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Reviews Counted:159
Fresh:91
Rotten:68
Average Rating:5.7/10
Consensus: Taken is undeniably fun with slick action, but is largely a brainless exercise.
Australian Theatrical Release:
Aug 14, 2008 Wide
US Box Office: $144,924,285
Synopsis: Liam Neeson is an unstoppable force in this adrenaline-fueled thriller from director Pierre Morel. Bryan (Neeson) has taken early retirement from the CIA in order to live closer to his teenage... [More]
Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Xander Berkeley
Director: Pierre Morel
The screenplay has a simple but effective premise; the ex-CIA agent on a mission to save his kidnapped daughter. But the variables give the film a lot to work with, from the Paris setting to the deadly gang who steal and trade women like slaves.
Top CriticUnintentional giggles aside, this is classic revenge fare that borders unnervingly on being voyeuristic and downright nasty.
Top CriticTaken is neither original nor meaningful…but that’s not really the point, is it?
Top Criticnon-stop action with Liam Neeson in devastating form as the former security agent who turns Paris upside down as he searches for his abducted daughter. Director Pierre Morel has a great eye for action...
Top CriticA simplistic action-thriller depicts extreme prejudice and shows middling contempt.
Top CriticThere’s nothing original here, but Neeson is a class above your normal action hero and writer/producer Luc Besson can always be relied upon to provide an unrelenting pace.
Tough in places but compelling, this is the best action movie since the Bourne Supremacy.
Taken does have a few glaring weaknesses, but there wasn't a minute that went by when I wasn't entertained or glued to my seat. And when I go see a mindless action film, that's the thing I care about most.
Still, if you're willing to hold your nose to the political subtext of Taken, it's one rousing moment after another.
subtext is the thing here and that is parental angst in a time when the nuclear family is a fragile thing at best, coupled with the perceived creeping impotence of the West
Action-movie aficionados know to look forward to Besson’s spatially energized productions, and the new film Taken maintains his high standards.
Director Pierre Morel does a great job of blending just enough exhilarating action sequences, thrills and brief comic relief along with a brisk pace which make for a thrilling, taut and purely escapist ride...
What Taken lacks in plausibility, originality, political correctness and basic regard for human life it makes up for with a breakneck pace -- going straight from the eyes and ears to the adrenal glands.
Taken is movie junk food -- fun while it lasts, but not much more. Nothing wrong with that kind of snack every now and then. You just won't want a steady diet of it.
Taken is by no means the best the spy/action genre has to offer--it's not as smart as Bourne nor as classy as Bond--but it'll do till something better comes along.
This is not a movie about moral dilemmas-it's about a father who will rip out your eyeballs if you don't give him his daughter back.
It's a simple genre beat down with an outstanding vision for aggression; a convincing cartoon for those who like their revenge served cold and their parental responsibility depicted as nothing short of absolute.
Bringing the same screen presence and gravity that he has to more serious roles like those in Schindler's List and Kinsey, Liam Neeson turns the relatively generic Taken into an above-average action movie.
It's got all the attributes of a guilty pleasure - excitement, some undeniably enjoyable scenes and the absence of what it needs to be more memorable and more substantial.
Neeson is a major reason Taken, a riveting, revenge thriller gets praiseworthy marks.
May 11, 2009:
RT on DVD: Taken Exclusive; Underworld 3, Trek Blu-ray Set!
This week on DVD, Liam Neeson (you know, the veteran Irish actor who your grandmother thinks looks nice) opens a can of whoop ass on unsuspecting kidnappers, much to our delight... More...
March 12, 2009:
Kamen, Besson Ready to Get Taken Again 
After years spent in Hollywood's creative wilderness, "Taken" screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen is right where he wants to be: partnered with Luc Besson, responsible for a string... More...
March 08, 2009:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: Watchmen Scores $55.7 Million Opening
The adult-themed superhero film Watchmen seized control of the North American box office posting the biggest debut of the year with an estimated $55.7M in ticket sales over the... More...
February 08, 2009:
Trailer & Poster review
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