Old plot new tricks

Rating: 8/10 (7 February 2009)

You've seen the plot of TAKEN before: A former CIA operative's daughter is kidnapped and is to be sold into a life of slavery and prostitution. He immediately goes after the kidnapers. The action takes us from Los Angeles to Paris and back. Liam Neeson is the operative and Famke Janssen is the ex-wife; otherwise, the cast is largely made up of an army of stuntmen, all on hand to be mowed down by Neeson in his quest to retrieve his daughter. What makes the movie work are the incredible fight sequences, which are plentiful and modeled on the fight sequences in THE BOURNE SUPREMACY. Since the movie is rated PG-13, there is no blood to speak of, but the violence feels real enough and Neeson is believable as a killing machine who cannot be stopped or even slowed down. No surprises plot-wise, and the story is told in strictly linear form, but wow, those fight scenes. A French film written by Luc Besson. Movie buffs may be reminded of TARGET with Gene Hackman and FRANTIC with Harrison Ford.