Review: Taken (2009)

[Homer Yen]

Liam Neeson is "Taken" It to the Limit
by Homer Yen
(c) 2009

The period between the time the Oscar nominations are revealed and
when the Oscars are telecast is when studios begin to dump their
excess inventory.  It is a month marked by films of varying quality
and varying absurdity.  And, I suppose that "Taken" qualifies as that
on both counts.  It's sometimes (more often than not) good and
sometimes bad.  Meanwhile, it's pretty absurd and yet fairly
watchable.

You never know what you'll get sometimes with these January releases.
Yet, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed watching Liam Neeson as the
overprotective dad.  You know, the casual movie-goer probably can't
even think of 3 films that he's starred in.  And, to be honest, if
you've seen this film, you'll forget about the title and the star come
spring time.  But, I give him credit for raising the "daddy bar" and
empowering men with his must-get-it-done attitude.

Neeson plays the now-retired-but-itching-for-something-to-do Bryan
Mills.  I liked that the Bryan Mills character isn't depicted as a
devolving drunkard or a loser.  He merely has chosen a less strenuous
lifestyle so that he can be with the daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace) that
he cherishes but hardly ever sees.  His previous life as a CIA agent
resulted in divorce from his wife (played by Famke Janssen).

His friends are also from the CIA, and their collective experiences
and memories must make for some interesting dinner conversations as
they rehash their missions and killings and such.  At most, Bryan may
moonlight as a for-hire bodyguard, but his focus is rebuilding his
relationship with his now-17-year old daughter.  And that could be
tough considering the fact that his wife has remarried a nice-enough
but really, really, really rich guy (Xander Berkeley).

His chance to become her hero arises when Kim foolishly follows her
dim-bulbed best friend to Paris.  They promptly become kidnapped and
are now for-sale-items in the black market of woman-traffickers.  That
gives dear old Dad about 96 hours to find her before she becomes the
newest possession of some Arabian Sheikh.

The absurdity level ramps up like the noise level at a Rihanna
concert.  Now, even if you haven't seen the film yet, these
observations won't really spoil your experience, so don't worry.  But,
I did wonder how he could pose as a French Inspector and yet can't
speak French.  I did wonder how his America-based friends were able to
so efficiently help Bryan determine where he should start looking.
Bryan, for those critical 96 hours, is basically the luckiest man
you'll ever see on screen.  To his credit, he is trained in weaponry,
fast pursuit, hand-to-hand combat, and being a no-nonsense Dad.  And,
I do give him props for his creative use of an Albanian translator and
a prostitute.  He's Jason Bourne, but older and with a teenage
daughter.

I like that the film is very efficient.  It runs at just over 90
minutes.  Action sequences are brisk.  In fact, I think that this one
features the shortest car chase scene ever.  It's a good-looking
production.  And who knew that Neeson could be so engaging?  On the
flip side, Famke Janssen needs to find something edgier than this
thankless role; there could've been more gratuitous action; and Kim
should've been grounded for life.  All's well that ends well, I guess.

Grade:	B

S:	2 out of 3
L:	0 out of 3
V:	3 out of 3