Epic!! One of the best movies from recent years i highly recommend it.
“I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for a ransom, I can tell you, I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills I've acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you. I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you. I will find you......and I will kill you.” — The strong conviction! Oooh! Just love it!
Also, I just like how focused the girl is - talking about the girl in her character. She listened to her father carefully and gave as much information at the time she was being abducted. As a 17-yr old traveller, and a first timer in the country. Just amazing.
Definitely in my top 5 most unrealistic endings of all time.
As I have mentioned on several other reviews, I am not really into action movies quite the same as most people that watch these films. Because of that, my reviews are usually lower. With this being said, the OG Taken has pizazz to it that I genuinely appreciate. It is not action to be action. There is motive and intention to what is happening, that almost leans more into thriller than action (despite being as actiony as any action film). The only other movies to do this are the John Wick films. Even the subsequent Taken films miss the mark (in my opinion). This one, is certainly worth checking out!
Rating: 4/5 - 85% - Would Recommend
15 years later still a great movie. Important topic, great action too. Too bad heroes like this are mostly only in movies, real people get disappeared a lot, kids included.
Not a big fan of short shaky cuts during action, but I guess that's due to the fact that Liam Neeson is not an action hero. The only thing that annoys me every time I watch it is the behaviour of his daughter first 20 minutes of the movie. She behaves like a spoiled 15 years old brat.
Such a fun, action packed, fast paced thriller that was filled with lots of great moments. This is definitely something worth watching.
"Taken" is a fast-moving and mostly entertaining thriller. It's very much like the "Bourne" series of movies but its main character Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) is pulled back into the mayhem of his old profession through some convenient occurrences involving his teenage daughter. As I think about it a little more the events that occur are actually amazingly convenient in establishing an excuse for Bryan to take action and make him even more determined by using his daughter's abduction to make it personal too. There is nothing wrong with the action sequences. They are quite involving even though I don't quite buy Neeson as this type of action hero. Qui-Gon Jinn yes...Jason Bourne II not so much. Neeson's character Bryan is borderline indestructible here and his powers of deduction require a real leap of faith to truly enjoying this movie. I can't make this leap entirely which knocks "Taken" down a couple of notches for me.
Can't for the life of me figure out what people enjoy about this one. So incredibly generic. Awful writing. I didn't look up who wrote this before watching, but concluded that it had to be a middle aged man that didn't know the first thing about being a teenaged girl. The characters weren't likeable at all, not one of them. The only redeemable thing was the meme-worthy line.
There's a special place in cinema for the lone wolf ass-kicking hero.
John Matrix in Commando and Stallone as Rambo epitomised the genre in the 80s. It then lay significantly dormant for a decade-and-a-half or more.
Who would have thought it was a 50-something Liam Neeson in a low budget B-movie that would reignite the genre?
In a world converted from the man with the biggest muscles to he who knows the most effective martial arts, Bryan Mills rules.
I saw Taken at the cinema on its initial release with buzz from South Korea foreshadowing its success.
I've since rewatched it numerous times on Bluray and TV. It never fails to excite and thrill.
The first 30 minutes is paced too slowly and exposes the barebones scripting. The next 30 minutes are as thrilling and suspenseful as any other action movie since Die Hard. The final 30 are a derailed train of destruction.
Quite wonderful.
8.5/10
Just a tad over the top in believability but all in all was pretty good in the suspense factor. I’ve watched this many times in the years since it’s release.
Complete piece of junk. Would be more credible if the title was "superman" or something.
I’ve never understood the cult love for this one. Really bland, predictable genre film that doesn’t bring anything to the table besides one iconic scene. The directing is a cheap knockoff of Greengrass’ Bourne films (lots of shaky cam/quick cut bullshit; generic score) and its script is about as by the numbers as you could get (typical set-up; predictable arcs; no real substance). Some of the detective stuff’s kinda fun but it relies so much on convenience and contrivances that I’d feel stupid for genuinely praising it. I wonder if its appeal for audiences mostly came down to seeing Liam Neeson do a film like this for the first time, because I just don’t see what’s interesting about its approach to action or storytelling. It’s not incompetent or anything (Liam Neeson keeps this thing watchable, that’s for sure), but this really should’ve been forgotten by now.
