Bryan Mills, a former government operative, is trying to reconnect with his teenage daughter Kim. After reluctantly agreeing with his ex-wife to let Kim go to Paris on vacation with a friend, his worst nightmare comes true. While on the phone with his daughter shortly after she arrives in Paris, she and her friend are abducted by a gang of human traffickers. Working against the clock, Bryan relies on his extensive training and skills to track down the ruthless gang that abducted her and launch a one-man war to rescue his daughter.
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Nat reviewed Taken (2008)
Sorry for spoilers guys!
This movie promised to be a great compromise movie : the sentimentality of the father-daughter relationship (for the chick) and the action paced father saving daughter (for the bloke). It failed on both parts. The main character (Dad?) was completely unbelievable character (any of you familiar with Clint's brilliant Gran Torimo will recognise it being regurgitated - the all out hero failing to old age, America's changing landscape no longer feels it needs its A-typical heros, then later in the film you learn it really does) .
The daughter, im sorry you're following U2's European tour and staying in the finest hotels? Im supposed to sympathise with you? Lousy scriptwriting?
It outrageously pandered on all the stereotypical views of American's and their relationship with foreign affairs (the word foreign of course being synonymous with 'they've come to destroy us') . Combined with Southern lit's analogy that any salesman = progression = there going to destroy us. Combined with the affection that any new group of immigrants receives when their 'new' (this time Eastern Europeans) - lets destroy them before they destroy us. The patriotism in this film is sickening, not in an overt way where their all flying flags and singing a national anthem but that the basic premise of the film is if you want to live - never leave the USA. & it reiterates Hostel quite on the American life is more valuable on the black market bidding wars of human lives.
The action parts are quite enticing despite being quite Tom & Jerry, this is purely because Hollywood has perfected how to make action sequences enticing.
The only interesting part of the film is it was co-written by Luc Besson & directed by a lesser known frenchman (Pierre Morel) so despite being a piece of deliberate propaganda trite; the portrayal of the French government allowing, overseeing & taking part albanian sex trafficking leads to more interesting resolves.
If you want a good piece of thought provoking ham that includes an American spy/hitman/whatever watch John Cusak's Gross Point Blank (the action sequences are no where as good).
Ryanmeft reviewed Taken (2008)
Review from the comment
I suspect I'll be virtually alone in my dislike of this film. It gives adequate gunplay and explosions and for many, that will be enough. However, I found the film's willingness to use child sex slavery as a prop for Liam Neeson shooting guys to be profoundly disturbing. It takes a disturbing crime that really happens in shocking numbers and reduces it to window dressing, without having the slightest useful thought on the subject matter. Aside from that, the film is absurd in a way that will have all but the least skeptical people out there (roughly 75% of the population) rolling their eyes. There are better movies with which to get your thrill fix.
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