Taken

Over the years, James Bond, despite his many incarnations has always remained roughly the same age. We’ve seen him save the world time and time again, always doing what he has to for Queen and country. We’ve seen Jason Bourne kick-ass with the best of them, trying to uncover his true identity and because that pesky government of ours just wouldn’t leave him alone. What we haven’t seen is what happens to guys like Bond and Bourne when they get old and retire, when they have a family. That is exactly what we are given the chance to see in Taken.

I’ve been anticipating this film for awhile, and all the buzz about it being the new Bourne really had my expectations high. I still had a hole in my heart from where Quantum of Solace let me down a few months back, but Taken was everything Quantum should have been and more. From the second this film started, I was hooked. I knew I would love it.

Taken has been advertised, and at its heart, is a high octane action film, but where I really felt the connection to the movie was the human aspect. Liam Neeson spends the first part of the movie alone, no matter where he is. He looks longingly at pictures of his daughter and we feel his anticipation as he picks out her birthday present. Watching Neeson struggle in his relationship with his daughter (played by Maggie Grace) created a sympathy for him and made the film all the more tragic because we know what inevitably happens to her when she goes to Paris.

Anyone who owns a tv has probably seen the spot for Taken, which means they’ve seen the abduction seen play out about one hundred times already. I know I have, and that scene still hit me like a punch to the gut. The idea of a father having to listen to his daughter get abducted thousands of miles away is horrible, and Neeson conveys this with his facial expression. After the abduction, the story does take a backseat and we do lose a bit of the human aspect (which I missed), but we do get a front row seat to some of the best on screen ass-kicking I’ve seen in awhile. There were plenty of “OHHH SHIT” moments at some of the things Neeson does in his quest. He is completely ruthless in every aspect of his pursuit, torturing and killing without compassion. We’ve seen this with Bond before, but his motivation has always been for some greater good. Watching a father do all of this just so he can see the daughter he loves, the person he cares about more than anyone in the world, was far more satisfying to me than any Bond or Bourne plot.

It is not to say that Taken is without its problems, I just didn’t care enough for them to matter. It is designed to be a simple film, and shouldn’t not be scrutinized as if it’s a Best Picture Nominee. There is an unnecessary subplot with a Brittany Spears-esque singer, which serves to bookend the film, and the gunshots in this film tend to sound like a combination between paintball and cap guns. It is quite apparent that this film was made on a low-budget, but that isn’t a problem because of the story’s simplicity. It’s not some ridiculous story where someone is using a satellite to blow up the 38th parallel to somehow conquer the world (yeah, I’m looking at you Die Another Day). It’s the story of a father looking for daughter and killing everyone who gets in his way.

Go see Taken, if only for the action. I promise you won’t be disappointed in that. Maybe you’ll get lucky and connect with the story as much as I did