Taken Poster
At first glance the synopsis of the new Lian Neeson movie TAKEN sounds a little routine. A government operative has his daughter taken by bad dudes and uses his skills to get her back.
However, after we saw the first trailer for TAKEN we were really impressed with Liam Neeson and excited to see the talented Luc Besson had written and produced the movie. Neeson’s speech about hunting down the bad dudes with his special skills got our attention.
You might remember Besson as the influential force behind LA FEMME NIKITA, LEON (A.K.A THE PROFESSIONAL), and the odd FIFTH ELEMENT. To show you our age we actually remember Besson first from his moody 1988 drama THE BIG BLUE staring Jean Reno as a free diver competing against his lifelong rival played by Jean-Marc Barr.
Ask 10 people today if they have ever heard of or have watched THE BIG BLUE and we bet you get 10 blank faces and rightfully so. It’s sort of an obscure reference to a French drama about 2 dudes who see who can hold their breath the longest.
Now, 20 years later Besson has brought us TAKEN, which is directed by Pierre Morel who did the cinematography for Besson’s 2002 hit THE TRANSPORTER. Check out this 5 minute extended trailer for TAKEN but be warned: You’re gonna get some spoilers.
We only say that because we have yet to see the movie but this detailed trailer seemingly lays out the entire movie for us. If you want the less detailed trailer check here. TAKEN opens in theaters January 30th.
TAKEN Movie Trailer
Liam Neeson is an unstoppable force in this adrenaline-fueled thriller from director Pierre Morel. Bryan (Neeson) has taken early retirement from the CIA in order to live closer to his teenage daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace). Bryan’s government work kept him away from Kim for much of her childhood, and he’s now trying to make up for lost time. When Kim announces that she’s taking a trip to Paris with her friend Amanda (Katie Cassidy), Bryan is apprehensive about her traveling on her own.
His worst fear is soon realized, as Kim and Amanda are abducted upon their arrival in France. Bryan immediately springs into action, using his well-honed CIA skills to piece together clues from a single, frantic phone call he received from Kim. He hops a plane to Paris, determined to rescue his daughter before she falls off the grid completely. With some help from his old CIA buddies, he tracks down the kidnappers–an Albanian crime ring known for selling young girls into the sex trade. He quickly takes matters into his own hands, plowing his way through Paris’s underworld as the clock ticks down and the bullets fly. His search propels him into the upper echelons of a massive crime ring, putting him closer and closer to his beloved daughter.
Neeson is known for tackling extremely cerebral roles, so it is interesting to see him in full-on action-hero mode. In TAKEN he is no less than a crime-fighting machine–a Bourne/Bond hybrid with a deathly serious baritone. And while he spends most of the film firing Uzis and snapping necks, he still manages to deliver a moving performance as an estranged father fighting for what he loves most in the world. The film undeniably owes a lot to Neeson’s acting chops. He manages to raise this rather thinly plotted, deeply violent film a bar above your typical action fare.
Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Xander Berkeley, Leland Orser, Jon Gries, David Warshofsky, Katie Cassidy, Holly Valance, Nathan Rippy
Director: Pierre Morel
Director: Pierre Morel
Screenwriter: Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen
Producer: Luc Besson
Composer: Nathaniel Mechaly
Studio: 20th Century Fox
