"I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that will be the end of it. I will not look for you. I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you. I will find you. And I will kill you."
Only Liam Neeson could deliver those lines with such ferocious intensity while still maintaining his signature cool and confident demeanor. And it is only Liam Neeson that could elevate "Taken" from possibly mediocre to positively masterful. After all, directed by newcomer Pierre Morel, filled with low-rate actors, and written by the guys behind the Transporter series, "Taken" might have been just a standard industry product pumped out during the box office dead zone of January, at least until Neeson was cast.
The film begins with Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) attending his daughter Kim's (Maggie Grace) birthday. Mills has recently retired early from his secret career with the government to live closer to his seventeen-year-old daughter, who lives with her peremptory mother and opulent step-father.
The next few scenes intend to emphasize Bryan's feeling of failure as a father while giving the audience a few glimpses at his past life, hinting at his capabilities. Bryan works a security job at night while spending his day trying to work things out with his daughter, who apparently has the emotional stability of a hamster. This is undoubtedly the low point of the movie, but pulling through these few tiresome scenes will pay off immensely.
Kim reveals that she wants to travel to Paris with a friend. Bryan obstinately objects, much to the disapproval of Kim's mother (Famke Janssen). Delivering a spiel about how dangerous the real world is, Bryan seems unreasonably paranoid. His inscrutable distrust of the outside world is a little overwrought, almost unnervingly so. But he ultimately caves in and Kim's off.
Almost ironically, after all Kim's assurance they'd be fine, she and her friend are kidnapped within a few hours of their arrival in Europe and sold into the human trafficking market so quickly that you'd think her father planned it to prove his point. Though the scene is a little absurd, the audience can be thankful the writers decided to just rush through the almost painful dialogue between the two girls and get straight to the good stuff.
Bryan Mills springs straight into action, and the next hour is nonstop breathtaking awesome. Liam Neeson brings the wrath of God to his role, and the audience will cheer as he cuts a justifiable path through an army of loathsome criminals in order to get to his daughter. Neeson is righteously ruthless, and you'll love it. His presence breathes a passionate intensity that makes the combat, which is absolutely thrilling as it is, so much more exhilarating.
Though some may not appreciate it, the lack of a central villain really helps the movie. Rather than focusing on some farfetched villain as most action films do, "Taken" focuses on Neeson's character and his struggle, another factor saving the movie from the cliche it so easily could've been.
While not a perfect movie, "Taken" is the ideal action flick- plausible enough to be engaging, while improbable enough to be entertaining. The adrenaline-pumping action of this film is captivating, and will most likely distract you from the generic plot and nonsensical conclusions. Disregarding the dull opening, it is definitely one of the fastest paced movies since the Bourne series. From Liam Neeson's vow of vengeance to the moment the credits begin rolling, you won't find yourself bored for a moment.
The movie also takes a divulging look into the abhorrent human trafficking of the east, even compelling enough to inspire actress Famke Janssen to serve as Goodwill Ambassador of the UN in order to fight this appalling crime. It's interesting that the French filmmakers are so open about the corruption in their own nation and government. And it's refreshing to see a film of today take an unapologetic look at some of the real atrocities so freely and commonly committed in Europe and the Middle East, especially when so many critics will decry any such film as racist and xenophobic in a day when a movie must, in order to gain highbrow praise, make scathing criticisms of the United States while glorifying the gilded beauty of Europe and defending the incongruous innocence of the Middle East.
"Taken" is definitely a film to remember and one likely to be talked about a lot. If you're going to see one movie this January, make sure it's "Taken".