Worth the Watch

Rating: 9/10 (27 March 2014)

Taken gives a dark insight on the unfortunate reality that is human trafficking.
Before watching Taken, I had a general idea that human trafficking was apparent in the world, but not to this degree. While watching this movie, I became perplexed at the idea that any average person could potentially become abducted if they are not careful. Bryan is a father, and ex-CIA agent. His daughter Kim is a rebellious teenager who wants to be a singer when she grows up. When Kim asks her father if she can go to Paris to go museum hopping with her best friend Amanda and her cousin, Bryan is extremely reluctant to let her go. Bryan understands the dangers of the world from his work experience, however he eventually caves in and lets her go. While they are at the airport Bryan discovers that Kim is actually going to Paris to follow U2's European tour, and he is even more alarmed.
Upon Kim and Amanda's arrival in Paris they meet a handsome boy who offers to split the cost of a taxi with them because it is so expensive. Little do the girls know that this man would come back to abduct them in a short while after they settle in their apartment. This was extremely interesting because everyone has an idea of human trafficking, but no one really knows how it happens or how easy it is to be abducted. While there are definitely people who are going to say "Oh, I would never fall for that!" in the heat of the moment turning down a normal person who is seemingly trying to be friendly would be extremely difficult.
Taken is a great movie for anyone looking for action, interesting plot, or if you just love to see Liam Neeson be awesome. This movie really opened my eyes to the reality of human trafficking, and how crazy the people are to be doing this to people. Drugs, brainwashing, and flat out hopelessness fuel the fire for the human traffickers in this movie, and it leads to some extremely unfortunate situations. After watching Taken, I can honestly say that I am genuinely more aware of the world, because human trafficking is a very real thing. Girls are taken every hour of every day, and it Taken does a perfect job of portraying the heart wrenching emotions involved at every level of human trafficking, and is definitely worth the watch.