This zany advertisement for Mercedes Benz taxis will delight and inform viewers of all ages

Rating: 5/10 (26 March 2014)

An American family struggles to survive on the mean streets of Istanbul!
This deeply xenophobic 'thriller' fails to match the high standards set by its prequel but ticks all the right boxes for the ignorant USA-based audience at which it is obviously aimed.
Those of us who have actually visited Istanbul will know the city was unfairly and inaccurately portrayed as some kind of Egyptian slum rather than the majestic, culturally and historically rich capital it actually is.
Taken II was heavily sponsored by Mercedes Benz, hence the prevalence of MB taxis throughout. Again, those of us who have actually visited Istanbul are fully aware that the yellow taxis there are predominantly Fiats.
Liam Neeson stars in a role better suited to Ben Affleck, who was forced to withdraw from the production citing 'creative differences' and 'scheduling conflicts.'
Critics are sharply divided over the director's use of filters. The music score is dramatic but otherwise unremarkable. Tracking shots were very good.
I rate 'Taken II' at 16.65 on the Haglee Scale, which works out as a solid 5/10 on IMDb.