Re-watching... Taken (2008)
The city of fights.
If you like action movies, then you’ve almost certainly seen Taken (2008). Directed by Pierre Morel, Taken redefined the action-thriller genre in the late 00s with a gripping personal revenge story in a no-nonsense 90 minute runtime. I don’t have an angle to write about Taken that’s clever or new, I just absolutely love the film for its ability to deliver an action-packed good time.
The success of Taken turned Liam Neeson into an action star, and spawned an era of middle-aged paternal protectors leaving retirement to save the day. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these copycat wannabe movies couldn’t live up to the quality that Taken provides. And I don’t mean as a cinematic masterpiece, no no no, not even close. I mean as an excellent action movie, with emphasis on the action.
Usually when I write these posts I spend way too long thinking about how to summarise the plot without turning it into a boring wiki entry (often unsuccessfully). Thankfully Taken can be easily summarised in a single sentence:
Retired CIA officer Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) goes to Paris to save his teenage daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) after she’s kidnapped by a sex trafficking ring.
Maybe it’s my ability to summarise which has improved, or maybe it was easy because Taken is as straightforward as movies get. Even the title itself is a direct reference to the story’s inciting incident. We are simply here to see a one-man-army punch and shoot his way through despicable men until he finds his daughter, and I’m OK with that.
The full-throttle violence in Taken works because it’s rooted in a personal story. At the beginning we see how much Bryan cares for his daughter; from his wiliness to help her become a singer, to his overprotective paranoia regarding her safety. Although this would usually be an unhealthy sign of love, luckily for Kim, that’s exactly the type of father she needed. The commitment to do anything for someone you love is profoundly relatable, and it’s easy for anyone with a shred of empathy to support Bryan’s mission to accomplish this.
Those emotional stakes are highlighted in the famous scene where Bryan speaks to one of his daughter's kidnappers on the phone. It comes just moments after Kim is taken, but instead of instinctive anger, Bryan’s response is calm and his threats are assured. Neeson’s performance in combination with the scene’s tight camerawork firmly establishes Bryan’s menacing and ruthless presence as a character. I’ve seen this iconic moment countless times, and every re-watch delivers the perfect emotional cocktail to get me invested.
From then on, Taken is only focused on being an efficient action movie, and I mean that literally. The fighting is centred on well-choreographed close-quarters combat that reflects Bryan’s CIA experience and his cold brutality, rather than relying on boring generic shootouts. The action is fast and it feels personal, but most importantly it’s exciting enough to be worth your time.
This is helped along by a lot of fast-paced editing which synergises with the action, and thankfully it doesn’t go overboard and turn the combat into an unwatchable mess. Too many quick cuts can run the risk of the action becoming disjointed and hard to follow, but Taken mostly avoids this problem. Though hilariously in this franchise’s third film Taken 3 (2014), the complete opposite can be said — particularly thanks to the infamous fence jump scene which cuts FOURTEEN times within seven seconds! I highly recommend watching a clip of it if you want a good laugh.
As satisfying as the revenge-driven action is in Taken, I also enjoy the moments where Bryan is searching for clues. It’s always interesting to watch an expert be brilliant at their job, and Taken scratches that itch of intrigue to perfection. I like that Bryan’s “particular set of skills” are based on real special intelligence techniques, as it makes the build-up feel grounded and believable despite the overdramatization of the plot. And overall, those slower moments are just as crucial for how the movie maintains its gripping pace from start to finish.
Ultimately, the main reason I like Taken is because it doesn’t waste my time. The characters are stuck in a one-dimensional existence, but the plot is so well paced and executed I can forgive those missing character layers. Maintaining a high level of quality within exactly 90 minutes is difficult for any movie to achieve, but Taken knows what kind of film it is, commits, and delivers a high-octane experience perfect for any action movie night.
Do you have a favourite fight scene in Taken? Would you have preferred more focus on the characters or do you enjoy the movie for its commitment to action? As always, I’d like to hear about any of your thoughts or memories of the film!
Next week I’m re-watching the first movie in a popular fourth-wall-breaking slasher franchise to celebrate their newest instalment releasing in cinemas soon. Do you like scary movies?
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You're right. It knows exactly what it is, and gives us exactly that, with one of the most memorable lines of all time!
I really like Taken and I don't understand why his daughter is running in 99% of her scenes.