Or 'take 2'; 'What are your gonna do?' 'What I do best.'

Rating: 7/10 (9 April 2013)

TAKEN released in 2008 was a tightly woven thriller that boosted Liam Neeson's already burgeoning career: he was a killer's killer and managed to garner acclaim from critics and audiences alike. Now we have a sequel (and there may be more, as the end of the film suggests) that just isn't up to the same standard as the original, but for those who saw Part 1, then Part 2 will likely not disappoint.
The film opens in Albania where the old father Murad Krasniqi (Rade Serbedzija) is burying his son and some villagers killed by Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) and he vows revenge. Switch to Los Angles where we see Bryan and his ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen), who is recuperating from her second divorce, and their daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) who is entering her first relationship with Jamie (a promising Luke Grimes) arguing over priorities. Bryan still loves Kim and Lenore and when Lenore tearfully confesses her frustration that her plans to take Kim to China to regroup emotionally have fallen through, Bryan announces he has a job in Istanbul, Turkey - 3 days worth - and invites them to join him after his job is complete. But of course in Istanbul Bryan's mission involves offing all the people from the Albanian crew and when Lenore and Kim arrive the family is re-bonded until Murad directs that all three be captured and killed. From there it is the predictable cat and mouse games of capture/escape/killing by every means possible/ car chases action and the few who are left in the end make a pact of sorts...and more need not be said.
Oliver Megaton directs a screenplay by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen. One of the glories of the film is the opportunity to see the many sites of Istanbul. This is not a bad film at all - it is just not up to the standard of the original even thought he players are the same.
Grady Harp