More could be done.

Rating: 5/10 (26 September 2008)

When his daughter (played by Maggie Grace) goes to Europe and is kidnapped, Bryan (Liam Neeson) goes to investigate. Bryan used to work for the CIA doing dirty jobs nobody else wanted. Skilled in combat and torture techniques he uses his skills to hunt the kidnappers down.
Liam Neeson showed a lot of promise in his early career. The high watermark of his career so far has been 'Schindler's List' and from that point on its been a downward spiral (with the possible exception of 'Batman Begins'). Here he's badly used as a tough guy trying to help his estranged daughter. Although he does well, this isn't a role Neeson is suited for. He has too kind a spirit under character to pull off being an enthusiastic torture and killer. Maggie Grace is also awkward in the film. She's trying to play a 17year old, but doesn't do it with any skill. The rest of the supporting cast try hard with the material but also come off looking at times lost.
This is Pierre Morel's first shot at a big studio film. Teaming up with Luc Besson (writer/producer here) might not have been the best move. The film seems rushed in places and the emotional moments look really bad. There's also a very odd ending that doesn't seem to belong to the same movie, tacked on so the audience can go away happy.
All in all not a great cinema experience. If you're reading reviews in order to get an impression whether to see this film on the big screen then my advice would be to wait for the rental DVD release early next year instead