Taken for granted

WHEN I first heard that a sequel to the 2008 smash hit Taken was in the making, I knew what was going to happen… and I was right!

The movie is as original as the title. Everything that happens in Taken 2 happened four years ago, but this time Olivier Megaton takes the wheel as director over Pierre Morel, and instead of action in Paris, the location is changed and the family’s now in trouble in Istanbul.

Although it may seem somewhat more like a reboot rather than a sequel, this time around there’s a small twist. It’s Neeson’s character, Bryan Mills, and his ex-wife Lenore (Janssen) who experience getting ‘taken’ by evil Albanian gangsters.

Reprising his role as a former CIA operative, Neeson now runs his own private security firm and is once again the action hero of this dizzy, unlikely and unusually enjoyable escapade.

In the first film, Mills fought his way through Paris to rescue his kidnapped daughter Kim (Maggie Grace). Now, in Taken 2, the story builds up and jumps ahead two years.

After Stuart, Lenore’s husband, abandons Kim and Lenore, Neeson meets the two in Istanbul, after he completes a security job for a wealthy Shaikh, in order to wash away the memories of the past and help them relax.

However, as soon as the pair arrives, the chief of the Albanian mafia, Murad Hoxha (Rade Serbedija) uses Neeson’s family vacation as an opportunity for revenge as Mills killed his son in the previous film.

A car chase later and accompanied by a cadre of thugs, he makes life miserable for the Neeson household seeking vengeance by kidnapping Mills and Lenore, while Kim narrowly avoids a similar fate.

However, luckily for him, Mills has concealed a micro-mobile phone and contacts Kim to help him and her mother breakout. He guides her actions, organising their escape as daddy does what he does best – snapping necks, punching noses and delivering damage to all other parts of the enemy’s anatomy.

Unfortunately, despite the plot trying to weave in a different direction, Megaton fails to live up to the success of its predecessor. If you have already seen the original, you will find the story less engaging and most of the action less thrilling. Not to mention the character build-up is non-existent, relying heavily on the audience’s original knowledge of Taken.

Having said this, fans of the first offering and action junkies who just want to see Neeson in action again damaging cars, as well as people, will not be disappointed.

Viewers who, like me, thought that Grace wasn’t the best choice of actress to play a naïve teenager in Taken may find it just as difficult to believe her personal story four years later. She is shown to fail her driving test for the first time and have her first serious boyfriend. I couldn’t help but think how stupid the filmmakers felt working around her story … she’s almost 30!
However, Taken 2 is by no means a bad film. The success of the film is based on Neeson, anyway. He doesn’t over-act and although he’s perhaps getting too old for the combat scenes, he’s the only reason I watched the film and gave it three popcorns.

With Megaton’s choice to adapt a shaky cam effect with quick cut scenes, the action wasn’t as enjoyable as it could have been, and was more nauseating, if anything.

However, the audience is presented with some memorable onscreen magic from perfectly-choreographed fight scenes.

I did enjoy the film but thought this sequel unnecessary. But, if you love action movies, you’ll probably love this film, despite the numerous eye-rolling moments, the messy plot and the underwhelming build-up.

I was very disappointed and the worst part of it all, it leads to a final confrontation and the possibility of a Taken 3.

*Showing in Cineco, Saar Cineplex