Liam Neeson with a vengeance

Rating: 10/10 (10 April 2012)

Liam Neeson stars as an ex CIA operative that is forced to come out of retirement in order to find his daughter after she is kidnapped in Paris. I was excited by the previews and was hoping for a good action film that I could also relate to. I found it in this movie. I like to get personally involved and it didn't hurt that I was about the same age as the daughter when I saw the movie.
The first part of the movie, which I'm sure if you are watching because you want action, would probably be boring for the action junkie. I, however, liked it. It allowed me time to get to know the characters and the dynamics between the characters. For me, this makes the movie much more enjoyable. And for those action junkies, it didn't last long before the action started.
Liam plays the part of Brian Mills whose main goal is to rekindle his relationship with his teenage daughter. He was a workaholic who neglected his family and ruined his marriage but is determined to keep that one connection with his daughter Kim, played by Maggie Grace. I didn't feel she was the perfect fit for this role. She was too old to be playing a 17 year old girl. But, while an important role, it was still a small part in the film so it worked OK.
Kim wanted to spend the summer in Europe with her 19 year old friend. Liam (Brian) is not happy with the idea but was just beginning to develop a relationship with his daughter and didn't want to ruin it before it flourished, so he agreed. The first day in Paris they were kidnapped. The directors were excellent in the construction of the abduction scene. It was intense. The whole scene was set from the the daughter's perspective while she was on the phone with her dad. It really builds the suspense and sense of dread. The directors did an excellent job with setting up several of the scenes in this movie and it is their ingenuity as well as Liam's acting skills that make this movie great.
The abduction is where the action starts and it doesn't let up throughout the entire movie. Liam Neeson is perfectly cast in this role and proceeds to blaze a trail of blood, bodies and even a little torture in the process of finding his daughter. I also feel that Liam is a great talent and is underused by Hollywood.
The action scenes are staged well and highly entertaining. It also had good lighting. I hate watching movies when you are somewhat guessing at what is happening because the lighting is too dark. I pay good money to watch someone else's imagination at work. I don't want to have to use mine.
After talking to a few friends about their opinion on the movie, the only thing we agreed on is that Liam Neeson is great and that there is enough action to keep you entertained. One person felt it was morally questionable with all Europeans and middle easterners as bad and only Americans as good. Another person felt that it put women in a poor light without any control over their own lives i.e. kidnapped by men and saved by men. I felt it was a well-constructed action film where the directors used their imagination to make the scenes unique and suspenseful. I would see it again. In fact I already have.