Coasts on Liam Neeson's charisma despite being more contrived than the first

Rating: 5/10 (10 October 2014)

TAKEN 2 is a blatant rehash of its predecessor that also has a marked reduction in filmmaking quality, yet it is still watchable due to Liam Neeson's work in the lead role. Bryan Mills is back in this sequel to surprise hit TAKEN, and this time he's been able to get a little more involved with his family while also doing security work on the side. While on assignment in Istanbul, his wife and daughter show up unexpectedly, but unbeknownst to them, survivors of the Albanian family that Bryan massacred in the previous film have tracked him down in order to exact their revenge. What this film makes evident is just how contrived the plot of the first one was, and ups the ante in terms of the lack of believability. While the film starts off in similar fashion to the previous one, there is a plot element which becomes convenient later for the sake of having an action set-piece. This set-piece is a car chase through the streets of Istanbul that has Maggie Grace's character drive like a maniac all while being chased by the Albanian baddies. Other ridiculous elements include a laughable scene where Bryan has his daughter throw grenades into public places so that he can approximate her location relative to his by how long the sound takes to reach him. It's absolutely ludicrous, but still funny at the same time. However, the real negative that can be taken away is the change in shooting/editing style, courtesy of director Olivier Megaton. While Pierre Morel attempted to give TAKEN a modicum of comprehensibility, Olivier Megaton opts for shaky-cam and haphazard editing (frame-cutting, rapidly changing angles) that obscures what seemed like some decent fight choreography. Even the visual aesthetic has been changed to reflect this more down-and-dirty style which, while effective at conveying a sense of urban dirtiness and griminess, gave the film an ugly sheen which put a damper on what could have been a relatively fun adventure. Still, despite all of this and the fact that all of the supporting characters come off as perfunctory, Liam Neeson is able to sell this concept yet again. Overall, its quality doesn't live up to its predecessor's fine production values, but fans of the original should find enjoyment.