The lesson for today is don't mess with Liam Neeson.

Rating: 7/10 (15 June 2013)

The film star is all kinds of bad ass in this grim, intense action flick, which could be described as a very lean and very mean James Bond type of film. It's so briskly paced and action packed that it clocks in at a very trim 91 minutes (and it only runs an extra two minutes in the unrated extended cut). If it does its job, you won't be thinking about how implausible any of it might be - you'll just be wolfing down the popcorn and having a high old time.
Neeson plays Bryan Mills, a retired CIA operative who's left the business to make up for lost time with his now teen aged daughter Kim (Maggie Grace). She gets an opportunity to travel to Europe, and the protective, cautious dad is dubious about the whole thing, especially upon learning of the lack of parental figures on this trip. Of course, he's proved right as the hapless girl is abducted by Albanian human traffickers. He gets his ass to Paris and leaves a trail of death and destruction in his wake as he does everything he has to do to save his girl.
As long as one is looking for some undemanding no-brainer violent fun, they can quite enjoy "Taken". It definitely doesn't waste its time once its gets going. It is a little slow to start as it establishes Bryan trying to be a cool dad and making a living performing such duties as security for a pop star (Holly Valance). But when Bryan gets moving, the movie turns into a wild ride, with plentiful scummy bad guys who can't die soon enough. It's also amusing to note how ruthless Bryan can be. The man doesn't care who he has to shoot in order to get what he wants. Some viewers may find the activities of the bad guys to be quite off putting, especially considering the fact that they place a high value on virgins. Editing, location work, and photography are all well done, and a good supporting cast including some familiar faces (Leland Orser, Jon Gries, Xander Berkeley, and the lovely as ever Famke Janssen as Bryans' ex- wife) all help to make this agreeable escapism.
As far as this kind of entertainment goes, one could certainly do a lot worse.
Seven out of 10.