Taken: DVD Review

Taken: DVD Review

Taken

Roadshow Entertainment
Rating: M
Liam Neeson stars as an extremely paranoid former US spy Bryan Mills who's now estranged from his family - after they were driven away from him by his commitment to his work.
When Mills' daughter Kim (played by Lost's Maggie Grace) asks for his permission to head to Europe on a trip, his paranoia's ramped up even further.
And things get even worse when she's kidnapped while on the phone to him from France.
He vows he will find her and sets about tracking down the gang who stole her and wreaking furious vengeance upon them.
If the only decent thing you can say about a film - be it on the big screen or the small - is that it's mercifully short, then you know it's not a classic by any stretch of the imagination.
Taken is mercifully short.
Actually that's probably a little harsh - this apparent thriller from Luc Besson will appeal to those who love the cranked up car chases, pointless scenes of violence and breakneck paced fights.
My real problem with Taken is the lack of plausibility - while the sub plot of the daughter being kidnapped and getting addicted to drugs to be sold off is vaguely believable, the fact Neeson lapses into cold committed spy mode again just didn't convince me at all as he rushes to France to track her down.
I can just about buy the fact parents do anything for their children - but that Neeson manages to circumvent the globe and wreak havoc just didn't strike any chords with me.
Thankfully this appears to be a one off film rather than launching Bryan Mills as a spy action hero a la Bourne and Bond
Extras:
- Six Inside Action scenes
- Le Making of
- Avant Premier

Rating: 4/10