Review: “Taken”

Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Xander Berkley

Director: Pierre Morel

Writers: Luc Besson & Robert Mark Kamen

There are a whole slew of words that can be used to desribe “Taken”, but the only one you need to know is badass.

Neeson stars in a role we’ve seldom gotten to see him in as Bryan Mills, a man who’s willing to stop at nothing to get back what he loves, in this case his daughter, who’s been kidnapped by slave traders.  A retired spy, he quite defiantly informs the kidnappers that if they don’t release his daughter he will find them, and he will kill them, kicking off one hell of an action flick.

Its a solid 90 minutes of action and adventure that would make Jack Bauer himself weep.  Neeson’s Mills is one part MacGyver and one part James Bond, but even that fails to explain just how ruthless he gets.  There’s no sudden plot twist, no friend who betrays him, no overlooked clue.  The movie presents itself straight-forward and purely as is, not asking the viewer to interpret but simply to enjoy the story.  The action is fast and furious, and the intrigue is high.  The movie is a pure action film, and it highly excels at everything it attempts to pull off.  Its only shortcoming would have to be that it feels too short, and that the violence is withheld and largely toned down to ensure a PG-13 rating.

There’s really not a lot to say about this film, other than to continue reiterating how intriguing it is.  Its going to be a very love it or hate it movie, but by far the majority of people seem to love it.  Here’s hoping we get to see Liam Neeson play a role of this calbur again in the near future, as its a lot of fun to watch him be this ruthless and cunning.

Final Grade: B