Skillfully made, disappointing on the other hand.

Rating: 7/10 (19 February 2012)

Trailers are often very more intense than the real thing,no surprises here. But even while bearing this in mind, flicks can be disappointing, regardless of their IMDb rating.
For me, this certainly was the case with Taken. You watch Liam Neeson as the desperate former CIA-operative Bryan who is struggling with his divorce and an apparent custody issue that does not allow him to visit his daughter Kim in personal. His wife, played by Famke Janssen, is very reluctant to his approaches to get in touch with her, especially at her birthday which is celebrated at the mansion of the obviously more fortunate new husband of his ex-wife. Knowing his daughter aspires to become a singer, he buys her a karaoke machine, which she gratefully accepts, only to become even more enthusiastic as she finds out her stepfather bought her a horse.
Kim and her friend Amanda plan to go on a holiday to Paris on the pretext of wanting to watch all the culture up there. As she is still 17, she needs her father's written permission. Being aware of the dangers of being alone in Paris, Bryan is reluctant to gove his permission. His ex-wife puts pressure on him, as she believes he is overprotective of his daughter. Finally, he signs, but only under a few conditions, such as calling him after her arrival and letting him know when they've reached their apartment.
At the airport however, Bryan finds out his daughter's real plan is to follow U2's Vertigo tour through Europe. Once more, his ex-wife insists he should let her go, as many teens follow through such plans.
Of course, right after arrival, things go awry. Kim and Amanda meet a young man, Peter, who asks if they'd like to share a cab as it is less costly. He takes a few pictures from them and tells them there is a party that night. Also, he finds out about their whereabouts. Amanda is enthusiastic about the party, but Kim is reluctant. That same night, mobsters break into the apartment. Kim watches while Amanda is being kidnapped while on the phone with Bryan. Bryan immediately turns on tapping equipment. Kim's phone is grabbed by one of the mobsters. Bryan firmly explains that he has not enough money for any ransoms, but has a 'considerate set of skill built up during a lifetime career' and that he will 'find them and kill them' if they do not release her daughter. He's simply answered with "Good luck" from a voice with an obvious foreign accent.
Kim's stepfather provides certain assets, such as a business plane which allows Bryan to fly to France unseen. Bryan uses his former connections, but is warned as his rampage causes too many victims. Destined to find his daughter, Bryan ignores these warnings and finds himself in some pretty ugly places. The chase is on. And there you have your flick I found myself pretty much disappointed. The martial arts skills that Neeson shows are impressive, however, there are too many implausible events and characters. Neeson kills a lot of bad guys, but also wound and/or kills apparently innocent persons, which makes his character difficult to accept. The overly concerned and apparently sincere character he plays seems to have just too little to justify his actions other than being a missing girl's father. He turns into an unstoppable force, with a thin red line between good and evil as his crusade leaves a lot of question marks on his behavior. Produced by Luc Besson, I expected a well-crafted action thriller, and Besson delivers. However, on the other hand, it is only a few steps away from 'Commando' where it comes to plausibility.