It may be surprising for some that “Taken,” the latest offering in the give-me-back-my-family subgenre of action films, is not an American film.
It has all the sensibility of an American action film. It has the hero who put the service of his country over his family and suffers for it today. He has an innocent young daughter who is victimized by sinister foreigners. And it all leads to bloody retribution, which just screams Hollywood.
“Taken,” however, is a French film which follows the story of Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson), a paranoid old ex-CIA spook who missed the formative years of his daughter Kim’s (Maggie Grace) life and is now trying to make up for that by living near her new dad’s fabulous mansion and feeling inferior because he can’t buy her love.
Instead, he lets her travel to France with her friend, but without chaperones.
While a film about an older man getting in touch with his teenage daughter after a foreign adventure would probably be fine, “Taken” veers off when Kim is abducted by sinister Albanian human traffickers.
With little time to waste, Mills opts to ignore official avenues of justice and undertakes the mission himself, bringing to the fore all his CIA skills to find his daughter.
“Taken” is definitely an action film, but it’s at least at the deeper end of that spectrum. True, the story and plot are not unfamiliar to the genre, but character development is as intricately structured as a movie like this allows.
The action is well-paced, with the slower exposition split up by spectacular gunfights, car chases and hand-to-hand combat.
It is reminiscent of such French action classics as “La Femme Nikita” and “The Professional.” Say what you want about the French, but they know how to put together an action flick.
The film’s greatest strength, however, is Neeson’s performance.
It’s not surprising, as Neeson is an excellent actor with a versatile skill set, able to emote meaningfully one minute and very believably punch a man’s face in the next.
His portrayal of a father pushed to his limit when his daughter is in danger is something moviegoers will definitely take with them when they leave the theater.
Unfortunately, that might be the only thing they leave with.
The film’s presentation is superbly constructed, character development is deep and the action is well-paced, but nothing about it is memorable. The plot has been reused and recycled by so many other movies, it’s almost impossible not to simply lump it in with the rest of them.
“Taken” does a good job with what it’s given, and Neeson’s performance alone makes it a solid choice at the box office. Just don’t expect to be talking about it for years to come.
