Taken movies

Now, I will be posting three Halloween reviews right after this, but first, I must review the action-thrillers everyone raves about, the Taken films. Starring Liam Neeson, and produced and co-written by French film-maker Luc Besson (Leon: The Professional, La Femme Nikita, The Fifth Element, Taxi), the films follow ex-CIA agent Bryan Mills, who has to track down human trafficking operations in Europe when his daughter and her best friend are kidnapped, and "taken" into the sex-trafficking operation. The films were cult hits, and critical successes, well, at the least the first one was, so let's see why these two thrillers are so popular and successful... (Mild Spoilers)

Taken:
According to critic Steven Jay Schnieder, and I'm paraphrasing here: "when this action-thriller was released in 2009 with a 2007 copyright, not many people thought it was gonna be to great." But, the film was a critical and cult success, bringing in few box office profits, but being super-profitable on video. The film follows Bryan Mills, an ex-CIA agent who's divorced from his wife (who's married a rich socialite), estranged from his daughter, and haunted by his past. He has good friends to keep him company, but that's about it. When his daughter and a friend take a trip to Paris, they are kidnapped by Albanian sex traffickers, and Mills goes on a killing spree, tracking down the kidnappers, and trying to track down the two girls in a city of 12 million people, before they are shipped off to unknown masters. Liam Neeson gives a bad-ass performance as Mills. he makes this rise above the typical action farce. He delivers all of his lines coldy and calmly. He shows no mercy, brutally torturing and murdering his enemies, not even giving one a chance to plead for mercy. He also gives his often quoted and infamous warning: "If you let my daughter go, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will hunt you down, I will find you.... and I will kill you." He uses his cunning intelligence, wit, and super skills to brutally take down this evil empire single-handedly. Famke Jansseen (X-Men, The Faculty, Goldeneye) plays Mills' ex-wife, Lenore, who is bitchy, but can also have her moments with Mills. Maggie Grace plays Kim, Mills' daughter. She's pretty selfish and bitchy,too, but ultimately loves her father, but just wants her own space. Katie Cassidy plays Amanda, Kim's best friend who is also taken by the Albanian mafia. The action and stunts are remarkable. From the opening chase on the freeway, to the stealth scene where Mills sneaks around an Albanian mob camp, to the final shootout on the traffickers' yacht, the scenes are quick, brutal, and merciless, reflecting Mills' perosnality and skills. There are also some very effective shock moments, such as the electrical-shock interrogation scene between Mills and a trafficker named Marco. The music is pretty good, too. Overall, Taken is a well-made, brutal thrill ride that will keepyou on the edge of your seat till the end credits. 5/5 stars.

Taken 2:
Now this was sadly disappointing. Why? Well, this time around Mills and his ex-wife grow closer together again, as his ex-wife is divorcing her richy asswhipe husband. They and their daughter, Kim, take a trip to Albania, the exact location of the sex trafficker's HQ. Dumb-ass move. Now, Mills and his ex-wife are taken by the fathers of the men he killed, who want revenge. Kim must save Mills, who eventually escapes. But, that still leaves his ex-wife in capture, awaiting a brutal execution. Will Mills be able to save her in time?... Well, that's kind of a predictable ending now isn't it? After seeing what he's able to do in the first film, is this even a real question posed by the plot? The answer is no. The characters are more bland this time around, so there's no point in talking about them, except hat Mills is mor eunderstanding, and Kim is mor eof a strong woman now. That's my problem, the film takes too much of a liberal approach. Now, I don't hate liberals, I conside rmyself sort of a loose liberal myself. But, the problem is that what made Mills so awesome in the first place is that he showed no mercy. In this film, he does. instead of killing, once in a while he'll knock a guy out. He even has an ultimatum with the villain. Remember in the first film when one bad guy was left, he tried to negotiate with Mills and Mills just shot in the face before he could even say a word. Well, in this film Mills has a nice, lsow conversation with the main villain about the consequences of both their actions, and tht he shouldn't seek revenge for what Mills did. Wasn't Mills seeking vengeance in the first film? What a hypocrite!!! The action is less frequent, but still thrilling. From the chase through the Albanian mall, to the chase scene in the Taxi, to Mills' escape, to his rescue of his wife, the action is satisfactory, but the cheaper story and the more nice tone of this film drag it down. Even the poster is cheap, on most they just cut and paste Nesson from the original poster in front of a big 2. Even though it doesn't get quite the same raction as it's predecessor, Taken 2 is a worthwhile action film with good potential. 3/5 stars.