Liam Neeson's 2012 started off so well, but alas...

Rating: 3/10 (18 October 2012)

Frankly, I feel that Taken should have remained in the straight-to-video dungeon where it belonged - even Neeson himself didn't expect a theatrical release - but it became a hit and the man who was once Oskar Schindler became a action hero. A sequel was inevitable, and well, here we are.
While away in Istanbul, with his ex-wife (Famke Janssen) and teenage - yeah, right - daughter (Maggie Grace), Bryan Mills is targeted by a cabal of clichéd foreigners who want revenge for the deaths of their brothers and friends ("Ve will haf our rewenge!"), who Mills slaughtered "like they ver so many nuthinks". This time, him and his wife are kidnapped, and it's their daughter who must save them.
Yes, I'm aware Taken was supposed to be stupid, OTT 'fun', but I found it dull and wasn't enthusiastic at the thought of a follow-up, and with this sequel new director Olivier Megaton delivers a film worse predecessor. Aside from Mr. Neeson, the film's main draw are the action sequences, here however, they might as well have been shot with potato. Whether a conscious decision or due to cuts to receive the mass audience- friendly 12A/PG-13, the action is sloppy and shoddily edited; each fight sees Neeson square off against some not-at-all stereotypical foes in a frenzy of shakycam, resulting in an incomprehensible flurry of fists and kicks. If it's a bid for a broader certificate, then it makes it seem as if he's censoring people to death, sending them to the cutting room floor, not the grave.
The only thing that makes this thing bearable is of course, Liam Neeson, remaining an engaging presence in the midst of it all, delivering lines such as "When a dog has a bone, the last thing you should do is take it from him", or possibly my favourite, "Kim, I want you to remain calm, your mother and I have been... taken". The fact he said such clunkers with a straight face gave me something to enjoy in an otherwise unexciting and turgid affair. There's one thing this film is sorely lacking and that's a sense of novelty and fun. C'mon Liam, you can do better.