Liam Neeson heads overseas on a quest to save his daughter in the action-thriller, TAKEN.Neeson is Bryan Mills, a former United States spy, who’s daughter Kim has been kidnapped while vacationing in France. The abduction occurs while Bryan and Kim are on the phone, so Bryan is left with a few clues. After consulting with some former colleagues and local French authorities, Bryan has determined that he has roughly 96 hours to track down his daughter before she’s lost for good.
TAKEN is served up as a big-screen version of the television series 24, with Bryan Mills serving as a retired version of Jack Bauer. Although Bryan has a more vengeful streak in him, the similarities between he and Bauer are uncanny.Although the film never incorporates the ticking clock, TAKEN does adopt a short time frame, allowing Bryan only 96 hours to save the life of his abducted daughter. Without 24 hours to tell its story, TAKEN wastes no time introducing the characters, establishing the situation and setting Bryan off on his perilous journey. The film runs only 90 minutes, but director Pierre Morel serves up an exhilarating and efficient slice of entertainment.
It’s not often that action roles lend themselves to great performances, but Neeson delivers just that. His tender and apprehensive intimate moments with his daughter help to establish Bryan as more than just a killing machine, and his intimidating and menacing presence make him a force to be reckoned with when dealing with his amoral French counterparts.
TAKEN is an action-thriller that avoids the pleasantries and gets right down to business, delivering a breathless, violent and captivating one-man crusade.
Grade: B
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