Movie Review: Taken
“…what I do have, are a very particular set of skills …”
Have a look at the trailer, and then I’ll give some thoughts on this flick:
I can sum up this movie in two words.
1) Unapologetic.
2) FREAKINOMGBESTMOVIEEVER
I saw this movie linked on some “conservative movies” site and that had me a little wary because to some people conservative = preachy. I knew the basic premise – guy’s daughter gets kidnapped, guy has some uber-mad Ninja Skillz and goes after the baddies to get his girl back.
Really, that’s it. And it’s simplicity (the movie is a quick 1:30) is why it’s fantastic. The first half-hour gets you ready for the last hour. There’s no huge plot twist, there’s nothing fancy in it, there’s no moral hand-wringing, it’s truly a Point A to Point B movie – the kind that Hollywood refuses to make anymore. It’s straight to the point like a sledgehammer to your forehead.
What’s amazing about it is the manner in which Liam Neeson takes you on that straight line from A to B. He’s the biggest badass EVER and it’s the kind of movie that will have you picking up your jaw once in awhile. Dude. Don’t mess with Daddy’s daughter.
There are plenty of movies where bad guys get spared or there’s some measure of compassion shown for them. This isn’t one of those movies. As a matter of fact, for me, it was highly refreshing to see the baddies get – without any mercy whatsoever – exactly what they deserved.
I’ve seen other reviews of the movie calling it “morally questionable”. I couldn’t disagree more. It’s a revenge thriller about a guy getting his daughter back. If you feel bad for criminals that’s on you. I’ve also seen it called “predictable”. Well, yeah, of course it is. Running a quarter-mile in a dragster is predictable too – you go fast – but that doesn’t mean it’s boring or unenjoyable. So, you can keep your tortured hero that spares scumbags because of compassion for humanity …
As for me?
Hand over the popcorn, I enjoy watching bad guys get exactly what they deserve.
Super-mega-enthusiastic ten-thumbs up!
Definitely a movie great! I especially liked how it made the quick determination that he was a bad ass by showing him take down the guy with the knife at the beginning. No BS or flashbacks; the guys a stone cold killer, now let’s watch him smash and slash a bunch of baddies.
That one will end up as a Movie Guns post when I get a running computer. BTW, I got my monitor working with some creative soldering the other day, and then went to start in on Boiling Point, but found out that the DVD player had died again. A few days later was the space mace incident, so I have no PC at home now. I’ll be building one once we’re into the new year, so hopefully I’ll get off this hiatus; that is, until my third kid is here in Feb. We’ll see. . .
Oh yeah, there was some seriously good knife/gun disarming techniques in there that appealed to my martial arts side. Some great shots of weapons too. If I remember right there was a real clear up-close shot of the suppressed revolver one of the baddies had. I’d love to see that one movie-guns-ized.
The space mace thing was classic, by the way. Heh. Sending you an email about your computer thing …
1st time I watched it was with my 18 y/o sister and she kept saying how badass the dad was, especially in the scene @ Marko’s where he’s methodically taking them out with one shot each.
I now have it on DVD.
Recently saw that movie, and found it very satisfying. It’s refreshing to have an action “hero” with no frills. It was awesome.
For decades, people have enjoyed movies where the characters portrayed got exactly what they deserved. Movie makers have profited nicely feeding that desire, just as food makers and others have.
But now this idea is morally questionable?
I find people who think such an idea is morally questionable to be morally deficient, if not dangerous, which is itself morally questionable.
And another thing, we should have compassion for scumbags, but we should remember that usually that is a matter between the scumbag and God, and we as mere mortals have to look out for ourselves.
Remember, David Kacszinsky’s brother loved him, too, but still believed that someone who did what his brother did belonged behind bars.