Nov 15, 2008 10:45 AM
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There are a few people in this world who can get pissed off and then cause a carnage single handedly. Liam Neeson in "Taken" is one of them.
The story begins slowly with scenes of an estranged father trying to come to terms with this alienation from his daughter. Liam Neeson is an ex-CIA agent whose specialty was "prevention". While "preventing" he lost his family to some rich bloke who pays more attention and money to his ex-wife and daughter. Having established the relationships, the audience is shown some absurd trip that his daughter has planned and which he squarely objects to. As our luck would have it - the daughter takes the trip, and we get to see an awesome trip of gore and bloodshed.
The movie has an absurd quality at times - scenes like some stalker attacking a singer back stage is quite a cliché. Also the bad guys seem to have all the guns but no shooting skills. They miss Liam all the time! Famke as the high profile mother does her bit but is barely convincing - not because of her acting which is okay, but because the script fails to give a solid feel to her character. For most of the movie she looks like an extra. Also the image of the "crooked arab sheikh wanting to fornicate with kidnapped white girls" is a bit over used already to give any extra fillip to the storyline.
The best part about the movie is Liam - and he does a good job of showing a concerned father who will go to any lengths to get his daughter back. He doesn't look like he is "acting" at all. Its some times so real that you feel sorry for the guy when he gets knocked down once. Liam also has this very earthy quality about him - a raw screen presence that does not need glamorous settings to grip your attention. For his age he does the action sequences exceptionally well!
About the action sequences - they were a revelation really. Jason Bourne could take a few tips from Liam. The pace is fast and the action is filmed in constricted places. All manner of props are used to take down the bad guys. It almost feels like you are in the same room and the next piece of furniture is gonna hit you square on the jaw. Liam shows off his reflexes and presence of mind - and makes it quite believable at that.
Maggie Grace as the bird-brained daughter(its not surprising that she wants to be a singer!) is average at best. She shows fright well on her face but the other emotions seem pasted on. Also her character in the movie is like that of her screen mother - extra. Somehow I wished they had shown a more gritty daughter given the fact that the father shows such presence of mind - perhaps a lesson in genetics might do the script -writer some good. Or maybe she got it all from her mom - who knows!
The movie shows a multitude of decrepit rooms filled with drugged(American?) teenagers waiting to get auctioned off. In reality I guess any criminal activity of such proportions would get the attention of George Bush who would order a "nucalear" strike! The sheikh at the end is a little comical - holding a knife to ward off a guy who just beat the s**t out of twenty or more hardcore thugs with UZIs.
The cinematography is great - no rolling hills and valleys - but well placed cameras and good editing. The script is a little shallow to begin with but is a non-issue towards the end. Paris is not shown as the land of art - but rather full of refugees waiting to kidnap and sell single nubile women from the US of A. The music is non-intrusive and complements the action well.
To sum up - a great action flick to watch from the unlikliest of actors - Liam Neeson( yeah the same guy from Schindlers List!). The story never bores you and in the end you do feel that his daughter's freedom is hard won. If you can excuse the american arrogance of treating all non-americans as vile insects, and the lack of satire or irony(except a small interrogation scene) - you will fully enjoy watching the "baap" of Jason Bourne!
