Taken review

 Number 418 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 2008 action-thriller Taken.

Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) is an ex-CIA operative with an estranged wife and daughter. When his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) is kidnapped in Paris by an Albanian sex-trafficking gang, he has to put his very particular set of skills into good use.

Let's get one thing straight. Taken is your generic, run-of-the-mill, action-thriller. It's never going to be an Oscar darling nor will it get a standing ovation at Cannes. In the vein of many action-films, it's completely ridiculous and over-the-top. But that's okay. That's exactly what we expect.

And to criticise Taken for its action sequences would be to criticise its very essence. Not to mention its best parts. As the action and the dialogue were certainly nothing stellar. Although Maggie Grace didn't have much acting to do except be the damsel-in-distress for Liam Neeson's knight in shining armour. And Famke Janssen who played Mills' ex-wife had little characterisation except for being a giant thorn in the side of our big action hero.

Or should I say action-hero reborn. Taken redefined Liam Neeson as an action-star and he certainly carried the action well. The fight scenes were well-choregraphed and he was very convincing.  He isn't particularly big or imposing, but he still made Bryan Mills a character you don't want to mess with.

Taken was a fast-paced, exciting and intense thriller. If you like such things then you'll definitely enjoy this film. And if you don't then this is certainly not the film for you.