"...I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you. "

Rating: 7/10 (27 January 2009)

It's been a long time since I watched an action movie and was so involved, riveted to the screen, and rooted so much for the main character as when I saw last weekend the thriller Taken (2008) written by Luc Besson and directed by Pierre Morel. The film has not been released in the USA yet even though it's been out for months in Europe and Asia. I don't understand why because as the action movies go, this is very entertaining and dynamic picture.
The plot involves the kidnapping of an American girl (Maggie Grace) vacationing with a friend in Paris, by the gang of Albanian human traffickers specializing in selling young women into forced prostitution. Her estranged father Bryan (Liam Neeson), a retired CIA agent, the member of the elite "Special Activities Division" Black operations is on the phone with his daughter at the very moment of kidnapping and he's got just a few days to find out who is behind the crime and to try to get his daughter back before it is too late. If you've seen the trailer for the movie, the Neeson's close up and his short but convincing speech addressed to the invisible unknown man who is listening to his daughter's cell phone, would tell you everything you have to know: "I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you." The film follows this statement closely, and makes it a really fast running 93 minutes. The plot is anything but new - back in 1985 Arnold Schwarzenegger as retired elite commando had only a few hours to find and rescue his daughter from an exiled dictator. The first and by far the best season of hit TV series 24 had Kiefer Sutherland as LA based CTU Agent Jack Bauer chasing of all sorts of terrorists who taken his teenage daughter. In its bets moments, Taken brings as much excitement and adrenalin as these classics. Another thought came to my mind while watching the movie, if ever Liam Neeson was considered for the part of Bond, James Bond? If not 007 himself, he could have easily been s Bond's older brother, less glamorous but as dangerous and deadly.
Taken touches on horrific but sadly existing and blooming business of international women trafficking, the slave trade of our times. Do not expect the movie make some serious social comments or provide the deep insight into the dirtiest business possible. Neeson's hero is not out to save thousands of lost forever young women, he is trying to find and safe one girl only who just happened not to know how lucky she was to have a deadly killing machine for a dad. I don't recall when was last time I felt as satisfied as when Bryan let disgusting and despicable villains of different social standings have it with great vengeance and furious anger. I saw perfectly clear all movie's weaknesses and clichés while I was watching it but it never bored me, it was non-stopping action, and it had a hero whom I desperately wanted to succeed. Perfect or not - I liked Taken a lot and would recommend it without hesitation.