Aylmer to Zazzoo and Beyond: Taken 2

Friday, October 5, 2012

Taken 2 - Review

Taken 2
(2012)
Action | Crime | Drama
91 min.

Rated: PG-13 Violence, Language (what parents should know)
Grade: B

Director: Olivier Megaton
Writers: Luc Besson (screenplay), Robert Mark Kamen (screenplay)
Stars: Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen and Maggie Grace | See full cast and crew

Taken: Former government agent Bryan Mills has retired and attempts to reassemble his old life, after years of overseas employment have left him estranged from his teenage daughter. But when she is kidnapped while in Europe, Bryan must revert to his old skill set to rescue her before she disappears forever. -- (C) Official Site

If you saw and enjoyed Taken, you can expect more of the same from Liam Neeson, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. This time around we have a new director, Olivier Megaton (Is that a made up name?), who does not quite have the same finesse as Taken's director, fellow countryman Pierre Morel (The Transporter [2002] and Transporter 2 [2005]). Speaking of the previous film, its writers, Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen (who teamed up on The Fifth Element and Transporter 2) have returned to work their magic on Taken 2. Unfortunately they fall into the sophomore slump just a little. Most critics have been quite harsh on the writers and especially the director but so far the audience reaction has been very favorable.

I thought the film started out a little sluggish as it tried to get into a little character development (paper thin as it is) but of course had it started out rip-roaring with action one would complain that it was one long chase scene with out a story, a trap many action films fall into. This film is a less violent, more sympathetic sequel but still delivers the thrills.

The Istanbul sets were very gritty and interesting.

One year after the events in Paris in Taken (2008), Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) while working in Istanbul, gets a surprise visit from his ex-wife, Lenore (Famke Janssen) and his daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace). Their reunion takes a sudden turn for the worse when he and his wife are taken by people working for the revenge seeking Murad Hoxha (Rade Šerbedžija), the employer of the men who were working in the Paris building where Kim's friend, Amanda, was found dead in the previous film, Taken.

Murad is the father of the white-slave trader, Marko Hoxha, whom Bryan killed in Paris in the process of rescuing Kim. Bryan manages to escape but Lenore is still being held hostage, Kim on the run and now Bryan must utilize all his 'special set of skills' to rescue both of them and eliminate any who are seeking revenge against him.