Review of Taken 2 (2012) by Thomas V — 09 Jun 2015

Seeing Liam Neeson's retired CIA character Bryan Mills travel to Europe, outsmart the baddies and (quick-cut edit) fight his way throughout 2009s Taken was a breath of fresh air. Casting Neeson was an inspired choice (you'd arguably have to go back to Sam Raimi's 1990 film Darkman to see the actor in another B-movie prior), the script surprisingly had some depth (and heart) and the final execution was nothing but satisfactory.

The film was a worldwide hit with audiences so the natural step was to plop a "2" after the title and see if Liam's lighting punches can strike twice. Although 2012s Taken 2 doesn't have the charm of the first (or the wit) there is still some fun to be had with the experience.

With the premise baked-into the title, it's only a matter of time before someone close to Mills is taken but returning writers Robert Mark Kamen and Luc Besson play with expectation and come up with an inspired choice.

It gives the film a fresh perspective from the original while maintaining the high-pressure, time sensitive importance the series will be known for. Sadly though, the rest of the plot plays in expected beats and doesn't have the layered script of the first, creating a shallow experience that car-chases, machine-gun fire and the beautiful location of Istanbul can't hide.