Taken features Hollywood heavyweight Liam Neeson (Star Wars prequels, Rob Roy) as the father of a young girl who is kidnapped from her friend’s Paris flat while vacationing. Famke Jansen (X-Men franchise) stars as her mother and the film was brought to life by go to French action man, Luc Besson (La Femme Nikita, The Professional). Taken feels like a smash’em up blockbuster movie and doesn’t argue much to the contrary. This version of the release contains both the PG-13 theatrical release and the unrated version.
I have to admit that I had heard a lot about this film and was anxious to finally see it. I was semi-surprised that this is an action flick from start to finish with adult themes, lots of people getting killed (creatively and otherwise), and plenty of car chases. Knowing a bit about the story ahead of time, I expected a better thought out plot but didn’t get it. In fact, I think the plot here is very weak. Basically, a retired CIA man’s daughter is kidnapped while she is on vacation in Paris with a friend. He, of course, springs into action to rescue here, uncovering a massive European evil plot along the way. The idea is solid enough but they never really delve into it at all. This great plot is revealed and then its car chase after killing after car chase after killing for the next hour or so.
If you are looking for a big action film that reeks of summer blockbuster then you’ll likely enjoy Taken. I did enjoy the action but it was hard to get past the many, many holes in the plot. If you don’t look for Taken to answer the questions it poses or to do anything about them then you’re experiences will be much better. Just take in the action and enjoy Neeson’s screen time and don’t look to find much more.
Reviewed by Mark Fisher
