Taken Better Than Expected

Rating: 7/10 (30 May 2009)

I saw Taken not expecting much just another routine action movie but it was better than expected. Liam Neeson does a great job as Bryan Mills a former "preventer" spy who retired so he can be closer to his daughter and make up for time he lost with her. Mills quickly finds himself in a race against time to save his kidnapped daughter whose been sold into a sex slave trade in Paris. Neeson continues to show his skills as an actor especially in the action/fight sequences. With movies like Rob Roy, Schindliers List, Batman Begins, and Seraphim Falls, Neeson continues to show his talent as an actor in Taken. The rest of the cast are admirable in their roles including Maggie Grace, Leland Orser, Xander Berkely, and Famke Janssen in a brief cameo appearance. The movie does have some intense action and fist fights that are well executed as Neeson's Mills wages a one man war against the men who have taken his daughter in order to save her from a terrible fate. Director Pierre Morel did a great job of making Taken more than just your routine action movie. At the heart of the film is a story about a father's love for his daughter and how far he'd be willing to go to save her. Morel keeps that story at the center while giving audiences some cool action sequences for guilty pleasure. If you're a fan of these type of movies. Then you'll also enjoy Taken. With just enough action, suspense, thrills, and some surprises Taken is sure to please anyone looking for a good movie to watch.