Another Movie Summary and Movie Review By Michael The Moviegoer,
TAKEN: “…But Not Stirred”
Rating: Zero stars
In the first 5 minutes of “Taken” we learn that Liam Neeson is a no-nonsense ex-CIA operative. We learn it again at 8 minutes. And at least a dozen more times during the first 20 minutes for those who are strolling into the theatre late. But, beyond his Terminator-like CIA skills, he also seems to have a clairvoyant sixth sense. As the way-over-the-top-protective father of a 17-year old girl, his worries about her traveling to Paris for the summer seem to accurately predict every event that happens during the course of this film.
As predicted, his daughter is kidnapped on the same day she arrives in Paris. During her abduction, she places a cell phone call to her dad who is able to get an absurd amount of information about the villains from what he hears in the 30-second phone call.
With ridiculous dialogue like “I’ll tear down the Eiffel Tower if I have to”, we quickly realize that nothing will get in Neeson’s way. Unfortunately, that takes the thrill out of the thriller. We never once sense that he might fail, or be killed himself. When in a tight spot, he just uses his secret CIA karate chop to someone’s nose or throat and they’re out cold. When he shoots, he can shoot with the accuracy of intending to kill or merely create a flesh wound. That’s right… NOTHING can stop this guy. Not even Kryptonite! At one point I stopped caring if he would save his daughter and started hoping he would go find Osama Bin Laden.
An equally ludicrous sub-plot involves Holly Valance (a real-life failed pop singer) playing a Britney Spears-like superstar. While Neeson is assigned to “protect” her during one of her concerts, he compliments her vocal abilities from hearing her sing warm-up scales, and she becomes a friend for life, offering to help get his daughter an audition with her manager!
Logic and reality are what have been kidnapped here. The worst thing about “Taken” is how it portrays Paris (and the rest of Europe) as anarchistic. It suggests that girls are kidnapped and sold into slavery in epidemic proportions. Preposterous to the point of hilarity. I can’t imagine this film will be received well in Europe. But before any European uses it as another reason to hate Americans, please note that the writer of this film, Luc Besson, is French.
DVD Watch: “Taken”, and countless films like it, owe an enormous debt to the original “Die Hard” starring Bruce Willis. It’s the great premise about bad guys picking the wrong good guy to mess with. But “Die Hard” works as a suspenseful and thoughtful cat-&-mouse chess game of intelligence and wit. “Taken” is completely witless.
Michael The Moviegoer
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
..i very love this movie..