Surprisingly simple and effective ...

Rating: 9/10 (19 April 2009)

I'll be honest. I didn't quite put this movie on my "must watch" list until i was invited for free to watch it with a friend. And i have to admit, i'm honestly "taken" into this movie! First off, it's a movie that does not have a lot of special effects. So really, if you do catch it on DVD, it's not an entire loss also, so don't worry if you're missing out.
The story is really simple. Father is a former government agent who retired, living away from his daughter and ex-wife. Daughter goes for a trip to Paris and gets kidnapped away in a mishap (that could have been very very easily avoided, but i won't spoil it for you), and reactivates himself to hunt down the people who did it and rescue his daughter in the process.
Real simple story, so it's up to Liam Neeson to keep your attention span active and in tune with things ... and i have to admit, he does a great job. I recently played and completed FALLOUT 3, a video game that he does voice acting in - as your character's father, and really, he has the magic to play the role of a father ... assuring and for sure, able to bail you out of situations even if it means risking his life. You see that a lot in Taken ... from start to end.
Action wise, i was told that Luc Besson is involved in this movie, yet i don't honestly feel his magical presence in this one compared to his other movies. But Liam does a nice job of being quick to attack and get the upper hand before you could even say ANYTHING. I'm convinced that he can go into the action genre from time to time ... he's got that magic! One personal comparison though ... i did compare this movie to Man on fire and it seems like between these 2 kidnap theme movies, Taken really takes a backseat to Man on fire ... but this doesn't mean it's not worth a watch ... it's just my own 2 cents and my friend feels Taken is a better movie between the 2.
Otherwise, just enjoy the movie!