Movie Review: Taken 3

Taken 3
Directed by: Olivier Megaton.
Written by: Luc Besson & Robert Mark Kamen.
Starring: Liam Neeson (Bryan Mills), Forest Whitaker (Franck Dotzler), Famke Janssen (Lenore St. John), Maggie Grace (Kim Mills), Dougray Scott (Stuart St. John), Sam Spruell (Oleg Malankov), Don Harvey (Garcia), Dylan Bruno (Smith), Leland Orser (Sam (Gilroy)), David Warshofsky (Bernie (Harris)), Jon Gries ((Mark) Casey), Jonny Weston (Jimy), Andrew Borba (Clarence), Judi Beecher (Claire), Andrew Howard (Maxim).

I have a problem completely giving up on movie series once I’ve started them – even if I didn’t the original very much. Yeah, unlike the last two Taken movies, I skipped Taken 3 in theaters, and then waited a few weeks after it arrived for home viewing before I went back to watch the further adventures of Bryan Mills and his family, but in the end, I couldn’t resist. I don’t know why exactly – unlike most, I didn’t really like the original Taken very much – and like most, I hated Taken 2 even more. So, I wasn’t really looking forward to Taken 3, but I watched it anyway. The best thing I can say about it is that it’s better than Taken 2 – which was god-awful. The worse thing I can say is that it wasn’t that much better. This is still a rather silly action franchise that has somehow become a hit, and continues to draw in audiences – and is responsible for turning star Liam Neeson into an action star as he nears 60. So it’s responsible for all the bad Liam Neeson action movies since Taken came out in 2008 – but it’s also responsible for the good ones, like The Grey and A Walk Among the Tombstones, so there’s that.

Neeson had originally said there would not be a Taken 3, because no one else could be taken, because it would be ridiculous. He was right about that – and apparently producer and co-writer Luc Besson agreed, so no one is actually taken in Taken 3. Instead what happens is that his beloved ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) – after confessing to Bryan about her troubled marriage, and her feelings for him – is found murdered in his apartment, with Bryan, of course, being the only logical suspect. In the time honored tradition of every innocent man accused of a crime he didn’t commit, Bryan doesn’t go in with the police willing, hire and lawyer, and prove his innocence that way. No, instead he beats up a bunch of cops, and takes off into the streets to prove his innocence. His beloved daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace – who is 31 in real life, and still playing a University student in these movies, I think because while the span of time in real life has been 7 years, it’s supposed to be much more compressed in the world of the movies), believes him – as does his ragtag group of mercenary friends. The LAPD is on his trail though – led by Frank Dotzler (Forest Whitaker), who knows Bryan may well be innocent (because of a bagel – don’t ask), but needs to bring him in anyway. Of course, there is a grand conspiracy out to get Bryan – involving some Eastern European bad asses – but not the ones he has already spent two movies killing, but an entirely different set.

The director is once again Olivier Megaton, who still hasn’t quite figured out how to direct a coherent action sequence, despite a lot of practice. There is a lot of hand-to-hand combat, gun fights, car chases, etc. throughout Taken 3, all done with shaky camera work that obscures everything, and never lets the film settle into a groove. Neeson’s Mills is once again an indestructible superman – even more so than in the previous movies – as nothing can apparently kill him – or even slow him down. He’s got too much to do, too many bad guys to kill for that.

What makes Taken 3 even worse is the sense that everyone involved in the movies have stopped caring. I didn’t like the first movie – but at least it was trying. Hell, even the second movie seemed to embrace its own silliness in a strange way, even if it didn’t work. Here, everyone is on autopilot. It’s not has eye-roll inducing as Taken 2 was – which too its silliness too far. Instead, it’s just kind of there, going through the motions. I hope there isn’t a Taken 4 – although, I have a feeling I know who will be in trouble if they do make it. And sadly, I’ll probably still watch it.

