.The audience sympathises with Bryan the father from the outset, he is likable, confident and determined to establish some sort of a relationship with his daughter. Against the backdrop of a now liberated and catered for ex-wife, Bryan does not seem to be concerned with scoring easy points against 'Lenore' (Famke Janssen), but instead wants to get down to business; finding his daughter and in the process killing the bad guys, this leaves the audience with their thumbs in their mouths.The camera shots successfully highlights Bryan's other persona, both professional and ruthless. The audience is left in awe of Steven Seagal style hand to hand combat without feeling that they squandered money on a cheesy 2nd rate film. The camera angles shows the brutally of Liam Neeson well in his pursuit for answers, which at times shows his character to be heartless especially when he ignores the plight of other trafficked girls, which leaves us wondering IS THIS GUY AN ACTION HERO OR NOT?! The simple answer is no. Pierre Morel is a realist it seems when it came to shooting this film, any father would be concerned about the welfare of his own in merciless times, and Bryan is no different.Overall Taken is a great action film which surpasses expectation; yes the acting of the 17 year old daughter resembles a 13 year old, but Liam Neeson's execution as a resolute wise and competent character surely compensates the lack of ability of other actors.
All class!
posted on 15 Aug 2009This movie was wonderful. This was a powerful story and I enjoyed it from beginning to end. I would love to see more.Luc Besson really knows how to tell a great and important story and bring in American money to the French film industry.I love how Liam hurt people and worked over everyone the way they deserved. Because of this I felt like I was watching a real father pursue his daughter and doing what was necessary in every moment rather than hurting people in a manner that they could walk away unscathed.The most important and smart decision in the film I thought was the choice to make the film PG-13. This was an excellent decision. Young women should see this film and hopefully become aware that they must be more aware of their surroundings and actions whether in their own country or abroad. This this film could have easily been steered in the wrong direction by showing more of the prostitution and drug side with nudity to attract an audience. Thankfully it was not done.Why can't all movies be this good and pure?
Bond ain't got anything on Liam Neeson.
posted on 13 Aug 2009The latest rescue-slash-revenge film to hit our screens, Taken, tries to walk the fine line between the two classic character archetypes - family man and ultimate badass. When the estranged seventeen year old daughter of a former spy (Liam Neeson) is kidnapped while holidaying overseas, her father must call upon his unique skill set in order to rescue her before she becomes lost to the Eastern-European slave trade.Liam Neeson kicking ass, and the potential of Maggie Grace showing a little - Taken had my full and undivided attention.As with the majority of films that limp onto the silver screen these days, everything seems to be a remake of a remake, or at the very least, a rehash of a tired idea. What separates a stock-standard retelling, from something that will stay with you longer than a half-masticated corn kernel stuck in your teeth, will almost certainly come down to the execution. Take a well-worn concept, freshen it up a little, but ultimately pull it off with dedication and skill. While Taken is by no means perfect, it is a prime example of a well-executed retelling. Let's face it, the concept of a tough guys daughter getting kidnapped, and having said tough guy track her down, defeating a million bad guys in the process is hardly anything new. It's basically the plot of Commando, or a dozen similar films for that matter. What Taken does well is to play on this tried-and-true formula; it adds depth to the usual one-dimensional characters, and mixes it up in a giant cocktail shaker with stylistic elements that made films like The Bourne Identity such crowd-pleasers.Our first encounter with former spy, Bryan, is less than exhilarating. You'd almost expect to see some incredible action set piece from his pre-retirement days, something that adequately introduces our brooding badass' action hero qualifications - negative. What we get is the image of Bryan asleep on the lounge at home, a well-thumbed pamphlet for a karaoke machine on his lap. He's after the perfect gift for his seventeen year old daughter's birthday, and from what we can establish, he's terribly indecisive when it comes to purchasing a present. It's kind of amusing that after less than two minutes of screen time, we've probably already experienced more character development and insight into our main character than we would experience in just about any other similar film. Amusing, and sad. On the surface, Bryan doesn't appear to be that different from you or I, he seemingly has the same faults, shortcomings and fears that we all do. It's not until his daughter is kidnapped that we see an entirely different side of Bryan emerge.Following on from the initial character development, the film moves quickly onto the search for Kim, Bryan's daughter. With Bryan as our guide, we navigate the murky underworld of Paris, our