
When you watch Taken, you're seeing one of the greatest negative advertisements for Paris you'll ever witness; And obviously I'm OK with that. But you must stare at disbelief throughout knowing (if you bothered to read the opening credits) that this was written by Frenchmen
Luc Besson and directed by
Pierre Morel, the team that created
District B13 - which come to think of it wasn't a glowing interpretation of near future Paris as I recall?

The plot is exceedingly simple but it works - Ex-CIA Secret Agent
Bryan (
Liam Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace Neeson)'s daughter
Kim (
Maggie Lost Grace) is kidnapped while on a trip to Paris and is sold in the slave trade.
Bryan goes to Paris in search of
Kim and kills almost everyone he meets, usually loud and always brutally. This is because everyone in Paris is evil, is somehow involved and must pay. Not since the
Charles Bronson Death Wish movies have I seen a one-man-army simply walk in, kill people and walk out. Even
Jack Bauer has paused in silent contemplation before killing someone in revenge, but not
Bryan. It's a one man war on Paris. And I loved every moment of it.
The only bad thing I could really say about this film (and it stole a star from it's rating) was
Maggie Grace's acting. The character
Kim is 17 for
Lucas' sake,
Grace was 24 when filming. Even the most spoilt rotten 17YO Daddy's Girls don't act like they're 12. So why did she play
Kim as a 12 year old, constantly messing and grinning like an idiot and running everywhere in a giggling frenzy? Very distracting from the rest of the movie but thankfully for only the first 20 minutes or so. There is a certain satisfaction
believing that after the movie ends the character is
severely emotionally
traumatised after her ordeal and will need years of
counselling thus giving her parents a much needed break.

Final Verdict: I was surprised how much I enjoyed a simple little film created by
Frenchies, but then
Neeson is always good on screen. Thank
Lucas they didn't give him stupid one-liners. He's more
Bourne than
Bond here. Now stay away from Paris.
Colonel
Creedon Rating:
****
4 comments:
Paris?, I remember Paris, I was trapped in a church during the St.Dennis riots.
I know! He he! That's why we had those youths electrocu.... Ahem! Shame about the weather forecast this weekend eh?
I see the French are still sour and whinging about their military history
Lt.Col, I was particularly impressed by the escort you arranged for us out of the danger zone.
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