Taken 2 Review

Rated PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Violence and Action, and Some Sensuality)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 32 Minutes

Cast-

Liam Neeson-Bryan Mills

Famke Janssen-Lenore

Maggie Grace-Kim Mills

Rade Šerbedžija-Murad Krasniqi

Leland Orser-Sam

Jon Gries-Casey

D.B. Sweeney-Bernie

Luke Grimes-Jamie

Kevork Malikyan-Inspector Durmaz

Alain Figlarz-Suko

Directed by Olivier Megaton

You don't interrupt Liam Neeson when he's on the phone, or he will find you and kill you!

'I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.' At age 56 (now 60), who knew that Liam Neeson, an Academy Award-nominated actor, would have the chops to be a bona fide action star? Written and produced by Luc Besson, Pierre Morel's "Taken" was first released in France in February 2008 and didn't arrive in North American theaters until a year later in January, the month where movies go to die. However, the film proved to be a surprise hit despite mixed reviews (58% on Rotten Tomatoes) and racked up an impressive $226.8 million worldwide, almost ten times its $25 million production budget. It also marked a major turning point in Neeson's career, redefining the actor as a successful action star, which he's been keen to take advantage of by following up on his newfound status with films like "Unknown" and "The Grey." Money talks in Hollywood and seeing the potential for a new cash cow, 20th Century Fox announced a sequel in November 2010, once again with Besson writing the script with Robert Mark Kamen and churned out by his factory-like production company, EuropaCorp. While it's always nice to see Liam Neeson in badass mode, the lazily titled "Taken 2" is nothing more than a cynical cash-grab that is content with rehashing the original film. 

In Tropojë, the leader of the Albanian Mafia, Murad Krasniqi (Rade Šerbedžija), mourns the loss of his son Marko, who was electrocuted to death by former CIA agent Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) while searching for his kidnapped daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) in Paris, France. The relatives of all the men Bryan killed gather with Murad, vowing to avenge the deaths of their loved ones. Back in Los Angeles, Bryan continues to keep a close eye on his daughter, who is currently late for her daily driving lesson. He learns from his ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) that Kim is at her boyfriend's house and he easily tracks her down using the GPS device secretly installed on her phone. Kim is less-than thrilled of her father's still-overprotective behavior. The next day, Bryan visits Lenore again, only to find her in tears. Her husband Stuart had cancelled their trip to China over an argument and feeling sympathetic, Bryan suggests that she and Kim come join him in Istanbul, Turkey after he wraps up a high-paying security job. He initially believes that they had not taken up on his offer but is surprised to see that they had indeed flown out to see him. Meanwhile, Murad and his gang of thugs learn that Bryan is in Istanbul. While spending time with Lenore, Bryan senses danger and orders her to go back to his hotel room but both end up getting kidnapped. Enlisting the help of Kim, Bryan must once again put his skills to use and do what he does best—kill the men who are after him. 

The only reason that "Taken 2" exists is because the original was a box office success. As proof of its laziness, writers Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen simply took the script of the previous film and replaced Bryan's daughter with his wife. It's painful to see a respected actor like Liam Neeson sink to such lows and recite some of the worst dialogue in recent memory. Part of the problem is the fact that the film takes an inordinate amount of time to set everything up and by the time it's done, there's only thirty minutes left before the end credits. "Taken 2" simply begins and ends since the entire second act is virtually missing. Not doing the paper-thin story any favors is its complete absence of logic, where Bryan seemingly possesses some sort of Spider-Sense as he is able to locate Murad's men by memorizing the sounds of the route they took…while blind-folded. Making Bryan into a superhuman ex-spy undermines the suspense as it never feels like he or his family is in any danger. In the film's most ridiculous moment, he has his daughter throw hand grenades in order to determine his location by timing how long it takes for the sound to reach him. First off, no one's hearing is that good and second, you're throwing grenades out in the open and yet the good citizens of Istanbul are completely oblivious that a car just exploded. 

Replacing director Pierre Morel is Olivier Megaton (whose previous work was 2011's "Colombiana," which was just as terrible) and he continues to show his incompetence by turning the film's biggest selling point—the action—into a complete, indecipherable mess. The fight scenes are encumbered by shaky cam and choppy editing. Each shot lasts no more than a second and all you see is just a blur of fists coupled with some sound effects. There's also a complete lack of energy, as if Megaton was falling asleep at the wheel. A perfunctory car chase is thrown in but watching Bryan repeatedly shout at his daughter to drive faster is unintentionally hilarious. It ends with them crashing into the U.S. Embassy and apparently one call to the CIA makes it all better. Then again, destroying public property in foreign countries is what America is famous for. Due to the PG-13 rating, all the violence has been diluted. At times, it looks like Bryan is killing his opponents simply by raking his hand over their faces due to the poor angles chosen. The inept script would've been somewhat forgivable if Besson had kept Morel or hired someone who wasn't a hack but alas, he picked Megaton. You have to wonder if he was even thinking! 

Liam Neeson is a brilliant actor and seeing him in badass mode was one of the real treats in the original "Taken." However, he looks completely disinterested here as he goes through the motions and yet he remains watchable despite the train wreck he's in. The sequel does add a slight wrinkle by pairing Bryan with Kim as they escape from Murad's endless supply of mindless thugs and Maggie Grace handles the action well enough. The actress is clearly too old to be playing a teenager (she's now 29) so some of the story elements, such as her learning how to drive, don't entirely make sense (nothing does). Famke Janssen essentially replaces Grace's role in the previous film and is little more than a MacGuffin. Rade Šerbedžija is effective as the villain but his final confrontation with Bryan is a letdown. To stop Bryan, he sends an Albanian bruiser who wears a tacky track suit that does his pronounced beer gut no favors. Not exactly a smart move. 

Released on October 5, 2012, "Taken 2" has received largely negative reviews with 21% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics found it 'bereft of the kinetic thrills—and surprises—that made the original a hit.' Of course, that didn't stop audiences from flocking to theaters, with the film earning $49.5 million during its opening weekend.  It has already grossed $348.3 million worldwide on an increased production budget of $45 million, all but assuring a "Taken 3" in the future, possibly even more. The people that enjoy this do not care for story or proper editing or all the other elements that make up a good film and are content with being fed sloppy seconds. Six weeks after release, it's still in the top five at the box office! I hate to do this to Liam Neeson but "Taken 2" is an awful mess, a soulless, derivative sequel that solely exists to take money from moviegoers who simply don't know any better.

Final Rating: 1.5 out of 5

Bryan Mills: If I kill you, your other sons will come and seek revenge?

Murad Krasniqi: They will...

Bryan Mills: And I will kill them too.