TAKEN

ENGLISH - (18PL) - 19 March 2009 - Action/Thriller
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Running time: about 93 mins.
Director: Pierre Morel
Producers: Luc Besson
Writers: Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen
Casts: Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, Maggie Grace, Xander Berkeley, Holly Valance
Plot: Bryan (Liam Neeson), a former secret agent living in the US, reluctantly lets his 17-year-old daughter Kim (Maggie Grace, "Lost") go on holiday to Paris with a friend. Upon arrival in Paris, the two girls meet a seemingly nice young man who turns out to be a member of an Albanian crime syndicate, promptly kidnapping and forcing them into prostitution. Bryan must rely on his old skills in order to rescue his daughter from the slave trade.

THE VERDICT:

Green Tea says:

WARNING SPOILER! In the recent years when Jason Bourne began to give a deep impact, darker persona, kill who ever on the way and more action-punching than some expensive gadget owned by the old James Bond, we have seen a tidal wave sweeping over James Bond. Even the new James Bond as portrayed by Daniel Craig resembles very closely to Bourne. Well, now you have another one but slightly in an older version.

For Bryan Mills, a retired secret agent who assumed the nickname job or preventer, wishes to spend more time with his 17-years old daughter who currently is staying with his ex-wife. It so happen that it his daughter is going to Paris for holiday and somehow, old Bryan has some dejavu of uncertainty of letting his daughter going to Paris and here comes his over-protective figure. For the sake of his daughter, he allow her to go but things get nasty on first day of trip in which his daughter is kidnapped by a crime ring. The rest is about Bryan resembling Bourne.

What do you think? I thought this is a decent piece of actioner with a great plot and easy to follow. The plot is compact and straight forward, which explain its 93 minutes rundown of the movie. As the story reach the abduction part, you will feel some goosebump yourself, making you imagine things on your own - how to save ourself? However, I can't help to notice the silliness used on the screenplay with ultimatum relied on the chances and co-incidence. When I think back, it has a good theme for ransom movie, but it seems that everything that Bryan did to find his daughter in Paris and to rescue her before the critical 96 hours are up, is more or less playing the odds with the God. The funny thing is they are all so happen in co-incidence. As I mentioned earlier, he also have the same Bond's style of killing whom ever on his way - no mercy!!

Liam Neeson is a respectable actor with great persona in within himself. He was lucky to be enrolled in it or else the characterization would have destroyed if some other is in his role. I would have to say, he did quite well for the role and he execute the characterization well. The whole movie is seems to be all about him. The rest of the casts are good but no way near his own performance. Not even a feature by the hot singer Holly Valance can turn him atop. But blame the average dialogue and story, Liam can do even better. He successfully transformed the father-daughter love into a hatred, revnge and killing machine beast.

The cinematography is okay, considering this movie takes you to much or more the ugly side of Paris - prostitution and immigrants. The action is done with stunts choreography, with absolute unnoticeable effects. The fighting and pursuit scene really resembles what we have in Jason Bournes'. It was fun to see these kind of movie rather than those highly special effects that makes it too animation. Sometimes, I just prefer the old way.

THE RATINGS.....

CAST - 4.5 stars

STORY - 4.0 stars

CINEMATOGRAPHY - 4.0 stars

EFFECTS - 3.5 stars

an overall>> 4.0 stars

GreenTea-O-Meter: 16.3