Good action movies are always tough to come by.
Sadly Pierre Morel’s new film taken falls just shy of mediocre.
The flick starts Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills an ex government operative who has moved California in an effort to give his 17-year-old daughter a relationship with her father. Everything goes south though when Mills’ daughter Kim, played by Maggie Grace, is kidnapped while on vacation in France. The film then becomes a non-stop action thrill ride, which is almost devoid of any plot.
Initially the movie looks like it could a good time with a good story and good acting. Sadly these traits are not meant to last.
The action becomes monotonous to the point of reminding viewers of a Steven Segal movie. Mills performs more impossible stunts then any James Bond. Usually I would say this was pure entertainment but the moves never change. Sixty percent of the time Mills chops someone in the back. There are only so many times one can watch a villain get his windpipe destroyed.
Sometimes bad action can be compensated for with good acting. Not the case in Taken. Neeson’s acting is pretty good, but that’s it. Grace is a fake as she is annoying and all the minor characters are equally unconvincing. All in all the acting performance is ok, but only because a fantastic performer plays the lead role.
Lastly there is the story. The first 20 minutes of the story is actually fairly enthralling. After the kidnapping though the story collapses. The last hour of the movie is literally Mills running around different parts of France beating people up and asking, “where is my daughter?” This routine gets old after the first 20 minutes and audience members are more likely to wonder what they are doing after the movie then to pay attention.
Taken starts with promise and looks like it could be fantastic movie. Unfortunately it does not come to pass and Taken is borderline boring.