Unpretentious, fast-moving, utterly preposterous enjoyable schlock

Rating: 6/10 (8 January 2010)

Taken proves one thing beyond doubt: that even the cheapest schlock can sparkle in the right hands. Sparkles about the word, too, because there is less to Taken than a Bonfire Night sparkler. Fizz, fizz, fizz, then that's it. Taken is nonsense, but directed and acted at such a frenetic pace that you really don't have much time to reflect on anything except to wonder what might be coming next. The plot - I use the word loosely - stinks. Dad out to rescue his daughter. But as Dad happens to be a former CIA operative with an impressive array of technical and martial arts skills, the film gets a certain dimension. Liam Neeson is Dad, and does the action hero spiel rather well. Being rather the craggy sort lends him a credibility which is utterly spurious but which last as long as the film. And that is all that's needed. This is an action movie and nothing else. And it does not pretend to be anything else. It could have been atrociously bad, but it's not. It's very well-made, so the gaping plot holes - an example: an American (tho' Neeson is Irish, but let's let that pass) pretends he is a corrupt French cop and when he confronts a gang of ruthless Albanian thugs, they all speak English - don't rankle in the slightest. Lots of car chases, lots of gun-play, lots of fighting, lots of cleverness with all kinds of gadgets - what else good a boy want. Well, quite a bit more, actually, but Taken isn't that kind of film. It is what it is and basta cosi, so it deserves and extra mark for honesty. Don't look to closely, just enjoy the chase.