Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Bryan Mills, a former government operative, is trying to reconnect with his teenage daughter Kim. After reluctantly agreeing with his ex-wife to let Kim go to Paris on vacation with a friend, his worst nightmare comes true. While on the phone with his daughter shortly after she arrives in Paris, she and her friend are abducted by a gang of human traffickers. Working against the clock, Bryan relies on his extensive training and skills to track down the ruthless gang that abducted her and launch a one-man war to rescue his daughter.
Taken is a competent, entertaining action-thriller built on a straightforward rescue premise with little narrative complexity. The plot is formulaic — a linear chase with no real twists — but executed efficiently. Liam Neeson elevates the material considerably with a grounded, intense performance that essentially launched a late-career action star archetype. Cinematography is serviceable with kinetic but somewhat choppy action editing typical of the era. Novelty is limited: the one-man-army revenge thriller was well-trodden territory, though Neeson's casting and the 'particular set of skills' hook gave it cultural staying power. The ending resolves cleanly and satisfyingly within genre expectations but offers no surprises.