Taken

Steven Seagal, Jason Bourne, Jack Bauer. At least two of those names show up in pretty much every review of this film and it’s not a misguided comparison at all. Liam Neeson is your typical Bauer-like father that travels to save his daughter in a Bourne fashion, beating up his enemies à la Seagal. The script isn’t bursting with originality, the only thing that can surprise the viewer is what kind of coincidence will be used next for the hero to go a step further – but nobody watches action films because of the plot. The relentless and incorrect liquidation of Albanians and other subversive beings was a lot of fun, therefore, 4*. (10/24/2008)

I can't believe I overlooked such a treasure for 3 years! It's been a few hours since I watched the film, but my excitement hasn't waned. Liam as the unstoppable father absolutely blew away all the heroes I've known up to this point. I finally felt like action was worth something again, and for good reason. The kidnapping itself was an incredible experience. I'm amazed! 5 stars. (02/04/2012)

Ultra-badass Liam Neeson in an action deluge from Luc Besson’s production team. Basically it’s all designed to let the ever wonderful Neeson teach the evil kidnappers a damn good lesson. The six-inch nails stuck into the knee of one of the kidnappers speaks volumes (in fact I remember picking up a nail like that at a building supplies fair and thinking about how much it would hurt if I jabbed somebody in the leg with it...). Pierre Morel’s second name is action and after District 13, this is another success in his rocketing career. (10/15/2008)

A bitter tale about a paranoid dad who kills a couple of ugly Arabs and Albanians on a trip to Paris, so that his princess’s luck doesn't run out and she doesn't end up on the gerontophile stick of a wicked rich man. From a rather illogical and sometimes sentimental spectacle, Morel and Neeson create an incredible adrenaline rush full of brilliant action and rough one-liners. I haven't seen such perfectly edited and frantic action for a long time, and they use almost exclusively very economical choreographies. One then forgets that the story doesn't really make sense at all and is only there as decoration. (10/06/2009)

Without Neeson, this would be an incredibly run-of-the-mill film, one that has been seen plenty of times before. But with his presence on screen, the film seems to get a second wind and immediately provides entertainment. The French production is pleasing, with its distinctive style of crime thrillers evident at every turn. Here, Neeson kick-started his career as the older guy you don’t want to disturb from his routine, or he’ll deal with you like a small, insignificant fool. Watching him search for his kidnapped daughter in Paris is thoroughly enjoyable, and you easily root for him to kick those bad guys' asses. It’s just a pity that there wasn’t a main, charismatic villain; this aspect was noticeably missing. The action is fairly decent, though I wouldn’t go so far as to claim it’s one of the best action movies. The epileptic editing style akin to Bourne could have been avoided during the fights and shootouts. The film definitely entertained me, and I enjoyed it, but in terms of the genre, it’s not really a revolutionary viewing experience. Definitely not. I rate it 7.5/10. (01/11/2021)