Taken: Review By slysnide

Jan 2nd, 2010 by slysnide
Tone down the violence and subject matter and you've got just another ABC Family original movie...only, not as good.
  • OVERALL
    2.5
    WORTHY
  • Story
  • Acting
  • Directing
  • Visuals
Writers Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen have definitely watched way too many original movies from television as this obviously takes from all of them in that the conveniences for the hero are far too frequent, the lack of potential problems in the hero's quest non-existent, and the logic as half-assed as ever. Mix any one of these three together with elements that real movies of relevant content use and you've got a mediocre movie. Use all three and you've made it unfathomable to the audience how it is that the studio thought it a good idea to greenlight.

Well, 20th Century Fox fathomed this, and Pierre Morel made it. Overall, it should've been a French film. Not Americanized as it was. Liam Neeson was in fact the only thing the film had going for it. Not that it was illogical to believe he was an ex-special forces guy, but the fact that everything that happens is so non-special forces related that it's laughable why the connection was even made. Granted special forces personnel are skilled at that stuff, none of it was truly showcased here like what we saw in the Jason Bourne movies. I mean if we're really supposed to believe that a spoiled 17yr old is safe running around Europe tailgating U2, (which we don't) then you figured this to be a five star movie. If your train of thought pertains to what's in the parentheses, then you're not going to understand why Liam Neeson's character was made to be ex-special forces rather than retired cop, which the logicality follows more. Truly, nothing goes wrong for him, and he inexplicably has immediate access to any given situation. The explanations given were so kid movie like with absolutely zero depth that you can consider it inexplicable. And with a dumbbell wife oblivious to the horrible idea of a 17yr old trekking Europe played by Famke Janssen, then you should be walking out of the theater by the point she realizes what's happened.

Leland Orser, Maggie Grace, Katie Cassidy, and Xander Berkeley have decent co-starring roles, but don't shine much in the mediocrity of the film. My friend whom usually eats up this stuff couldn't believe that his parents bought it. We both found these nuances so distracting that we couldn't even make Chuck Norris like jokes about Liam Neeson in his wannabe badass role. Though given the action, he probably did all of his own stunts, so that's respectable. But the absence of what I like to call "Action Movie Logic" kills it. The definition being that films with said logic at least make a good attempt at making it seem reasonable that a guy like this can accomplish all that he does, but not without problems and reasonable steps to overcome obstacles; neither of which were attempted in this movie. Reference the 007 (1962-2008-cntd) franchise or "Die Hard" (1988-2007) franchise to see what I'm getting at here.

Filmed on location in Paris and Los Angeles, the film at least looked real and not out of a studio or blue screen backdrop. Though the contents in the plot came straight out of Hollywood, which was really surprising since I find French films to be better than this. But apparently the $25,000,000 budget was nice enough for fans to hand over $201,830,568 in profit which is considerably good, as there's now a sequel in the works. It'll no doubt be as predictable, convenient, illogical, and disappointing as this one was. And therefore this was by far the most overrated original film of the year [i.e.-not based on a book like HP6].

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Comments (7)

  1. slysnide

    I suppose that works sometimes Messenger, like in "Commando" but I wasn't buying into it here. Though I agree that it's a good flick...just for younger audiences

    2 years agoby @slysnideFlag

  2. Red Camera Man

    I didn't care for this one, and I wished the ending was better! Nice review.

    2 years agoby @redcameramanFlag

  3. The Dark Knight

    I liked this one personally I cant think of one real straight up action movie this year besides this.

    2 years agoby @thedarkknight23Flag

  4. Messenger

    I gotcha, but like I said before I knew what I was getting into before I watched it and wasn't expecting anything else and I enjoyed it greatly. I guess I liked how they broke the story telling structure of good guy fights, wins a little then loses a little then comes back from the depths of despair defying all odds to save the day. In "Taken" he just defied all and beat lots of ass.

    I know conflict drives the story but in this particular instance it didn't both me because in screen writing you have your protagonist, then you have his goal, then you have what he will do for his goal then you have the antagonist which stand in the protagonist way. They stood in his way and beat them down hard and I have no problems with that. And I do agree that he really had no down and out moments and the ending was blah but it was hell of a ride.

    Now what I really wanted to see was more about the man himself. They had one shot where they showed his attention to detail in normal day life and that is when he was wrapping his daughters birthday present. He was like a surgeon making sure everything was perfect. I wish it had more of that than just dialog saying that he to protective and anal.

    But all in all I don't think it deserves that hard of review but hey, it was a fun chat with you.

    2 years agoby @messengerFlag

  5. slysnide

    Messenger, yes, I know what you mean, and no, this is nothing like those other action flicks. Not even what you'd call 'action movie logic' was included, and everything goes perfectly from beginning to end. It was like a 90 minute pointer scene where they tell you what'll happen, but then nothing goes down as planned, but here it does. And that was just really annoying. I mean in films like "Die Hard" they at least try to make it semi-convincing where as here he infiltrates a complex criminal trafficking network without any hitches or explanations. I mean the one given was so simple that any street cop could've axed that criminal ring immediately. So yeah, zero action movie logic killed it for me. And I added a bit about that, "Action Movie Logic" in the third paragraph if you wanna read that to see what I'm gettin' at.

    And thanks {Insert Username Here}.

    2 years agoby @slysnideFlag

  6. T.Clark

    Bad dialogue and horrible ending. End of discussion.

    I gave it the same score, Sly.

    2 years agoby @insertusernamehereFlag

  7. Messenger

    I really enjoyed this movie. Not because I love Luc Besson but that in a lot of action movies they over complicate it, they try to make it grand and be something that it isn't. When I saw a commercial for the movie I knew exactly what it was going to be, a straight forward action movie where the protagonist is a unstoppable badass. Yes, if ALL movies did this then we would have a problem but there is nothing wrong with having a simple action movie. And if illogical situations was your biggest problem with this movie then you really need to look at EVERY action movie made.

    For example, do we really believe that John McLane who is an EX-COP can take on 30 terroists by himself with a hand gun? Your argument is so shotty I can't even understand it. 99% of action movied require the viewer to have suspension of disbelief.

    As for the the mother, yes she is an airhead but that's her character. I know plenty of rich snobs who think they can hide behind their money and everything will be ok. If you have never come across someone like that then there is nothing I can do.

    Does this movie have the depth and character detail as say Leon The Professional, no but it never carried itself than being nothing other than a straight forward action movie where the protagonist kicks major ass. Which to me, I found to be nice change of pace of all the other action flicks out there.

    That's cool if you don't like the movie but have some legitimate gripes.

    Later.

    2 years agoby @messengerFlag