Taken

It's not surprising to see Luc Besson credited as the head writer for Taken. The movie shares a lot in common with another film franchise associated with Besson, The Transporter. Both are over the top, silly, non-stop action spectacles that seldom take the time to slow down or make sense. What makes the big difference here is who is at the head of the story. Taken features Liam Neeson in the lead role, who gives the film a certain humanity and grounding in reality amongst the silliness of it all. Let's just say it helps that he's a bit more sympathetic of an actor than Jason Statham, the surly star of the Transporter films.

As expected, the story is nothing but a hook for which to hang a series of increasingly elaborate and implausible action sequences. Bryan Mills (Neeson) is a retired CIA operative. He used to keep America safe from terrorists and international criminals. Now that he's retired, he's mainly trying to patch up his relationship with his teenage daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace), and estranged ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen). Kim gets invited by a friend to vacation in Paris. Bryan is not happy about the idea of his only child being on her own far from home, but eventually agrees. Turns out he was right to worry, as mere moments after Kim and her friend Amanda (Katie Cassidy) step off the plane, they are both kidnapped by Albanian criminals with ties to drug and prostitution rings. What's a concerned dad with military training and knowledge of every fighting style known to man to do? Catch the next flight to Paris, try to get some answers as to where his daughter is, and kill anyone who gets in his way.

After about 20 minutes of set up, Taken pretty much turns into an extended action and chase sequence that seldom slows down, except for when Bryan asks the bad guys some questions in-between beating them within an inch of their lives. The film's director, Pierre Morel (a cinematographer making his English language directing debut), certainly knows how to stage an impressive, if not ludicrous, action sequence. The stunts are brutal, and the editing is fast-paced but not choppy. The big surprise here is Neeson himself. I've regarded him as a fine actor for a while, but have never seen him as much of an action star. He definitely throws himself into every fight sequence and chase scene, while squeezing what little humanity he can out of his character. Bryan is not a human tank. He's simply a caring father who just happens to be an expert at multiple martial arts, deadly weapons, and torture methods. It may be ridiculous, but Neeson is a strong enough of an actor that he is able to sell the material.

Everything else about the movie is a bit of a harder sell. It's not just the fact that Taken is completely superficial, all thrills and no substance entertainment. I can enjoy that to an extent. What I could not get into was how careless everything seemed. Bryan is able to come upon the information he needs so quickly, and stay ahead of his pursuers so easily (both the criminals and law officials who want to reign him in and send him back to America), that I never felt any real tension in the story. In order for a story like this to work, the hero needs some kind of moment where it feels like all hope is lost. Even during the sequence where he is strung up and being tortured, he is able to free himself in mere seconds, and clear the room of every living soul in less time than it takes most people to wake up in the morning. Would it be too much to ask that after gunning down and stabbing half a dozen faceless henchmen that he at least lean against a wall to catch his breath for a moment? There were a number of times I wished the movie would slow down and let me take in what I was seeing.

I know, Taken isn't that kind of movie. This is a in-one-ear, out-the-other kind of movie that offers some impressive stunts and surprisingly brutal violence (edited in such a way so the movie can be PG-13 instead of R), and then sends us back into the real world. There's always a place in my heart for mindless spectacle, but this is a little too much of a good thing. Were it not for Liam Neeson's natural charisma and energy, I'd probably have a hard time remembering anything about this movie, and my screening only got out four hours ago.

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