A Combination of Action Done Before

Rating: 7/10 (20 January 2019)

31 January 2009. Been there, done that..."Taken" doesn't really offer much new in the way of action, combining elements of "Ransom," "Bourne Identity," even "Die Hard." However, the action fighting scene and car chases aren't quite as crisp as "Bourne," nor the stakes quite as high as in "Die Hard." The storyline and the idea of what happens to Liam Neeson's character's daughter has some potent impact, his character has some creative mental stunts, and the chain of events mostly articulate and reasonable. Even Liam Neeson's escape from the bad guys wasn't quite believable, losing the climatic impact. The beginning relational issues seemed fairly generic and stereotypical and an overly expansive explanation was provided by the boys night in. This above average action-thriller, however, just can't reach the power and intensity of its predecessors. It's mostly derivative. 7/10.