Great Thriller--And Pretty Accurate for a Film on Trafficking

Rating: 9/10 (9 December 2014)

Taken was a riveting, eye-opening film that I would recommend to a variety of viewers. It had enough "shoot-em-up" violence in it to appeal to most men, and enough father-daughter love and an emotionally provoking subject to appeal to most women. Of course, women can like action thrillers (I know I do) and men can appreciate emotional dramas, but my point is: the beauty of this movie is in the way it combines subgenres that are often unrelated. The creators were genius in doing this, and they were courageous in bringing to light the very touchy subject of human trafficking. The directing and writing was impressive, the story line and run time were perfect, and the casting was spot- on.
The writers and Neeson very touchingly created a character that is both admirable and relatable: ex-CIA agent Bryan Mills is driven by his love for his daughter, and his willingness to do anything for her. This love drives him to single-handedly rescue his daughter after she is taken by sex traffickers during her trip to Europe. Neeson beautifully portrayed Mills' tendency to range from rash to logical in such a situation. Neeson also very effectively communicated a father's cold revenge and his willingness to eliminate anyone who stood in between him and his daughter. Overall, Neeson's performance was absolutely stunning.
Thankfully, Taken is a pretty accurate portrayal of trafficking. It is set in Europe, where trafficking happens as often as it does in any other country on Planet Earth. I appreciated that the creators chose a European country to combat the myth that trafficking only happens in third-world countries to impoverished young women. Overall, the traffickers in this film are of all ethnicities, which shows that pimps are not limited to being of a certain ethnic background--usually one whose men are considered to often objectify and dehumanize women. However, Taken chose to use the kidnapping of two U.S. teenagers as the traffickers' method of capture, which indirectly encourages another myth: that the targeted group is middle/upper-class, attractive females in their late teens, and that they are always kidnapped. It is true that this scenario is not uncommon, but unfortunately, it doesn't do anything to educate the public in ways that they don't already know.
When most people think of trafficking, they think of the scenario that Taken used, rather than the fact that 50% of victims are boys, the average age of taken girls is 12 years old, and that most victims are coerced, and from any ethnic or economical background, rather than kidnapped. The movie also includes an emphasis that the girls are put on drugs to keep them in their state, though there is no mention of Stockholm Syndrome or other factors that force girls to stay. Mills' daughter Kim, once found by her father, willingly goes with him and runs to hug her stepfather when she gets off the plane back to Los Angeles. The last five minutes of the film show her happy, lively and confident. Sadly, if Kim was a real person, she would probably be too drugged-up to realize her father were rescuing her. Instead, she would be in need of much therapy and healing in all areas of her life. There is a contrast of Vegas-styled prostitution, trailer park "trashy" prostitution, and street-walking, which informs viewers that trafficking happens in many places and involves many different types of people.
Still, Taken is a very brave, and quite effective, portrayal of human trafficking, fatherly love and family, and criminal pursuit. My hope is that this movie has and will continue to educate, inspire and touch both men and women to take a stand against trafficking, to love their families, and to fight for what they know is right.