Taken
Taken overcomes its plodding start to deliver a great action thriller. Without an original plot or characters Taken has its work cut out for it, however, Liam Neeson brings weight and authority to his role and the movie as a whole.
The movie starts by displaying how hard Neeson is trying to reconnect with his daughter after retiring from the CIA. While not horrible, it is a bit drawn out and takes its sweet time getting to the point. Once the plot picks up, the movie hits its stride. This is the perfect type of part for Neeson and I am surprised it took this long for someone to offer him a part like this. I also appreciated that the action is frenetic without being disorienting. Too many recent action movies (Quantum of Solace) try so hard to emulate the Bourne series and instead end up numbing the audience.
My favorite aspect of the movie is Neeson's consistency. He is uncompromising in his search for his daughter from start to finish and he'll do anything to get her back, including shooting his friends. I found this a much more interesting direction than many movies like this take where characters debate their decisions endlessly. In Taken, he knows what he needs to do and he does it. Definitely worth checking out. 3.5/5
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