A decent pop corn flick.

Rating: 6/10 (20 May 2009)

The movie Taken is about a retired spy Brian played by Liam Neeson. The plot of the movie is pretty straightforward. So, if you are watching this movie to see something fresh, I am afraid that the only thing fresh that you are going to see in this movie are the faces. Yes, it is like an old story in perhaps a different location, with a different cast and a slightly different way of looking at things. Brian is a retired spy who used to protect the country from international enemies by doing certain operations and so on. The cost that he has had to pay in order to do this job is that he has not been able to spend time with his family and is estranged from his daughter. He is now retired in hopes of making up for the lost time. Time and now of course he does security provision assignments for local concerts and shows.
One fine day, the daughter chooses to go to Paris and since she is a minor she needs her father's permission. Having seen the world, Daddy is all too concerned but finally lets go. And as any seasoned movie goer can guess even though he might know nothing about the plot of the movie, he can guess that something is about to happen to the daughter. And it does! No points for guessing that! She gets kidnapped conveniently letting her father listen to the voice of the kidnapper since the kidnapping happens while she talks to her father! And in then we see non-realism at its best. He guesses the kidnapper, his origin, his possible hideouts and regions of operation. He goes to Paris, he kicks ass and he tracks down the guys and gets back his daughter. Plenty of gun action. And it is pretty straight. The spies are suppose to be good with guns. But how good are they with their hands? My god! They move so fast that the cameramen cannot capture a single punch on the screen. For those who might have accidentally read my one or two other reviews, I have always been someone who complained about the camera being moved too fast to capture a punch. I hate such photography. I want to see a punch delivered, I want to feel for a moment the strength of the hero as he lands a punch on his opponent. This movie denied me that.
The action flows smoothly in the movie. The direction is about okay. The movie is never realistic. A major complaint I have about the movie is that I do not feel any love between the father and the daughter. Of course they are supposed to be estranged but still overall on the emotional front, there is nothing much that the movie delivers. It is a pure action movie and it portrays action at the cost of everything else - including realism and emotion. The only emotion that finds strength is the brutal anger of the hero as he unleashes hell on the streets of Paris.
Overall, a mindless flick worth watching if an escape from reality is what you are looking for!