A textbook action flick

Rating: 8/10 (1 April 2010)

Back then when the movie was out, I saw it as just another movie about saving kidnapped loved ones. When I finally get to watch this, it turns out that I was wrong.
The movie was simple and straightforward. It was about this guy who used to be a field operative for the CIA. He retired because he wanted to spend time with his daughter and such. Later in the story, his daughter was kidnapped by someone and this is when he vows to save his daughter and kill whoever that did this. (I pray to God IMDb doesn't consider this spoiler.)
The story turned out the way I thought it would. Most events unfolded the way I expected it to. It was lacking twists as well. So generally speaking, it's very very predictable. However, there is this one thing that clearly distinguishes it as a unique piece from the others.
This one piece being character definition. The writer did a fantastic job in defining the characters early in the movie. You understand why each character had this thought or did this etc. And the best thing about this is that the writers managed to define the characters through detailed, and yet usual, daily actions (eg. buying a gift for daughter's birthday), so it doesn't fell crammed in at all. It felt natural as they show us the sides of the characters.
On top of that, the actors were simply great in this one. Liam Neeson is awesome as usual. Maggie Grace is surprisingly good, and is definitely worth looking out for. The others did a good job as well.
Notice my comment on the movie being "textbook"? Yes, it's as generic as it gets, but the way they managed to present it makes the whole experience a fresh and engaging one. And it being "textbook" is also a compliment, because while they didn't put in some fancy new ideas, they did pull out everything that is required to make a good action flick, and gave those elements some nice waxing and polishing.
To conclude, it's a must watch for everyone.