Taken is Liam Neeson's newest action thriller, a classic kidnapping revenge story but with an updated storyline. Released on DVD on May 28, Taken is a heart-pounding suspense ride through one man's struggle to find his daughter.
Taken is Pierre Morel's second film in the director's seat, although he worked as cinematographer in The Transporter - a 2002 action film starring Jason Statham. Morel worked with the writing team of Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen, who collaborated in other euro-action flicks such as The Transporter 2 and Kiss of the Dragon.
Morel isn't a veteran director, he employs many of the fast action and quick camera angles to build suspense and excite the audience. Many of the examples in Taken feature Neeson in hand-to-hand combat with villains in close quarters.
Ultimately, Taken is a spy-thriller, similar in many respects to Man on Fire or Proof of Life. The story is compelling, but not too complicated, and the tempo of the action isn't overwhelming quick or slow - but instead a perfect equilibrium between plot and action.
Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills - Determined to Find His Kidnapped Daughter
Neeson's character Bryan Mills, a retired CIA agent who spent much of his career on the NOC list, left active service to reconnect with his teenager daughter.
Not far into the storyline, Mill's ex-wife Lenore (X-Men's Famke Janssen) convinces him to allow their 17-year-old daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) to travel to France, but when she is kidnapped in Paris, Mills must dust off his extraordinary spy skills to find her.
Neeson takes "protective father" to the extreme where he kills more than a handful of people, breaks the arms and legs of another few dozen and even shoots his friend's wife to get information.
Taken also examines the role of torture in finding information. Neeson's character is successful in finding much of his intelligence from tortured bad guys, and even manages to win the audience's favor at the same time. Even the most timid of heart will let out a sigh of satisfaction in some of these gruesome scenes of revenge in its most potent form.
During his search, Mills gets help from some of his old CIA buddies, including Sam (Leland Orser). Throughout the first quarter of the film Mills and his buddies continually reminisce about their old adventures in the CIA, which is effective in establishing the character, but gets superfluous after the second time trip down memory lane.
Taken Exposes Audience To Human Trafficking
While this film has all of the elements of classic revenge film, it has updated the story to include the international human trafficking and sex trade.
Mills' daughter is kidnapped, but not for ransom or by a psychopathic serial killer, but instead to be sold as a prostitute.
This is a real phenomenon that is occurring through Europe, Asia and South America more than most of the audience realizes. Young girls from countries all over the world are fooled into joining an exchange program, for example, have their passport seized, are drugged by a "pimp" of sorts and forced into the sex trade.
Bridget Fonda portrayed a similar storyline as Jessica in the Kiss of the Dragon.
The idea of incorporating the sex trade into Taken was original, yet writers missed the mark with having Mills' daughter fall into the hands of some ridiculously stereotypical "sultan" who wanted her as a concubine on his yacht.
Enjoyable Rating: 8 out of 10 for intense action and suspenseful plot.
MPAA Rating: R for violence, sexual content and drug use.
Running time: 93 minutes
Cast:
Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills
Famke Janssen as Lenore
Maggie Grace as Kim
Leland Orser as Sam
If you like "Taken," you'll love: Man on Fire, Proof of Life or The Bourne Identity
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