Taken

A 21st century riff on Commando, Taken casts Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills – a former spy who is forced to put his old skills to use after his daughter (Maggie Grace’s Kim) is kidnapped while on vacation in France. Director Pierre Morel, working from Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen’s screenplay, has emerged with an unexpectedly thrilling actioner that effectively blends the tongue-in-cheek sensibilities of its ’80s progenitors with the grittiness of the Bourne series, although there’s little doubt that the film’s success is due primarily to Neeson’s absolutely spellbinding work as the seemingly unstoppable central character. Neeson’s notoriously intense demeanor proves instrumental in Bryan’s transformation from uptight father to unrelenting badass, with the actor’s tough-as-nails, thoroughly riveting portrayal elevating what’s already an incredibly entertaining and instantly indelible example of the action genre. And although Morel’s penchant for punching up high-octane interludes with quick cuts and shaky camerawork is lamentable, there’s simply no denying the strength of the progressively inventive fight sequences in which Bryan comes face to face with a series of brutal baddies. The effectiveness of the film’s myriad of confrontations is undoubtedly heightened by one’s rooting interest in Bryan’s success, as the character’s single-minded, take-no-prisoners modus operandi is refreshingly free of sentiment and compassion (eg his decision to rescue a female hostage is based not on sympathy but rather on her ability to provide him with information). The end result is a contemporary action masterpiece that surely ranks alongside the best that the genre has to offer, with the film certainly breathing life into a cinematic category that’s been slowly-but-surely sliding into oblivion thanks to such woefully incompetent efforts as Wanted, Hitman, and Max Payne.

***1/2 out of ****