Review : Taken (2008)

Just a little short of mindblowing!!

A father, who is a retired CIA agent, reluctantly gives permission to his daughter to go to Paris with her friend. There she gets kidnapped by human trafficking dealers and now he has to fight it out like the good ol' days to get back his daughter.......


The first thing I noticed is the simple storyline. Kudos to the writers to bring out such a simple story in times of Inception and stuff. And then even the investigation is not so deep and almost is there only to let Liam kick some ass and blow up things. Just the things a true blockbuster is made of. When you don't have too deep a storyline then you can let yourselves go and enjoy it. But with the topic of human trafficking involved, you tend to be a little more sympathetic to all the victims and survivors. And from the start you know who gonna get behind. Not much complexity on that front too. Just Liam on drugs who wants his daughter back before the Sheikh takes her virginity. She is "Certified Pure'" and goes for a hefty price in the auction. Amazing to know such things happen in the most developed places even today. So I think with the enjoyment a lesson too should be learned. Maybe that's why this film was made. A commercial Hollywood movie is seen by many people all around the globe. And if you can send a message through it. Absolutely great. I got it. May everyone take the responsibility to end this menace forever. Bravo!!


Directed well by  the Frenchman Pierre Morel, who went on to direct Paris With Love. Which I liked. But unfortunately not many backed me up. But he has a knack of directing fast action movies. He's an ex cinematographer who has worked in action thrillers like The Transporter & Unleashed. So no wonder he gets most of the things in this right and gives an enjoyable ride till the end. He knows France and gets some fine location for the scenes. It looks utterly gorgeous and so makes the harsh ongoings look even more dreadful. The action scenes and the fight scenes are just adrenaline pumping and the quick pace makes this one of the best action thrillers of the last five years. And being written by another enormously talented Frenchman Luc Besson(The Fifth Element, Transporter) makes this a great piece. You get a quick glimpse at the family and bang before you know it we are right in the middle of a prostitution ring. Heavy issue handled well. And not much deep so action fans can sit back and enjoy as our hero fights hard and fights well to get back his daughter. And serve death sentence on the ones who deserve it. I hope such things happen with such bastards in real life too. Nice!!

 

Distressed and "Lost" again!!

Maggie Grace(Kim) is the catalyst in this one. I have been a fan since her "Lost" days. And again in this she acts well. Though the movie totally belongs to Liam Neeson(Bryan). She's the next with most screen time. And she does well. Others are there but not much to anyone except Bryan's ex wife and Kim's mother played by Famke Jenson(Lenore) and a corrupt French officer Jean Claude played by Olivier Rabourdin. So in short this movie totally in whole belongs to Liam who justs blazes his way perfectly. Kind of Bourne thing. He is not young anymore but you can't tell when you see him fighting like that. Driving cars through tankers, blowing up things, killing the scums. And the hand to hand combat. Fuck!! Those are brilliant. Pacy and action packed this sure does take Liam to new heights. But the villains aren't as convincing so maybe it loses its sheen a little. They are so many but not one looks or acts dangerously. But a bullet train of a movie that it is, we enjoy it anyhow. Although it would have been mindblowing with more scary villains. But they do scary things anyway, so cheers!!


Great camerawork by Michel Abramovicz. He captures the underbelly of France quite beautifully. As also the sights and sounds with great lighting which makes us feel more troubled. A land so beautiful and horrible things which one can't comprehend. Plus a decent musical score with quick edit makes this a sumptuous ride to hell and back. Go for it!!

Great multi tasking dude !!

HighTension Verdict: Action thrillers like Die Hard and Bond are hard to come by. The Bourne series too is teetering on the edge. So this comes at the right time. Fast and furious this brings enjoyment and loads of French talent to look out for in Hollywood. You have to see this if you like the idea of Liam blowing the French capital and single handedly taking on the whole mafia...... Plus if you are an action fan and haven't seen this, cheers you aren't one anymore!!


HighTension Verdict: 8.5/10


BEST Quote:

Jean Claude: Just like the old days.
Bryan: Would you have it any other way?
Jean Claude: Between you and me, no. But now that I sit behind a desk, the world looks different.
Bryan: You mean it looks boring.
Jean Claude: I mean different. Okay, a little boring. But is being retired any more interesting?
Bryan: It wasn't until my daughter disappeared in Paris yesterday. She and her friend were marked by a spotter at the airport. Albanians took her.
Jean Claude: How do you know this?
Bryan: I'm retired, not dead.
Jean Claude: And I assume you don't want to go to the police.
Bryan: I was told I have 96 hours. That was sixteen hours ago.
Jean Claude: Okay, first we should find the spotter.
Bryan: I found him. He's dead.
Jean Claude: You found him that way?
[Bryan stays silent]
Jean Claude: Bryan, you cannot just run around, tearing down Paris.
Bryan: Jean Claude, I will tear down the Eiffel Tower if I have to.