New Liam Neeson film 'Taken' fails to wow

After making its European debut nearly one year ago, “Taken” has finally made its way to the states. With its fast-paced action scenes, lackluster cast and underlying cultural implications, at best the film is an entertaining action flick, sure to keep your mind occupied for 90 minutes. 

Directed by French filmmaker Pierre Morel, “Taken” tells the story of Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson), a divorced, former CIA agent and over-protective father. After Mills unwillingly allows his 17-year-old daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) to travel to Paris unsupervised with a friend, shortly after her arrival, he hears his daughter being kidnapped over the phone. Immediately jumping into CIA-mode, Mills is told he only has 96 hours to rescue Kim before she is sold into the international sex trade business, virtually never to be heard from again. With only the kidnapper’s taunting words, “Good luck,” to use for clues, the film follows Mills as he travels through the underworlds of Paris to rescue his daughter.

Although most of us have no idea what actually goes on in the international sex trade business, if one had to take a guess, the closest guess would be Morel’s interpretation. Morel’s depiction of the sex trade and international drug trafficking business is hauntingly realistic and the attention to detail is admirable.

While “Taken” is no “Quantum of Solace,” it does hold its own in the action world. In fact, it’s safe to say that the action scenes are what carry the film. There is very little interaction between the characters, and when the characters do speak, the conversations are often emotionless and mundane. After watching “Taken,” it’s clear the writing and Neeson’s acting were not the director’s main priority.

With films like “Taken,” which seek to expose society’s dirty laundry, it’s hard not to consider the film’s cultural undertones. One can’t help but notice the underlying message that outside the tightly-secured American borders, there exists a big, bad world just waiting to prey on innocent Americans. Whether this stereotype holds true or not, it’s undeniable that the creators of the film were playing off of the idea. 



Critic’s Conclusion: Recent action films such as “Quantum of Solace” and the “Bourne” trilogy have set the bar pretty high for action films. Although “Taken” is enjoyable to watch, the film definitely won’t be up for any awards anytime soon. The acting is so-so and the action doesn’t live up to standards set by previous films. At best, Neeson is an even older Daniel Craig and the film is a low-budget “Borne Supremacy.” C+

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