Rating: PG-13
Starring:
Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills
Maggie Grace as Kim
Famke Janssen as Lenore
Olivier Rabourdin as Jean-Claude
Katie Cassidy as Amanda
Leland Orser as Sam
Arben Bajraktaraj as Marko
Christophe Kourotchkine as Gilles
Edwin Kruger as Jean-Claude’s Assistant
Xander Berkeley as Stuart
Radivoje Bukvic as Anton
Michel Flash as Gio
Nicolas Giraud as Peter
Jon Gries as Casey
Rubens Hyka as Leka
Gérard Watkins as St-Clair
Camille Japy as Isabelle
Valentin Kalaj as Vinz
Goran Kostic as Gregor
Nabil Massad as Sheik Raman
Jalil Naciri as Ali
Anca Radici as Ingrid
Nathan Rippy as Victor
Opender Singh as Singh
Tommy Spahija as Nezir
Anatole Taubman as Dardan
Holly Valance as Sheerah
David Warshofsky as Bernie
Directed by Pierre Morel
Special Features:
– Includes Both the Theatrical Version and Extended Cut of the Film
– Extended Cut Audio Commentary by Director Pierre Morel, Cinematographer Michel Abramowicz and Car Stunt Supervisor Michel Julienne
– Extended Cut Audio Commentary by Co-Screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen
– Le Making-of Featurette
– Avant Premiere Featurette
– Inside Action Side-by-Side Scene Comparisons
Other Info:
Widescreen (2.40:1)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
French and Spanish Languages
French and Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 90 Minutes
The Movie:
The following is the official description of the film:
“Prepare to get ‘Taken’ for the ride of your life! Liam Neeson is an unstoppable force in this action-packed international thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. When his estranged teenage daughter (Maggie Grace) is kidnapped in Paris, a former spy (Neeson) sets out to find her at any cost. Relying on his special skills, he tracks down the ruthless gang that abducted her and launches a one-man war to bring them to justice and rescue his daughter. ”
“Taken” is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing thematic material, sexual content, some drug references and language.
Mini-Review:
If you like revenge flicks, you’ll enjoy “Taken.” Co-written by Luc Besson, it’s your classic story of a man mercilessly hunting down the bad guys in order to save his daughter. It’s kind of “Frantic” meets “The Bourne Identity.” You have Neeson racing across Paris hot on the trail of his daughter who has been kidnapped and forced into sex slavery. The added twist is that he’s exceptionally competent having experience as a spy or special operative of some type. So when he delivers the beat-down on the bad guys, it is quite brutal. It more than delivers on the chases, gunfights, and action.
“Taken” has a solid cast. Liam Neeson is pretty much great in any role he performs. He’s certainly convincing as both a protective father and a special forces operative. Neeson starts the film showing him as a kind of pushover, but when he kicks into gear, he kicks into gear. I liked Maggie Grace on “Lost,” so it was cool to see her here as Kim. Despite being around 26, she makes a very convincing 17-year-old. I’m also a fan of Famke Janssen, so it’s neat to see her in even a brief role.
The only hiccup in “Taken” is the pacing. It’s only an hour and a half long, but it takes 30 minutes for the story to get to the point it showed in the trailers. You probably could have fast forwarded to the part where Kim is kidnapped and been all the way up to speed.
If you want to see a good action story or just convince a teenage daughter that you’re not too overprotective, this is a film you’re going to want to watch.
The bonus features are your standard offerings – an audio commentary (without Neeson), a making-of video, behind the scenes on the action scenes, etc. It’s a solid offering, but I half expected them to include a documentary on the international slave trade.
