Get this man some Icy-Hot and a cold one

Rating: 6/10 (31 January 2012)

"I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you're looking for a ransom, I can tell you, I don't have any money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills acquired over a very long career in the shadows, skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that will be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you. And I will kill you." - Liam Neeson, Taken.
From that quote, you can see what Taken is. A fast-paced action thriller with some of the most obvious lines in the history of the genre. The entire experience is lightweight and mildly amusing. Its plot is pretty ordinary, yet the film's characters are mostly efficient. It centers around Liam Neeson's Bryan Mills, a semi-retired CIA operative who worked in the field for many years which has led him to be aware, overprotective, and almost constantly paranoid.
Victim to his protectiveness is his daughter, Kim (Grace). Kim is Bryan's daughter from his first marriage that didn't go so well because of his frequent absence since his CIA job is very demanding. Kim is a bright young girl who begs daddy for his signature so she can go to Paris with her girlfriend to look at the museums, aka U2 concerts. Reluctantly and after providing a plethora of conditions, Bryan signs the agreement and Kim is off to Paris. It's not long her and her friend are kidnapped by a group of Albanian thugs.
Before she is taken, she calls her father who hears just enough information to make the effortless flight over to Paris and to try and find her kidnappers. Of course, Bryan possesses an unprecedented amount of skills to conduct an operation of this magnitude. For God's sake get this man a compass, a map, and a ticket to Afghanistan so he can find Osama Bin Laden and take down another terrorist operation! The first half hour of the film was compelling, interesting, and on top of everything an action film should be on top of; character development, plot, and suspense. After about forty-five minutes or so, Taken then becomes a slightly incomprehensible beat-em-up action film for the least demanding. The camera moves quickly and the fast paced editing style seems like it can sometimes barely keep up with the madness that's unfolding.
Ultimately, the film is somewhat interesting, but how it merited a PG-13 rating is mind-boggling to me. It's not graphic, per se, but the MPAA is notorious for overreacting to small little instances and subject matter. The fact that this film can speak about drug addiction, prostitution, trafficking, and boast the amount of language and violence as if it comes in a limitless quantity, all with a PG-13 rating further cements that if a film focuses primarily on violence, the MPAA will continue to be very lenient on it.
Something also must be said about Liam Neeson's performance. He possesses wit, style, pleasantness, stress, and anger all in a believable manner. The film is essentially a one man show with Neeson bringing as much life to the character, going beyond what has already been provided. The rest of the supporting cast is either rarely seen or killed off shortly after they make an appearance.
Taken is a fair action film, motivated by the recurring action film themes; fast paced, sometimes unbelievable blows to every part of the body and nonstop twists and turns of the camera. Neeson manages to lift the film off its feet in terms of giving an efficient performance, but the film feels generic and suffers from the sameness we are so used to in action films today. It's not bad but its aftertaste is an underwhelming one at best.
Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Leland Orser, Jon Gries, David Warshofsky, Katie Cassidy, Holly Valance, and Famke Janssen. Directed by: Pierre Morel.