Movie #004- Taken

Released: January 30th, 2009
Length: 1hr 31min
Genre: Action/Adventure
Director: Pierre Morel
Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace

"Taken" is a parent's worst nightmare. A story about an ex-CIA operative chasing down his kidnapped daughter through the world of sex trafficking in Europe. Kim (Maggie Grace) takes a vacation to Paris with a friend only to be immediately abducted by the Albanian Mafia. The story then follows Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) and his efforts to rescue her. It's a good story, equipped with high energy, heavy-hitting action, but also a strong emotion performance by Neeson, who conveys the horrors of the situation both as a parent, and CIA agent, quite well. Is he over the top? A little. But I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, his daughter is being sold as a sex slave for gods sake. Maggie Grace's character is, for lack of a better word, annoying. She's a bit too stereotypical teenager, and the limited amount of time she spends in front of the character is filled with cheesy dialogue. However, Grace does play the role of annoying, high-maintenance quite well, such as her character "Shannon" on ABC's "LOST". The bad guys, characterized as scum of the Earth gang bangers are just as crude and villainous as you want them to be. Neeson's encounters with them are skin tingling. The adrenaline rush of the chase and the peppered-in action scenes complete a solid movie. And that's what "Taken" is...solid. It has a bit of everything from sex to daddy issues, all the way from guns to remarkable plain Parisian apartments. The climax of the movie, for fear of spoiling is simply thrilling. It doesn't disappoint on any scale, and the emotion and intensity bleeds from the screen. If your looking for an action movie that will hold your attention, "Taken" comes recommended. Or if you like "happy endings". Your call.

Score: (86/100) B
Characters- B-
Story- B+
Visual Presentation- B+