| Taken (2009) By Cherish Hamutoff Published: February 17, 2009 As an ex-CIA “Preventer,” Bryan (Liam Neeson) has “skills” when it comes to bad guys and bad things. His job kept him from his now ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) and his beloved daughter Kim (Maggie Grace), who now live with Lenore’s wealthy new husband, Stuart (Xander Berkeley). 17 and itching for independence, Kim begs Bryan for permission to travel to Paris with her 19 year old friend Amanda (Katie Cassidy) – he reluctantly gives it, desperate to win her love. Equipped with an overseas phone and rules to call frequently, Amanda lands in Paris and meets a handsome Persian, Peter (Nicolas Giraud), quickly forgetting to call daddy. Afflicted with worry, Bryan calls at the most opportune time – just as Kim sees Amanda being kidnapped, knowing she is next. Bryan snaps into “Preventer” mode, instructing his daughter, then threatening the kidnapper (via the speech that makes the trailer), then flying to Paris for a good old beat down. Will Bryan rescue Kim from the Albanian sex-traffickers within 96 hours, before she is gone for good, or will Kim remain Taken? I recently returned from my first trip out of the country where although I knew nothing of the language and little of the culture, I felt completely safe. The locals were warm and friendly, and other tourists were helpful and fun. So it was slightly maddening to see a film where spoiled little white virgin teenager arrives in scary foreign, rabble-filled Paris where immediately upon landing, she and her slightly slutty (that’s why she gets to die and we don’t feel bad) spoiled white teenager friend get abducted by evil, greasy, remorseless Albanian sex-slave traffickers. That being said – objections raised – if you can let go of the obvious stereotypes (daddy saves the day, ex-wife is heartless, rich new husband is a pansy, little daughter is perfect, foreigners are bad, government officials are corrupt, etc.), obvious plot holes (Bryan gets to blow up ½ of Paris with no ramifications, the American government wouldn’t get involved in an overseas kidnapping, the 96 hour timeline, etc.) and obvious ending (daddy wins back the love of his little girl by saving her life, daddy also puts pansy-ass new dad in his place by being the superhero, and to top it off, daddy puts daughter in touch with her dream by previously saving the life of a pop star); if you can let all of that go – which somehow I was totally able to – then you can really enjoy a fast-paced, shoot-‘em-up, beat-‘em-down revenge-fantasy flick. Who knew that Liam Neeson had it in him? I didn’t, and now I want to see more. He cut as slick a figure as Daniel Craig as Bond – cold and steely on the outside, with a soft warm center; and I wouldn’t mind being saved by either of them. The action was fast, with not much breathing room, although I never felt like I couldn’t catch a breath (ie. the pacing was perfect). I let my revenge fantasies flow: get those bad guys, kill them all and save the perfect, pure, pretty girl (who, by the way, was too old to play this role and wasn’t really all that likable). But all in all, I got into this flick – along with the rowdy audience who would occasionally yell things at the characters (the men in the audience specifically hated the stern ex-wife and the oily Sheik). It was a fun (if completely objectionable) ride. A pure escapist action film with no morals except those that it tread all over. I really enjoyed it. Period. Minus the above-mentioned objections. Rated: PG-13 Running time: 93 minutes Directed by: Pierre Morel Written by: Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen |