Thursday 26 March 2009

Taken [2008]


Coming from the same guy who made the ultra-hyperkinetic action flick District B13, it’s no surprise that Taken is a slick, fast and a downright enjoyable movie; but surprisingly, unlike the former, it isn’t a no-brainer show. It does belong to those movies that may require what is known as ‘suspension of disbelief’, but the execution is so damn engaging that I ended up quite liking the movie despite its oh-so-predictable skeleton of a father fighting against all odds to save his daughter from the bad guys – the murky world of flesh trade in this case. The packaging is very stylishly done and the action sequences are fabulous. And in Liam Neeson, as a former agent who hasn’t forgotten his exceptional trade skills, the so-called genre of mindless action movies gets a rare dose of intelligence and warmth. Taken might not be the best forum for portraying acting skills, but Neeson has infused a dose of believability and roundness in his character, thus taking the movie a notch higher than other such genre films. And boy o boy, did he kick some butt! Never ever piss off a movie dad, especially one who once worked for the 'Government'.








Director: Pierre Morel
Genre: Action/Thriller

Language: English

Country: France

2 comments:

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

oooh, is this the one in which liam neeson's daughter gets kidnapped? because i was reading a review somewhat on those lines lat week.

Shubhajit said...

Yeah, it is... though short on the gray matter front, it more than makes up with its entertaining packaging. Feeling bored? Go for Taken...