Taken
Rent & Buy
Bryan Mills, a former government operative, is trying to reconnect with his teenage daughter Kim. After reluctantly agreeing with his ex-wife to let Kim go to Paris on vacation with a friend, his worst nightmare comes true. While on the phone with his daughter shortly after she arrives in Paris, she and her friend are abducted by a gang of human traffickers. Working against the clock, Bryan relies on his extensive training and skills to track down the ruthless gang that abducted her and launch a one-man war to rescue his daughter.
What critics thought
DivisiveCritics landed roughly split on Taken: most conceded it was an efficiently made, propulsive action thriller, but a sizable number found its script pedestrian and its premise too preposterous to take seriously. What almost everyone agreed on was that Liam Neeson's tightly wound performance is the film's main engine — audiences responded far more warmly than critics did, suggesting the movie plays better as a pure ride than as something to think about afterward.
“It's always a puzzle to review a movie like this. On the one hand, it's preposterous. But who expects a 'Bourne'-type city-wrecking operative to be plausible? On the other hand, it's very well made. Liam Neeson brings the character a hard-edged, mercilessly focused anger, and director Pierre Morel hurtles through action sequences at a breathless velocity.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“kick ass, pedal-to-the-metal actioner [...] that wisely doesn't give the viewer any time to ponder the string of unlikely coincidences [...] the film has the forward, devil-may-care momentum of a Bond film on steroids.”
Derek Elley·Variety
“unintentionally silly at times [...] Obviously, 'Taken' is not the kind of action film to spend much time worrying about its pedestrian script or largely indifferent acting, so it's fortunate to have Neeson in the starring role.”
Kenneth Turan·Los Angeles Times
Genres
Action, Crime, Thriller
Cast & Crew
Pierre MorelDirector
Liam NeesonBryan Mills
Maggie GraceKim Mills
Famke JanssenLenore St. John
Olivier RabourdinJean-Claude Pitrel
Katie CassidyAmanda
Nicolas GiraudPeter
Leland OrserSam Gilroy
Jon GriesMark Casey
Holly ValanceSheerah
David WarshofskyBernie Harris
Gérard WatkinsPatrice Saint-Clair
Arben BajraktarajMarko Hoxha
Nathaniel MéchalyComposer
Luc BessonWriter
Robert Mark KamenWriter
Michel AbramowiczCinematographyTaken
Bryan Mills, a former government operative, is trying to reconnect with his teenage daughter Kim. After reluctantly agreeing with his ex-wife to let Kim go to Paris on vacation with a friend, his worst nightmare comes true. While on the phone with his daughter shortly after she arrives in Paris, she and her friend are abducted by a gang of human traffickers. Working against the clock, Bryan relies on his extensive training and skills to track down the ruthless gang that abducted her and launch a one-man war to rescue his daughter.
What critics thought
DivisiveCritics landed roughly split on Taken: most conceded it was an efficiently made, propulsive action thriller, but a sizable number found its script pedestrian and its premise too preposterous to take seriously. What almost everyone agreed on was that Liam Neeson's tightly wound performance is the film's main engine — audiences responded far more warmly than critics did, suggesting the movie plays better as a pure ride than as something to think about afterward.
“It's always a puzzle to review a movie like this. On the one hand, it's preposterous. But who expects a 'Bourne'-type city-wrecking operative to be plausible? On the other hand, it's very well made. Liam Neeson brings the character a hard-edged, mercilessly focused anger, and director Pierre Morel hurtles through action sequences at a breathless velocity.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“kick ass, pedal-to-the-metal actioner [...] that wisely doesn't give the viewer any time to ponder the string of unlikely coincidences [...] the film has the forward, devil-may-care momentum of a Bond film on steroids.”
Derek Elley·Variety
“unintentionally silly at times [...] Obviously, 'Taken' is not the kind of action film to spend much time worrying about its pedestrian script or largely indifferent acting, so it's fortunate to have Neeson in the starring role.”
Kenneth Turan·Los Angeles Times
Genres
Action, Crime, Thriller
Cast & Crew
Pierre MorelDirectorLiam NeesonBryan MillsMaggie GraceKim MillsFamke JanssenLenore St. JohnOlivier RabourdinJean-Claude PitrelKatie CassidyAmandaNicolas GiraudPeterLeland OrserSam GilroyJon GriesMark CaseyHolly ValanceSheerahDavid WarshofskyBernie HarrisGérard WatkinsPatrice Saint-ClairArben BajraktarajMarko HoxhaNathaniel MéchalyComposerLuc BessonWriterRobert Mark KamenWriterMichel AbramowiczCinematographyRent & Buy