My expectations were shaken by Taken

Wow. what a fantastic surprise this movie was! I was accompanied by a group of friends when we went to see this flick. Even though the new Underworld was released this weekend, our group of young and action-seeking college students ultimately decided on Taken. I mean, the trailer really did look pretty cool, and that played a big role in picking the movie. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint.

There is something special about this movie. Sure, it has it’s faults. And it probably isn’t going to win any awards. But if you like action movies, you’re going to love this film. And I’m not talking about because it’s got big budget, fancy, and elegant action scenes. No, it’s none of that. But the action is very, very special, and it gets your blood pumping. It’s gritty, it’s real, but most of all. it’s smart.

The action in this movies always seems very fresh. The action is quick and precise, it moves so quickly, you’re never ceased to be entertained. It’s got a bit of the Bourne Identity, some Transporter, but mainly it stands out for keeping every part of the movie grounded in reality. Our hero disarms, incapacitate, and kills his adversaries with remarkable expertise. He uses his hands most of the time, but he’s quick to pick a gun and make quick work of his enemies.

Liam Neeson (known as Qui-Gon Jinn or as your father in Fallout 3) does an excellent job as Bryan Mills, the father who would do anything to save his kidnapped daughter. He does a very convincing role and his acting is entirely spot on. You feel his anger, his determination, and his willingness to cross any line to save his daughter. You see his cool exterior, you feel his experience and professionalism just ooze out of him, and despite the circumstances you see him acting as if he’s always in charge.

The rest of the cast is a bit hit and miss, but the film really revolves around him the entire time. Which is a blessing, because Neeson does such an excellent job.

The real heart of this movie is it keeps throwing unexpected little bits at you. You expect one thing, and it does something else completely. These little twists really make the movie much more interesting and full of flavor, because they all keep in line with Neeson’s cool composure, yet you see his absurd dedication to do anything to get his daughter as quickly as possible. There is some moments that make you think. “did he really just do that? wow.”

The key word here is that the movie is really smart, he doesn’t win because he’s stronger or a better shot – he is able to track his daughters and kill people who get in his way because he is smart, fast, and unrelenting.

I’ve got my complaints. The beginning started off a bit too slow and was drawn on. Most of the characters were really shallow, in fact the only character with any depth what-so-ever is the main character. It makes all the scenes involving other characters a bit dull. Also, the chase scenes involving cars are definitely a bit over-the-top on the “shaky cam”, and it is very distracting and not nearly as entertaining as many of the other scenes.

The action is smart and quick. The main character is a complete bad ass, and yet it’s nothing over the top. His skills come from his ability to out-think his adversaries and this makes the action really fun to watch. While the action is some of the best I’ve seen, and this is one of my new favorite movies, the other non-action bits aren’t the greatest, and I’ve listed a few of my complaints above.

Do yourself a favor and watch this movie. It’s not perfect, but I was expecting a bland action movie and found an unexpected gem instead.

8/10