Review of Taken (2008) by Akshay H — 02 Jul 2015

Probably one of the best action-thrillers.

Remove Liam Neeson's mind-blowing performance, this film would have been just another generic action thriller. Neeson completely defines this film and is exceedingly likable as a loving father who becomes a merciless killing machine when his daughter is kidnapped by human- traffickers. This may be typical save the kidnapped girl story, but the way it gives edge-of-seat thrills combined with well-oiled action its becomes highly engaging. The sharp dialogues with Neeson's deep voice add to the package. Who wouldn't like Neeson's "I will find you and I will kill you" dialogue? And the action sequence when he finally finds the bad guys is simply mind blowing. Another of my favorite scenes is when he makes his old friend realize that he has been sitting on desk so long that he has forgotten the difference between a loaded and an empty gun. The plot remains intensely focused on the father's pursuit to find his daughter without floating into unnecessary sub-plots. The only relevant and important characters where the father and daughter, and their relation is well established in first 20 minutes giving room for the audience to invest their emotions. The film also portrays the horrors of human-trafficking giving enough reason for rooting Neeson's character to find and kill all those bad guys. With well choreographed action, engaging soundtrack and slick camera work with power-packed Neeson Taken is a ride not to be missed. I have watched it 5 times now and it was exciting each time. I still remember the first time I saw it about 4 years ago and how it totally blew my mind!

RATING: [4/5].