Taken 2 film review; opens Oct. 5
Fans of the 2009 hit thriller starring Liam Neeson may feel “Taken” by its highly anticipated sequel.
While the original crackled with energy and soared along faster than a speeding bullet, “Taken 2” seems slightly tired, follows a predictable path and provides little in character development. Certainly the PG-13 follow-up offers some genuine thrills and chills, but they seem few and far between as Neeson’s former government operative, Bryan Mills, gets down to the “wet work” of using any weapon necessary to destroy his enemies.
As “Taken 2” opens in Istanbul two years after the original, Murad Hoxha (Rade Serbedzija of “Eyes Wide Shut”) puts a death order on the head of Mills for murdering his son, who sold young girls to wealthy customers. Mills killed Hoxha’s son for kidnapping his daughter, but the bereaved father will hear nothing about that.
He wants revenge and has a small army of operatives tracking the former government agent, his daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace), and his ex-wife, Lenore (Famke Janssen), who is now separated and free to reconnect with him.
Of course, “Taken 2” isn’t about hugs and kisses; it’s about bullets and body counts. They begin when Hoxha kidnaps the three, and escalates after the father and daughter escape but have to leave Lenore, who’s about to be tortured, behind.
Soon after, Mills is marking his territory with blood as he uses quick hand-to-hand moves, sharp objects and automatic weapons to cut down the opposition.
The original “Taken” works so well because we quickly get caught up in the family dynamics and take it very personally when despicable human traffickers kidnap the daughter and plan to sell her as quickly as possible.
In the sequel, Kim participates in an over-the-top car chase and helps her father arrange clues so they can pinpoint the location of Lenore. She also has a boyfriend, something that seems to bother her father to a questionable degree.
To his credit, the 60-year-old Neeson remains a lean, mean fighting machine and participates in some challenging stunts. Director Olivier Megaton (“Columbiana”) seems to mostly be going by the numbers and leaving out electrified action.
The climactic sequences in which Neeson’s character dispatches enemies became so outrageous that some members of a preview showing began laughing. That’s certainly harsh, but such chuckling is understandable since some scenes have Bryan Mills reaching levels of resourcefulness that would dazzle MacGyver.
Postscript: A surprise hit, “Taken” enjoyed a global gross of $226.8 million. The title also earned millions from the sales of its DVDs and Blu-ray Discs.
One theory attributes the unexpected box-office impact of the original to Neeson’s appearance as Qui-Gon Jinn in George Lucas’ first three “Star Wars” installments. Pre-teen and teenage boys became fans of Neeson as an action figure and turned out to see him in “Taken.”
Fans of the series should know that “Taken 2” ends with the possibility of having two more follow-ups.
FILM REVIEW
“Taken 2”
Grade: B-
Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen and Rade Serbedzija; produced by Luc Besson; written by Besson and Robert Mark Kamen; directed by Olivier Megaton.
Running Time: 91 minutes.
Parental Guide: PG-13 rating (intense sequences of violence and action, some sensuality).