4/10
Excellent story, writing, pace, editing. The theme of parental love is wonderfully illustrated. And it's always good to see a protagonist who isn't a pushover.
Reality Check. The French Government is part of the business of kidnapping and selling tourists to the wealthy. The upside: it benefits a few government officials. The downside: it tanks the tourist industry, which is a large part of the Parisian economy, and which supplies the virgins. Without tourists, they'll have to start selling their own citizens, at which point the French—not known for quietly accepting things they don't like—will probably begin to be upset.
A spy saving his daughter from a kidnap
This movie has a lot of great action scenes but those scenes are so great because I care about the characters. It's very satisfying to see Liam Neeson getting revenge on those little piggies.
A father rescuing his daughter from other country like khuda hafiz.
An intense and gripping action movie that delivers on every level. Liam Neeson gives a powerful performance as Bryan Mills, a former CIA operative who goes on a mission to rescue his daughter after she is kidnapped while on a trip to Paris. The action scenes are heart-pumping and expertly choreographed, with Mills using his particular set of skills to take down his enemies with deadly precision. What sets Taken apart is its emotional weight, as Mills' love for his daughter drives the story forward and adds an element of urgency to the action.
"I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career, skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you. I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you."
This right here...this is the most iconic and the best part of this movie..which sets the situation crystal clear... I've had goosebumps in this scene...really enjoyed this.....
8.5/10 - IMO this is still the best movie of its kind! The action is so good and the story so intriguing and well executed.
The side story with Sheerah at the beginning is actually my favorite part of the whole movie. It starts with Bryan and his friends having a nice barbeque. Next, they're doing a very professional job and the best part is when Bryan fights of the attacker. But it's just the combination of everything that makes it that great. Especially the scenes after the attack where Bryan gives her the soda with sugar and comforts her.
Anyway, the actions scenes and fight choreographies are so good. IIRC only Matrix is ahead of this movie regarding fight scenes.
And the story is such a nice idea. Bryan kills pretty much anyone in his way but it feels so good as those people are so despicable that it makes them (almost) inhuman.
And Liam Neeson executes the role so good IMO. The character he plays is also so well designed. How he carefully chooses and wraps Kim's gift. His equipment that isn't state-of-the-art but gets the job done well (including his camera, car, and photo book).
I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom I can tell you I don't have money, but what I do have are a very particular set of sausages. Sausages I have acquired over a very long career. Sausages that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you, but if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you and I will grill you.
the concept and plot, fantastic. But the dialog, the over the top daddy daughter relationship was so beyond cheesy, it made me gag. I would have given this a 10 if it weren't for that
Revisiting this one was a pleasant surprise. Takens maximum-aggression violence is enthralling from the first fist fight to the very last gunshot. On my return, it's very clear that this movie was part of the groundwork that lead to the inception of the John Wick franchise and others of that ilk. Frantic close quarter combat and devastating one hit pistol kills are powerful and used to great effect here, once it gets going it seemingly never stops. Only hampered by some truly cakey line delivery in the intro and outro, Taken is still a brutal action movie that's still as thrilling to watch now as it was in 2008. Great stuff.
Wait lol...if a good guy is killing off defenseless and disarmed thugs who are no threat to him anymore - isn't he committing murder then? :shrug:
Stereotypical super agent movie, but the acting is pretty good.
I think the first half is filled with quite some tensions and maybe some plot twists and quite good, but the endless action scenes in the second half were not too great IMHO.
Rating: 9/10
After 12 years, I still get goosebumps and raising heartbeat when rewatching it the second time! Can't believe it's been such a long time. Look how ridiculous their mobile phones are. lol
Was told by my dad that I would enjoy this film. He was wrong. It was full of action (which is not my favourite genre), as well as scantily clad females, drugs and a whole host of other unenjoyable things. Haha.
