Review of Taken 3 (2014) by Richard S — 07 Jun 2016

After the lethargic and quite silly Taken 2, I wasn't too fussed about seeing the 3rd in the franchise. The first movie reinvented Liam Neeson as an action hero, it was fast, tense and full of bone crunching fight sequences.

Then then the producers saw a way to make more money and produced a family friendly sequel that was lacking a decent pace, had fights that belonged on a school playground and plot strands that just came across as ridiculous.

The 3rd movie crosses Taken with The Fugitive as this time Liam Nesson finds himself on the run for a murder he did not commit with the always watchable Forest Whitaker in pursuit. The film does not match the highs of the first movie but it is certainly a vast improvement on the 2nd.

There is a decent pace and the action sequences more than satisfy. It kept me entertained and hooked which is all I'm ever looking for from this type of movie. The one minor gripe is that I've always thought Liam Neeson looks a little awkward when running and he does a lot of running in this movie.

Let's hope he never takes on the role of Paula Radcliffe for a sports biopic.