Not just another action flick

Rating: 9/10 (25 February 2009)

The last time I sat through an action movie and was completely impressed by it was back in 2006 when I watched 'Casino Royale', a James Bond flick which topped all its predecessors in terms of substance and intelligence and very strong emotional undercurrent wheeling the story instead of just plain height-jumping stunts. 'Taken' follows suit with 'Casino Royale' in that respect.
The utmost impressive fact about 'Taken' is its non-nonsense approach. Its pretty admirable that the director convincingly manages to establish the emotional undercurrent of the movie within such a short period that makes you really feel Liam Neeson's hunger and desire to find his kidnapped daughter. And the movie is only 90 minutes long. It ends before you know its ending. That's how pacy the screenplay of this flick is.
Sure, this is no masterpiece, but you can't expect much more from an action flick. Its an action movie, and it serves its purpose well, and not to forget the film also exposes sex slave trading activities (which still exists) in parts of the world. Some of the scenes depict the brutality of the business so convincingly, and unlike your typical action film, the avoids many common clichés- a silent, unspectacular start which gave more space to show you what a father-daughter relationship is like, and the stunts are not actually as much over-the-top as other action films tend to be.
Liam Neeson's performance is simply talismanic. You can simply feel the hunger and desire for revenge that beams in him, and the way he goes about with an uncompromising approach towards finding his daughter is another high point. Famke Janssen (of X-Men fame) and the rest of the cast are adequate, but its Neeson's show all the way- it simply goes down as one of his career-best performances to date. (right there with Michael Collins, Love Actually and Henri Ducard of Batman Begins). He owns this film. And its also his first action film in a long, long time and he seems fresh and fit to jump around ships like a 16-year-old again.
The film also has one of the best action monologues I've seen or heard in a long time, Neeson's 'I will find you, I will kill you' is damning, downright chilling statement of a dialogue that sets the tone for the rest of the film. Not to forget how he mentions it again when he meets Marko in person. 'I told you I would find you'.
Kudos to director Pierre Morel and the team, and of course to Neeson for making what is inarguably the best action movie of 2008.