A few years ago by accident the first movie I watched with my mother after Sylvester night was an Liam Neeson action movie I did not know (Unknown) and since then this became somewhat of a "tradition". I've been watching Liam Neeson action movies as first movie of the year ever since, and normally it's the movie I watch on January 1st.
This year however we where on vacation and could not watch the movie on 1st, but hey - it is still the first movie of this year, and out of necessity (I ordered The Grey and A Walk Among the Tombstones on Blu-ray but they did not arrive on time) it was Taken, which I've already seen, but my girlfriend hadn't.
We get the story of Bryan Mills, a former CIA operative, who - to get closer to his estranged daughter - allows her to take a trip through Europe with her friend. However, in Paris she get's kidnapped while on phone with him, forcing Mills to reactivate his retired secret agent skillset to hunt down the kidnappers in Europe.
This movie is french cameraman Pierre Morels second movie as director, and he was heavily backed by Luc Besson, with whom he had already worked on The Transporter. It ensembles a great cast with Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Katie Cassidy, and Xander Berkeley who are all but supporting characters to Liam Neeson, with - unfortunately - very low screen time.
I remember watching it the first time and I really liked it then. Liam Neeson is a great actor and his character is wonderfully introduced. He get's a lot of back story, plays a somewhat broken person that has no other desire than to reconnect with his estranged teenage girl that he had neglected in his active days - which is even harder as he is divorced from her mother for the same reasons. He is totally believable throughout the movie and is one of the positive aspects of the movie.
The second positive aspect is the action which is mostly hand made practical effects, hardly any stunt doubles, hardly any greenscreens and CGI, which is really great. The movie is therefore not as action packed, not as fast paced, a lot of steady cams but all the fight scenes are totally believable, and therefore quite thrilling.
The great negative aspect in my opinion - and this was so much more bothering watching it the second time than it was the first time is the story itself, which is totally unbelievable. To start, even the premise is crazy - given what we see, every day at least 20 girls that travel to Paris - apparently mostly from the USA - are kidnapped. And nobody cares? Also, it is inspired by "The Bourne Identity" but does not quite reach that level, and after having seen many current action movies such as The Equalizer, John Wick or Atomic Blonde, this movie seems a bit dated.
Never the less a movie worth watching (but probably not re-watching material).
I've just watched Taken for the first time. What great film. Now all the memes make sense.
A thrilling movie and Neeson at his best !
Not a bad but neither a great movie. I cannot shake the feeling that it was (heavily) influenced by Eli Roth's "Hostel": while there is a lot less horror and more action, the gist is quiet similar. A brutal gang of eastern-Europeans kidnap young girls and offer them as sex / torture slaves to whoever is wealthy enough to buy them. Entertaining but for sure not a "must-see".
Me la recomendaron y fue mucha acción pero uno de los finales menos realistas que he visto
BEST o this kind of thrillers. . . I like how he is cruel with all those kidnappers and dealers. Recommended to watch.
I totally get why Liam Neeson is Key & Peele's Valets' shit now.
LIAM NEESON IS MY SHIT! Solid action flick.
Liam Neeson is a serious badass in this movie! It starts slow but once he gives that speech, the movie amps up the action and doesn't let up until the end!
Rarely has rooting for the good guy, as he dispatches bad guys, been this much fun...
One of the best movies I've seen. Riveting story about a father's limitless love for his daughter. Action, suspense, thriller.
really good action movies
great Neeson!!
Awesome movie! So glad I missed the session of the movie I original went to go see and caught this one.
Greak Action, starting to really like Liam Neeson playing these types of roles.
Loved this movie!
Shout by EmeliaBlockedParentSpoilers2014-11-23T00:52:02Z
Ahhh I had heard so much about this, and I finally saw it. I can see how many people loved this movie. It was AWESOME, thrilling, emotional. Not to mention, badass. Though not very realistic haha, how he didn't get one bullet untill the end, and how he was so good at everything even though he probably hadn't slept.. Nevertheless LOVED IT.