It is what it purports to be - a very good movie; you won't be "Taken"

Rating: 8/10 (19 May 2009)

Read others' comments for plot details about the movie. Just a few observations here about the movie that are not quite as obvious, but speak to the writers' and director's attention to detail - or lack thereof.

Watch (and re-watch) very carefully the scene where Bryan is wrapping Kim's birthday present. His meticulousness bordering on compulsiveness gives insight into his careful, measured character. A nice bonus is a split-second where he flashes the trademarked "goofy, shoulder-shrugging" facial expression of a young Harrison Ford from his Star Wars and Raiders days.

Although others have remarked about how Maggie Grace is too old to be playing 17-year old Kim, I thought she was spot on in her portrayal of the energetic giddiness and mercurial emotions and actions of a teenager. Watch her carefully.

The writers used a nice tie-in linking Kim's birthday presents from her 5th birthday party and her current 17th birthday party.

Liam Neeson's kind of bedraggled posture and slightly bewildered look early in the film were nice bodily character clues to the ill-at-ease he was feeling as an estranged father trying to make up for lost time

It was also a nice deliberate touch to give him an old-school disposable thumb-wind Kodak film camera, showing how he is a step behind in the real world, now that he has retired from his CIA operative days

"Sheerah" also does nicely in her vulnerable, down-to-earth scene thanking Bryan in the hotel room

I wondered if it was a deliberate cinematic flashback in-joke when the sheik on the boat is first seen and he is reminiscent of Jabba the Hutt, not only in reclining appearance but also in circumstance

Interesting to note that the major car chase scenes in Paris were with Audis and not French cars

There was a nicely-done shot of Bryan's reflection and Kim's face in her car window near the end

I didn't even recognize Xander Berkeley until I saw his name in the credits; it's been a long time since Season 2 of "24"

A few pet peeves:

Why is it that the bad guys can shoot out the driver's window almost point blank and not inflict any damage on the good guy driver?

Why do the prop guys never load suitcases with anything to make their weight and handling more believable? (i.e., when Bryan drops Kim at the airport)

Why couldn't the end credits actually mention who played the main characters in the film, like they did for all the secondary roles?