Superior Thriller!

Rating: 10/10 (21 May 2009)

It's hard to describe how much I enjoyed this movie. It's absolutely the best film I've seen at a movie theater in quite a long time. Anyone who doesn't like this picture is probably an evil person and a supporter of white slavery!! (joke)
Taken is a throwback to earlier, simpler times when action movies were good and right-wing and the plot left no ambiguity as to whether the hero of the picture was right or wrong in his pursuit of extreme justice. I found myself on the edge of my seat many times.
The writers really know how to push the right emotional buttons, first with Neeson's horrible ex-wife, then with his warnings becoming prophetic and again with the ruthless search for his daughter. She really didn't deserve a father like this!
I'm glad that the filmmakers resisted the temptation to turn the girl he rescued for information into a tag-along sidekick like the one that spoiled other action movies like Commando, 8mm, and 3000 Miles To Graceland.
This is the first French movie that I've seen in a long time that didn't have at least one scene that pandered to Islamic and/or leftist groups! However, I'll admit that the wealthy Arabs being white slavers aspect was a bit cliché and probably offensive to middle easterners.
The only thing I can think of that would have made this even better was during the scene where Neeson triumphantly returned with his daughter, if he would have taken the time to tell off his ex-wife!