Taken (2009)

If I learned one lesson from watching Taken, it’s this: never, under any circumstances, should you mess with Liam Neeson. The man is a walking, talking engine of destruction. More importantly, don’t make the mistake of kidnapping his only daughter to sell into a life of forced sexual servitude. If that happens, you might as well pick out which suit you want to be buried in (and recommend that your bodyguards and henchmen do the same).

As the movie begins, Bryan Mills (Neeson) is a retired CIA operative trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace). His career cost him his marriage to the lovely Lenore (Famke Janssen), and now both women in his life reside under the roof of the ultra-wealthy Stuart (Xander Berkeley).

When he’s not fretting over what to get Kim for her 17th birthday or falling asleep with her picture clutched against his chest, he’s entertaining old friends from his days with the “company.” They even manage to talk him into helping out with security for a pop diva named Sheerah (Holly Valance), a situation which allows us to get our first glimpse of what a badass Bryan truly is.

Kim talks her father into giving her permission to travel with a friend to Paris (France, not Texas), although the world-wise Bryan is more than a little skeptical. He eventually relents, however, as he fears ruining what little progress he’s made with his daughter.

But Bryan’s suspicions turn out to be justified, as the girls aren’t even in Paris for a day before they’re kidnapped by a gang involved in the international sex trade. Bryan is on the phone with his daughter when the kidnapping takes place, and he offers a deal to one of her abductors. If they release her, that will be the end of it. Otherwise, Bryan will use his special set of skills to track them down and kill them. Like a fool, the abductor says “Good luck” and hangs up the phone. Big mistake.

From that point on, Bryan is a whirling dervish of revenge. He uses a lifetime of experience and contacts to quickly get a lead, and then it’s off to Paris to save Kim and make good on his promise to the kidnappers. You see, Bryan wasn’t just your average CIA operative; he was a “preventer,” tasked with making sure that bad things didn’t happen. Apparently, preventing “bad things” often required the use of handguns, martial arts, stunt driving, and ruthless intimidation.

Made in France but featuring an English-speaking cast, Taken is a fast-moving ride through a fantasy world where the bad guys get what they deserve, and our hero never falters in his convictions. Violent escapism at its best, Taken allows Bryan to shoot and karate chop everyone in sight without having to worry about pesky things like laws. In this way, the film is very reminiscent of Death Wish or Death Sentence; the need for revenge supersedes all else. While that might send a mixed message to audience members, anyone relying on action movies for moral guidance is already beyond help.

A few attempts are made to show that Bryan’s human, such as his getting winded while running long distances, or limping after jumping off a bridge onto a passing boat. Still, I’m not buying any of that. Neeson’s wily character was probably faking vulnerability just in case someone was watching. He’s that good. A decent amount of effort is also spent trying to imbue him with more personality than the average action hero, and it pays off over the course of the narrative. Even little things like watching him wrap a birthday present are fascinating, as Bryan turns it into an exercise in precision.

The rest of the cast isn’t called on to do much besides play stock action movie characters. Maggie Grace is the sweet but naïve daughter. Famke Janssen is the bitchy ex-wife. Olivier Rabourdin is the former ally who’s now parked behind a desk. No, it’s Liam Neeson’s show all the way, and he more than rises to the challenge.

Fans of television’s 24 may notice some similarities between Bryan and Jack Bauer. Both have blonde daughters who frequently need rescuing; both have to work against a time deadline; both are willing to shoot someone’s wife in order to make them talk; and both interact with actor Xander Berkeley (he was also on 24). The only thing missing was a large on-screen clock counting down the seconds until disaster. Still, if you’re going to borrow from a show, why not the best action series to come along in years?

While Bryan’s level of competency often borders on the ridiculous, this is the type of film where it’s best to ignore such things. As an audience, all we’re really being asked to do is cheer on the hero and boo the villains, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. After all, at the end of the day, Taken is a feel-good movie…with a body count.