former spy using every trick in his book to find clues of his daughter's whereabouts. Without giving away too much of the story from this point, our lead character pulls out all the stops. The action set pieces are amazing and uncompromising in their realism and brutality, and while there are occasional moments where the suspension of disbelief is crucial, for the most part it's very much on the money. Guns boom with a satisfying reverb, bullets hit their mark with dead-eye accuracy, and Bryan proves that nothing is sacred when it comes to getting his daughter back alive.Now I'll be honest and say that Taken wasn't entirely perfect - I did have a few criticisms of the film. My first, and major beef was with our lead characters detective work when it came to tracking-down his daughter - somehow it all seemed far too 'path of least resistance', the quickest way to get from Point A to Point B. Everything felt too easy, even for a man who used to be a highly-trained intelligence operative. Rather than simply moving from one clue to the next, knowing exactly where to go and how to play his cards, I would have preferred to have had another fifteen or so minutes to pad out this side of the story - maybe even throwing in a few failed lines on inquiry just to make it a little more believable. Secondly, there were a few holes in the logic, like a particular scene where Bryan pretends to be a French police officer/intelligence operative, using a completely stock standard American accent - who the hell would buy that? Apparently the bad guys did. And last but not least, I did pick-up on a few editing issues. Take the scene where Bryan collects a fiber of the bad guys clothing - absolutely pointless. Nothing ever came of this scene. However that was minor compared to the most innocuous editing issue - key parts of the kidnap scene that seem to have gone missing. What do I mean? Well, I don't remember the daughter Kim yelling out any information on her attackers, as instructed by her father... yet Bryan seemed to have it all on tape when he passed it off to his CIA buddy for analysis.Overall, Taken was a pleasant surprise. It's often difficult to tell what to expect from these types of co-funded foreign films, but this one was certainly worth the money. While some of the initial 'detective work' by Neeson's character seemed very effortless and simply the easiest way to get from Point A to Point B, i.e. straight into the action, the action scenes themselves certainly made up for any shortcomings. No punches were pulled. The world our characters inhabited was dark, unforgiving, and morally ambiguous, and as a result, the methods used to get his daughter back were as equally dark, unforgiving, and morally ambiguous. Forget about Bond and Bourne - these guys ain't got anything on Liam Neeson.Edited excerpt from: www.youseenthat.com
Good Fun!
posted on 31 Aug 2009Liam Neeson is not the first actor who springs to mind when you think of movie action heroes. For a start he's 56 years old but why should that get in the way , look at Harrison Ford . The difference is Bryan Mills is no Indiana Jones! He's one guy you don't p**s off and for very good reason! "Taken" is "24" meets "The Bourne Identity". It stars Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills, a retired American spy whose daughter Kim (Maggie Grace from "Lost") is kidnapped in Paris while he's on the phone to her from Los Angeles. The kidnappers come on the line and Mills tries to warn them what they're letting themselves in for:"I don't know who you are. If you're looking for ransom, I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills acquired over a very long career in the shadows, skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that will be the end of it. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you. And I will kill you." But do they listen? Do they merde!Now ," Taken " really is a film that you have to turn of the logic side of your brain before you go into the Cinema. If you do that then your in for one hell of ride . It's action all the way and quite brutal action at times too. Neeson manages to kicks the butts of men half his age but somehow it works. He comes away from situations without a scratch while his enemies suffer thanks to his US military training. If i had to criticise this film for anything it's not for the fact that it's ridiculously far fetched or the script is a little stiff its because of the way Neeson's Character reacts when his daughter say shes going on holiday to Europe to watch U2 . You would think that she just told her dad she was of to Beirut to join Hezbollah! Your much more likely to get into trouble in the big Cities of the US than in places like Paris or London. Personally i would have been more concerned that my daughter was listening to crap like U2!But who am i to criticise as predictably daddy is proved right when she is whisked off by some nasty dark skinned Europeans before she's even unpacked!. How have i survived all this time living and working in London!That criticism aside i really enjoyed Taken. It's pure adrenaline packed entertainment and maybe we do have a new competitor to rival the three B's - Bond , Bourne & Bauer ?I wouldn't say no to another portion of Bryan Mills and his no nonsense approach to life.Good fun.Taken is released in the US on January 30th 2009.8 out of 10