There were moments when I saw the shadow of the film Taken was trying to be; a film rivaling action thrillers of the past decade. For me, it just didn't quite get there.

Rating: 7/10 (15 February 2016)

7.2 out of 10
Somewhere, deep beneath a tonne of Hollywood clichÃ©s and mediocre writing, is a really solid and entertaining action film. While Neeson is undeniably a force to be reckoned with, each beat felt predictable to me, and the dialogue was really quite bland and stock. There were moments, however, where I saw the shadow of the film Taken was trying to be; a film rivaling action thrillers of the past decade. For me, it just didn't quite get there. I can, however, appreciate what Taken did for the genre, and the role it played in similar, more enjoyable films getting made.