“I have a special set of skills that make me dangerous for men like you,” is the quote that moviegoers have seen in commercials for weeks for the film “Taken”. As one of 2009’s first big action movies, the film has had plenty of build up and it didn’t disappoint. “Taken” is based around ex-CIA agent Bryan (Liam Neeson) who has moved to L.A. to be closer to his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace). Due to always being busy with his career, his wife left him and he has a distant relationship with her. Looking to gain affection from his ex-wife Lenore (Famke Jassen), Bryan goes against his better judgment and lets 17-year-old Kim go to Paris with her friends.
Trouble begis as soon as the girls get to Paris. Before being able to even unpack the girls are kidnapped. With all of Bryan’s connections with in the CIA he finds out that kidnappings like this are done to forcefully turn young women into prostitutes for wealthy men, and he has only a 72-hour window before his daughter is gone forever. Neeson’s character really puts the expression “by any means necessary” to work. Bryan goes to great links and many obstacles to get his daughter back. Unlike most action movies where the main character is strictly brute force and shoots everybody up until you get what you were seeking, that is not the case with “Taken”. Bryan is in a foreign environment, and every move he makes is carefully planned to ensure he saves time and gets valuable information that can get his daughter back.
Bryan is a very intelligent character in the film. Plenty of shoot outs combined with hand-to-hand combat scenes make “Taken” just a tad bit better than the average action film. “Taken” is definitely worth seeing, and while it’s not oscar-worthy, it’s a solid film to see.