“They took his daughter; he’ll take their lives” is the tagline for the up and coming motion picture starring Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, and Maggie Grace. Taken is an awesome thriller/action film scheduled to be released in theatres in the United States January 30, 2009.
The film is directed by Pierre Morel and was written and produced by Luc Besson. Besson is no stranger to the cinema. This auter has directed, written, and produced hit movies such as the 1994 film “The Professional”, which introduced future superstar Natalie Portman to the world. The star of the new film “Taken”, Liam Neeson, is also no stranger to the action film industry.
He has been in many motion pictures throughout his thirty six year career, starring in a wide range of very different films. Such as the 1990 film “Darkman”, 1999’s “Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, 2005’s “Kingdom of Heaven, and “Batman Begins”.
The film Taken follows an ex CIA agent faced with finding his daughter after she is taken by sex-traffickers in Paris, France.
Bryan Mills the hard anti-hero, played by Liam Neeson, after being absent from his wife and daughters life for most of his career Mills tries to tie up any loose ends with his family by retiring from his duties as an Special Activities Division in the CIA. His seventeen-year-old daughter Kim, played by Maggie Grace, lives with his ex-wife, Lenore, played by Famke Janssen and her new wealthy husband in a suburban neighborhood.
Early in the story, Kim wants to go on a vacation in Europe with her friend Amanda to trail the rock band U2 for their European Tour. Lenore, Kim’s mother, has no hesitation, but Kim also needs permission from her father as well in order to be able to attend the vacation. Assuming that her over-protective father will not consent, Kim lies about the nature of the vacation and says they are going to Paris to visit museums. Mills agrees, and only discover the truth at the airport.
While arriving in Paris, a friendly young man named Peter asks the Kim and Amanda if they want to share a taxi to the apartment where they are staying; the girls excitingly agree. However, little do they know the young man works for an Albanian Criminal Organization that traffics young women. After arriving at their destination, Kim receives a phone call from her father. She runs to the bathroom to answer the call from there she witnesses the kidnapping of her friend Amanda. Mills is able to give Kim specific instruction and she follows it step by step.
In the final moments of the phone call, Kim is kidnapped. Briefly, Mills speaks to one of the kidnappers, warning him that unless he lets Kim go, he will find him and kill him; the kidnapper ends the conversation by wishing him good luck. Will Mills find his daughter Kim and her friend Amanda? He is told he has 96 hours before he never sees them again.
Taken is a heart pounding, adrenaline filled, action film that will have you on the edge of your seats until the very last seconds. It is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing thematic material, sexual content, some drug references and language and is approximately 93 minutes. Final Grade: A.