Movie Review: Taken 2

Taken 2
Directed by: Olivier Megaton.
Written by: Luc Besson & Robert Mark Kamen.
Starring: Liam Neeson (Bryan Mills), Maggie Grace (Kim), Famke Janssen (Lenore), Rade Serbedzija (Murad Krasniqi), Leland Orser (Sam), Jon Gries (Casey), D.B. Sweeney (Bernie), Luke Grimes (Jamie).

Unlike many, I didn’t think too much of the original Taken. It was an average action movie with a ludicrous plot and subpar acting – aside from Liam Neeson – and spent much of the time wallowing in torture. Director Pierre Morel knew how to stage an action scene though. In short, I found Taken to be a fairly average, forgettable action movie – other than Liam Neeson’s speech about his very specific set of skills, there is nothing that really stands out in the original Taken. But the film, made on the cheap, was a surprise hit, meaning that a sequel was inevitable, if not advisable.

It most likely took four years to get a sequel made because with all the bad guys dead, who would Liam Neeson fight? Would anyone buy the fact that someone else would just randomly kidnap poor little Kim Mills (Maggie Grace) yet again? Eventually, the filmmakers decided on the path of least resistance and went a clichéd with action sequel setup – all those dead people had families. And one of them, Murad Krasniqi (Rabe Serbedzija) is pissed and wants revenge. The sequel picks up just after the last one ended – with Murad standing over his son’s grave, and the graves of the others who Neeson killed, as they get buried – and swearing vengeance.

We then flash back to Los Angeles where Kim is trying to learn how to drive so she can get her license. How much time has passed is not mentioned, nor was I ever sure of just how old Kim was supposed to be. Are we supposed to believe the 29 year old Grace is just 16 or 17? Or that she was just a slow learner when it comes to driving? Is this just weeks after her father saved her, as implied by the funerals that open the movie. If that’s the case, then you would think that considering she was kidnapped to be used as a sex slave, she may need psychological counseling, and not being worrying about driving tests or starting a new relationship with a scruffy boyfriend, who of course Neeson hates. Oh, and Lenore (Famke Janseen), Neeson’s ex-wife is having problems with her new husband, and it looks like a divorce is imminent. That bastard even cancels a trip they had scheduled – so Neeson has a good idea – both Lenore and Kim should accompany him to Istanbul where he has a couple of days of work – and then they can have a vacation. Of course, Murad knows they will be in Istanbul, and has ways of getting them all. His plan is to take all of them, kill Lenore in front of Neeson to make him suffer, sell Kim into the sex slavery that Neeson just saved her from, and then slowly torture him to death. What we don’t see coming is that Kim will be the only one the kidnappers don’t get – and she’ll help her dad escape so he can kick some ass once again.

Taken 2 is even more clichéd and ludicrous than the original movie – one of my favorite moments has Kim whipping grenades around Istanbul, not to hurt or kill anyone, but just so Neeson can figure out where she is (no one seems to care that things keep blowing up). The clichés and outlandish plot could be forgiven if the movie was somewhat entertaining or exciting – and Taken 2 is neither. For one thing, it takes nearly half an hour for anything to actually happen. The first 30 minutes is the most boring beginning of an action movie in recent memory. When the action finally does kick in, new director Olivier Megaton (not his real name) uses the type of rapid fire editing and non-stop camera movement that have become far too prevalent in action movies today. But unlike someone like Paul Greengrass, who is capable of using that style effectively, Megaton (man I feel like an idiot typing that word as someone’s last name) has no clue what’s he doing. I could never tell what the hell was going on in any of the chase, fistfight or gunfight sequences, because the movie never orients itself – never really lets you see what the hell is going on. It’s all sound and fury signifying nothing but sound and fury.

 
I cannot imagine too many people, even fans of the original Taken, really liking Taken 2. I know not everyone cares about logic when it comes to action movies, but I don’t know anyone who thinks action movies should be boring for long chunks of its running time.