Synopsis: Read on IMDB
Should you watch this movie? I’d dare say yes simply because it is an action-packed sequel that will keep your attention from beginning to end and because it’s Liam Neeson and his particularly awesome set of skills. If you saw the first one, do note this one is not as awesome as it’s predecessor. If you did not see the first one, you can watch this one and understand the whole thing perfectly. But you should still watch it because it’s pure “kick-assery”, if there is such a thing.
Bryan Mills is a retired CIA agent who once rescued his kidnapped daughter Kim, leaving a trail of dead Albanian gangsters. But as expected, some of these guys had families, one in particular now craves revenge for the death of his son. These guys track Bryan and his family in Istanbul, kidnapping him and his ex-wife (implied in the beginning the “ex” thing maybe be a temporary thing) Lenore. With the help of Kim, Bryan sets on a quest to save Lenore and end the nightmare once and for all.
When I first found out about a sequel to Taken, I asked myself, why? This is not about a plot line that does not warrant for a second installment because it is totally feasible. This more of a “I wonder how they can top the first one” kind of why. And the answer is, they didn’t. But at least it was fun to watch. There are plenty of thrilling action scenes to go on for an hour and a half to keep you distracted from how this movie did not live up to the hype of the first one. Liam Neeson, reprising the role of Bryan Mills, is without a doubt, incredibly bad ass. This magnificent specimen of a man should from now on be the secret weapon of every possible action movie out there. Period.
Evil doers from a third world country trying to kill the good guys with AK-47s? Liam Neeson. Evil doers dead.
There is a bomb somewhere in the city planted by a terrorist cell? Liam Neeson, bomb defused, terrorists dead.
The ring of power needs to be destroyed so Sauron cannot enslave Middle Earth? Liam Neeson. Ring melts in sheer fear, Sauron defeated.
The list goes on. Liam Neeson is a freaking god of skills. He probably makes Chuck Norris proud. Now that would be a movie worth watching, but it could never be made. The awesomeness of these two people can cause an implosion that will destroy Earth and leave a black whole in its place. Really, it’s a scientific possibility.
Anything else in this movie is just an accessory to Liam Neeson’s fist of power. Maggie Grace reprises her role as Kim and she is as annoying as ever. I have a feeling she must’ve gone to the Kristen Stewart school of action. Like Kristen Stewart she can only emote one thing: a severe case of constipation, more alike an intestinal blockage that is causing excruciating pain. She has moments in the movie where for a second she seems to have her sh*t together and you can almost feel she may be able to act, but alas, it’s all a ruse. She is still very whiny. I wonder what would happen if she were to star in a Farrelly Brothers movie.
Famke Janssen plays Lenore, Bryan’s ex-wife in a very whiny, sad role. She is a great actress as she managed to resemble her daughter, at least in character. Although her role in the story is more central, she makes just slightly more appearances than in the first movie. The newcomer in the movie is Rade Serbedzija, however he is reprising a role very familiar to his repertoire: Eastern European / Russian villian named Yuri, Ivan, or Dmitri. Seriously, this Croatian actor has probably played 4 or 5 non-EE/Russian roles in his long acting career.
You know something I noticed in this movie that tends to happen in other movies of the genre as well? The good guys are always these stealth, tactical geniuses, while the minions of the bad guys are these clumsy show-offs with big guns with complete disregard to how many rounds their weapons can fire. I guess if they were cautious about bullets, these movies would be pretty boring. Needless to say, this movie is really not boring at all!
I think you’ll have fun at the movie, it is good entertainment in a reasonable length (90 minutes is really not that much for this kind of movies). In the first movie the thrill is in the main character’s quest where he moves from one point to the next until he reaches his target. In this movie, and perhaps what a lot of critics have complained about, you have multiple points in the story that converge at the end to complete the mission. In a way some thrills may be lost there. But that hasn’t bothered audiences too much. While the critics have panned the movie, audiences have liked it very much and this movie is still at the top of the box office.
Paola’s mood after watching this movie:
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