Taken

Liam Neeson has become the voice of a lion, taught Batman the secrets of martial arts, and now he’s getting his kidnapped daughter back and all the while kicking butt and taking names.  It’s a simply structured thriller, about as simple as they come, in which one man, our protagonist, seeks his daughter’s assailants.  And we’re all along for the ride.

Bryan Mills (Neeson) used to work in the government as a (in his words) “preventer,” with a “very particular set of skills” that make him the perfect guy for the job at hand, single-handedly dismantling a sector of the Albanian sex-trafficking ring in France.  His daughter is taken from the apartment of a friend in Paris, and the story that follows is exactly what you’d expect.  There a few twists and turns and an overwhelming body count, but Neeson shows everyone who’s boss, while showing a startlingly little amount of mercy.  No one in his path is spared.  In fact, many times he seems to be acting almost amorally, a trait usually attributed to the mentally insane or the antagonist, such as Hannibal Lecter.  Here, it’s almost applied to protagonist Mills, but it works, and it makes the film even more fun somehow.

This movie is, like Wanted, about as much fun as can be had at the movies without much thought.  In fact, there’s very little there to think about, just a lot of fight-eye-candy.  But that’s what you go to this movie to watch, the fighting, the cathartic expression of physical angst that lives somewhere in the male psyche.  Neeson shows he is definitely still at the top of his game physically, and the acting is as good as it can be in a movie of this caliber and variety.  The writing is, of course, very simplistic, but it lends itself to that effect with what it wants to achieve, which is an exciting, testosterone charged thriller.  It definitely succeeds, while also adding a subplot with his daughter’s desire to become a singer.  It doesn’t add much to the film, but it’s a nice touch.

This is a really fun movie; furthermore (though somewhat unrelated), I think that this may be nominated for Best Editing in 2010.  The fight sequences are fantastic and nearly seamless, reminiscent of the Bourne trilogy, with its choreography and camera work fine-tuned and integrated to work with one another.  Go see this one.  You won’t have too many epiphanies, but you will sit at the edge of your seat, cheering Neeson on the whole time.  And you’ll have a lot of fun.  Take my word for it.

Rating: 2.5/4 Stars