Neeson out of his element, but possibly at his best

Rating: 9/10 (6 June 2009)

I have to admit that I started watching this movie with my breath held. Let's face it, Liam Neeson is not exactly known for bringing the action. Perhaps that's why I liked this so much...not only does Neeson deliver believable action but he damn near rocks your face off.
My experience with Neeson is fairly limited, I'll admit. Yeah, he was in the new Star Wars flicks, but I didn't much care for those and Batman Begins which was fine but he was pretty much absent from that. And then there's Nell. We'll not discuss that. Long story short I always knew Liam Neeson as the guy who always looked like he was just about to start crying (even when he's smiling). Needless to say I was more than a bit surprised when he breaks out into his bad-ass alter ego for Taken. I would liken him in this flick to a slightly more aged Jason Bourne...his action sequences are fluid and impressive but still very based in reality without a ton of flash.
The supporting cast is also pretty good. Famke Janssen is fine if just as cold and uncaring as she is in pretty much everything. A post-Lost Maggie Grace does well as the daughter who's abducted (ok, all she really does is scream and cry, but she fits the bill for the part). I almost didn't recognize her since she comes across looking a lot younger even though it was made after she was killed off on Lost. All in all it's really a shame this movie didn't ever (to my knowledge) see serious theater time. It's every bit as good as anything in theaters right and in many cases better. It's definitely worth your time. I'm almost hoping Neeson keeps this up even though I'm pretty sure he won't.