Just take it away

Rating: 2/10 (9 September 2013)

The first Taken was a belated surprise hit in the USA. It was already out on DVD in the UK for some time before it was released in the cinemas in the United States.
No wonder then there was pressure for a sequel and this one literally was knocked off on the back of a cigarette packet. Hence note the short running time.
Liam Neeson who is now in his 60s returns a bit more creakier as the ex CIA agent.
After a job in Istanbul he has a short holiday with his daughter and ex-wife but hot on his tail are the family of the Albanian sex trafficking kidnappers who are thirsty for revenge.
We enter a world where in Turkey, mosques seems to chant the call for prayer throughout the day, women are dressed in black burqas and the police drive ancient Lada type cars. I have been to Istanbul and that is far from the truth.
I understand Luc Besson was called out for his anti Islamic sentiments in the first Taken film, he obviously cares little about those accusations.
We have a story where it is the ex wife who is now taken. His daughter is chased by kidnappers and Neeson must make sure they are both safe and kill the bad guys.
The plot is nonsensical and does not make sense. The fight scenes have fast edits like the Bourne films but I reckon they are there to mask Neeson's old age.
One is rather thankful the film ended quickly. The Turks were presumably happy for the cash they got for the location filming. The producers ecstatic that they still managed to make oodles of money at the box office.