Taken For a Ride

Rating: 8/10 (13 August 2009)

Going into this film, I couldn't help but be a little pessimistic. Liam Neeson didn't really seem like the good guy type, and the plot seemed summed up in the trailer. Well, it turns out I was right about one of those. Liam Neeson actually did surprise me (and many others I'm sure) with his role in this movie and had all of us feeling what he feels and gave us the same motivation that you knew drove him. Maybe not with arm-breaking fervor, but we could feel it nonetheless. And even though the plot is summed up in the trailer, I found myself liking it. It seemed refreshing to have such a simple plot: Bad guy takes good guy's daughter. Good guy gets ticked, and goes to take her back. It seems like too many movies these days stretch its arms to grab viewers with a shock factor by throwing in irrelevant and often stupid twists...*cough,cough Orphan...*... You don't have to worry about any stupid or irrelevant surprises with this one. You are watching the movie that you paid for.
The only things I can say against it is that it was hard to make out how the daughter REALLY felt about her father other than just loving him, and it seemed to be wrapped up too quickly. I would have preferred a less rushed ending. But as far as the whole of the movie goes: Go watch it. It is well worth it. Maybe not the best movie of the year, but definitely one of the most well done.
I give it an 8.