First half blech, second half reminiscent of orig. Taken

Rating: 7/10 (26 February 2013)

SPOILER CITY.
This could've been great if the writers hadn't fallen to half-assed movie clichés such as: - ex-wife now someone else's ex-wife so naturally will be wife again. - 30-year-old woman as 16-year-old trying to get driver's license - thinking you could get away with hiring Borat's wife for the final scene (not the writer's fault, but didn't stop me from laughing) - making the daughter consistently make the dumbest moves (really? You couldn't move your dumb ass flip-flops from the window?) - daughter dating nasty ass scrub who lives in a frat house, much to dismay of father ... and more.
That being said, once this movie got into the 40 min. mark and got to what it does best (namely, Liam Neeson kicking ass) I let go of all of the laws of logic and enjoyed the movie. Sorry, doesn't get much better than Liam Neeson being clever and kicking ass.
If you liked the first Taken, you'll like this after the 40 min. mark. Try to suspend your disbelief that the daughter can actually accomplish anything.
Sidenote, the '10 things we learned from Taken 2' in the message board thread is hilarious.
Food for thought: Why didn't gang boss man's other sons join the fam. biz? Espec. if they would avenge daddy boss man?