Thumbs down!

Rating: 4/10 (8 February 2012)

I found this movie quite exhausting to watch and I was tempted to walk out (of my own house) before reaching the very predictable end.
I like to evaluate films on the basis of what they aim to achieve. In my humble opinion this is just another clichéd 'one American takes on a whole army such that he can locate his missing relative' film. To deny this works sometimes would be silly of me, as films like Polansky's Frantic and Scott's Man on Fire do a great job.
It's a little similar to another film of Harrison Ford's- Firewall, but this has a slightly more interesting pretext. Kidnapping in my opinion is a great focus of a thriller or action film, it's just that Taken completely lacks the acting, the plot and a good soundtrack. With one you can make the greatest film of all time, with none it's a disaster. 4/10. Go watch Frantic instead!