Completely Dumb Violence Actioner

Rating: 4/10 (29 August 2009)

The film Taken was a surprise hit. From a budget of $25 million this film made $145 million in the American box-office, and $221 million worldwide. It made Pierre Morel's career as a director and some people on IMDb have touted him as a potential Bond director and shows at the tender age of 56 that Liam Neeson can be an action star. But is this film any good? In my opinion, sadly not.
Liam Neeson plays Bryan Mills, a retired CIA agent whom career led to the break up of his marriage and missing important time with his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace). Bryan stay in contact with some of his CIA buddies and even does some bodyguard work, including saving a young singer played by Holly Valance. Kim has just turned 17 and wants to be a singer. Her friend invites her to go to Paris for the summer and follow U2 on their first European tour (what 17-year-old girl listens to U2?). Bryan warns her, saying that Paris is a dangerous place to go, but lets her. After being in Paris for a few hours Kim and her friend are kidnapped, as happens to every teenage girl who goes to Paris, and Bryan has to use his skills to go use to find his daughter. He has 96 hours before Kim would be addicted to drugs and never be found.
The good points of the film are there are some good action sequence, especially with its budget, Maggie Grace isn't bad playing a teenager and its good to see Liam Neeson in a leading role (even if he has a weird accent). That's it! The plot is simple; I have nothing against simple plots, but there is a fine line from simple and enjoyable to completely stupid. Sex Trafficking and the sex trade are complex subjects and are terribly mishandled in this film. If it wasn't for the fact that film was directed by a Frenchmen, and written and produced by Luc Besson, then it could have easily been made by American neo-cons. As I said, within hours the girls are kidnapped and that Paris is a city unsafe for Americans. Paris is no different to any other city in the world. All non-Americans are stereotypes, the French are corrupt and there is a very simple black and white morality in this world, even if the large amount of torture used. It is a very one-dimensional world, from the set-up to the characterisation. This is a film for xenophobic Americans.
The film also plays like an extended episode of the show 24. Bryan Mills is basically Jack Bauer who is in a race against time. He uses torture to great affect and doesn't seem bothered by the consequences. But at least in this film, Bryan is doing it to find his daughter, not on behalf of the American government. The action of the film is also much like the action in 24, with elements of Paul Greengrass' Bourne films; over-edited and a lot of shaky cam (I don't like that). An element I liked was that Bryan was an older action hero, but seems too good, finding things with ease and getting out of situations without many problems.
This film isn't that good. I expect better from Luc Besson; he is the man who gave us Leon and the Fifth Element.