I was pleased, but not at all Taken

Rating: 6/10 (7 June 2009)

Adverts for this film had me looking forward to, at the very least, a formulaic that cannot fail: Bad guys get their due by the hand of a righteous good guy. Vengeance is served somehow, and all that. Overall, the film delivers on its promise.
It is not exemplary in its genre however. I wish I could cite a title that really gives that satisfaction that is set up by the words 'I will find you and I will kill you'. A film or TV show that does that is a rare find.
To get that vigilante righteousness where you can applaud the protagonist for banging heads and killing everyone that crosses his/her path is a key issue. It most often requires that the antagonist be really really bad, to the point that that their crimes are so disturbing as to be unimaginable. This is perhaps why I cannot name a more satisfying film. I may have blocked it out.
Perhaps "Die Hard" could be called into play here, because I recall it was eminently satisfying and not too disturbing. But "Die Hard" does not exactly fit into this genre. It should not be a spoiler to say that kidnapping is an element of both, but that alone would hardly describe either film.
"Taken" does not spend enough time on the guy that offered 'good luck'. You barely know who it is before it is gone from the story. Once you see it, you will agree that this is no spoiler, the film and the adverts did that already. Action sequences are implemented with more cuts than bristles on your toothbrush.
It is more convenient to have a series of action sequences filmed and then piece them together in an ineffective effort rather than choreograph them before the start. This shortcut has plagued many an otherwise good film and "Taken" is no exception. See, I just did that. You have no idea what I am saying.
I will now make it clear, this movie is not all that great. It was not bad, I enjoyed it. I watched it alone and was expecting to re-watch it with someone else once I could recommend it, but I cannot. I will not invest another 14000 heart-beats that would be required for a 2nd viewing.