Taken 2 (2012) Review

"I don't know who you are, I don't know what you want. If you are looking for a critique, I can tell you, I don't have one. But what I do have are a very particular set of verbal skills; skills I have acquired over a long period of deliberation. Skills that make me a nightmare for  readers like you. If you read my review now, that'll be the end of it. I will not confuse you, I will not bore you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you."  

With all parodying of Liam Neeson's famous quotes aside, Taken 2 is a thoroughly entertaining, action-packed ride that delivers most of the expectations one would expect from a sequel to the first Taken. However, discussing Taken 2 with your peers or colleagues will not require you to tread lightly if they haven't seen it yet. Some find it relaxing, perhaps even comforting, to rest their vigilant eye and accept the lack of challenge during a film. But while I thoroughly enjoyed the rollercoaster and its unstoppable velocity, I found myself on a straightforward, uncurled track that I couldn't help but see the entire span of. But with all that considered, who can resist Liam Neeson delivering some well-deserved ass-kicking?

Taken 2 nestles neatly and long-awaited into Liam Neeson's filmography like an l shaped Tetris piece, four years after its forerunner. An array of action films have recently starred, co-starred or simply involved the proclaimed badass, such as Unknown, The A-Team, The Grey and his (what I thought was an) unexpected appearance in The Dark Knight Rises.  The spirited 60-year old, who performs most of his own stunts, has once again blazed his own path and gone great lengths to not only rescue his ex-wife, but to protect himself and his daughter in the role of Bryan Mills, retired US spy. A conversation between more than two separate people and I often leads to a muddled and frustrating experience, and yet Bryan can organize his own escape through his daughter while strapped to a metal post facing his ex-wife who hangs upside down (of course, my coordination would probably be enhanced to an equal level if I were a retired US spy). Needless to say, he has returned in Taken 2 with the cool, composed yet charismatic character we loved in the first Taken film, as he fights the villains who seek to avenge their dead family members, killed by Neeson in the first Taken.

After Lenore's holiday plans are cancelled by her husband, she, Bryan and daughter Kim take a vacation to Istanbul that doubles as one of Bryan's finished work trips, but the protagonists are lured into a false sense of security and relaxation. Famke Janssen, recognisable as foxy Phoenix/Jean Grey from the X-men series returns to a role equally stubborn yet somewhat emotional as Bryan's ex wife Lenore. Scenes jump wildly back and forth between the picturesque Istanbul surrounding the Mills trio and debris-strewn alleyways and degenerated quarters in which the villains lurk; this expresses unquestionable clique connotations, which unsubtly screams 'Liam Neeson's family is good, those guys are bad'. But our intelligence is not incessantly insulted; there is an attempt to add a third-dimension to these otherwise depthless antagonists; the basis of their revenge revolves around the loss of sons and fathers that Bryan mowed down rescuing Kim (in the first Taken), depicted through a slightly superfluous funeral scene, mixed with artsy flashbacks in the first five to ten minutes of Taken 2. 

The speed at which the film picks up and engages you is irrefutably swift, which is a major plus, but it will continuously occur to you that sympathy for the villains is unattainable, because their late family members were employed in a service that decadently traded innocent teenage girls as sex slaves. So while the attempt to enhance the plot is present, it falls flat on its face, a fate that Neeson's enemies meet throughout the film, which perhaps is a sufficient substitute if you are a lover of easy-to-follow action thrillers. Having said that, there is depth to daughter Kim, played by Maggie Grace, who after her traumatic kidnapping is eager to assist the Mills family's escape from the assailants. Although Neeson is unparalleled in this film, Grace makes a marvellous effort at playing the frightened yet quick-witted Kim who has enough guts to assist her dad at the expense of placing herself in great danger.

Whether you're a sufferer of epileptic fits or just generally hate rave parties, you can spend a little extra time buying popcorn or going to the bathroom while the opening credits roll. But if you love that adrenaline that pumps through you whilst strapping into a rollercoaster, scaling a 20 meter climbing wall or even from missing that step at the bottom of the staircase, don't miss a second of it, as you will be immensely pumped for the ride. And it'll grip you from start to finish, through each fist fight and car chase; it won't even offer a moment of rest for Bryan's moments of intense thought and life-dependent recollection that only Liam Neeson could portray so effectively.

There may be moments of disorientation during a few of the fist fights, primarily due to the very finicky, jumpy shots, which are either done so intentionally for said effect, or because of time/regulation restrictions and thus ended up like so unavoidably (directors aimed for a 12A rating, and the original run could only be given 15 age rating by the BBFC without cuts to "violence and threat"[1], thusly, many scenes were chopped). It is an admirable fact that Liam Neeson during the filming of said fight scenes refrained from tagging in his stunt double, which combined with his amiable personality only enhances the "super-dad" character he inhabits in the Taken films. 

However, this particular volume of super-dad is somewhat deteriorated and watered down by comparison to the first Taken, immediately evident by comparing the age ratings. Taken: a well-needed 18, while Taken 2 holds a precarious 12A (anticipating an Uncut DVD/BluRay release). Investment in another shocking, gritty plot-line  would have perhaps been a more prudent option for Taken 2 that I can't help but feel we were all anticipating. Instead of remaining dedicated to the Taken fan base and aware of their preferences, it feels like a sell-out to attract a younger, wider audience to wet their beaks; although it is still a exceptionally worthy sequel to Taken, there is an awareness that it could have accomplished so much more.

With a review that I trust hasn't dissected the film too meticulously, I hope that your curiosity has been piqued and your inner love for action-thriller stirred; hopefully driven by an overwhelming eagerness after reading this, you will be taken 2 the cinema to watch it. Although it has its flaws and setbacks from the first Taken, it is a thrilling ride that is worth the £4.50 admission fee (unless you're an adult, you gotta pay full price, sucka).

Liz Burton (writer), Gareth Hughes (passive editor) 

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[1] http://www.musicrooms.net/v2/movies/mnews/2-re-edited-uk-rating-2/1518/ by Anthony Lund