Review: Taken

2009-08-11T00:49:00.003-05:00

Co-written and produced by Transporter scribe Luc Besson, Taken is a swift action/thriller that is best described as competent filmmaking; it's solidly crafted and emotionally satisfying, but nothing about its plot or action sequences is particularly new or exciting.

The only thing preventing Taken from falling into obscurity is Liam Neeson's lead performance. Channeling his inner Jason Bourne, Neeson outsmarts cops and bad-guys alike while trying to find his kidnapped daughter.

In the film's opening minutes, Neeson is built up as a tragic father figure, constantly being one-upped by a hateful ex-wife and her exceedingly rich new husband. This makes for a sympathetic lead, one you'll root for even after he dishes out some pretty brutal violence.

Clocking in at just over 90 minutes, Taken zips by before overstaying its welcome. The plot has excellent forward momentum, jumping from one scene to the next before having a chance to grow stale. Because of this, there's always a sense that Neeson is getting somewhere, that each smashed face is bringing him ever closer to his goal.

However, as I stated earlier, the action in Taken is really nothing special. There's a decent enough car chase and some slick hand-to-hand combat moves, but it all feels rather familiar. There's even a shootout on a luxury yacht...like we haven't seen that before. Considering it was penned by the duo that wrote The Fifth Element and The Transporter series, such unoriginality is nearly unforgivable.

Ultimately, Taken is an adequate thriller saved by Liam Neeson's stoic charm. His best line in the film ends with, "I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you." The man does not lie, and for that Taken is at least satisfying on a base level. Rent it, enjoy it, then take it back and move along.

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Review: Taken