Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills is back and this time the action moves from the beautiful streets of Paris to the ancient and historic Istanbul. The chase continues but this time its Kim's mother and Bryan's ex-wife Leonore who is abducted by a bunch of revenge hungry Albanians.
The new movie features the same cast in a new setting. It's been (what I assume is) months since the first movie and life has returned to normal for Mills and his family. There's a sort-of-but-not-quite romance brewing between Neeson's Bryan and Janssen's Lenore. Meanwhile Kim (played by Maggie Grace) is also returning to normal and even has a new boyfriend.
The back story here that everyone should (and is explained in the international trailer) is that the families of the Albanian guys that Bryan killed in the first movie are out for blood after what has happened to Mills.
Actually that's all you need to know.
The whole Bryan Mills as a bad ass is still present in the movie and you'll not leave the cinemas lacking on that aspect. Neeson's character is still the cold, calculating CIA guy who knows how to track down people and eliminate guys if necessary. He's still surly dad who is only looking out for his baby girl and the estranged ex-husband trying to be the confidante.
I liked the film in general but there were several things I'd like to point out that kinda made me go "hrmmmm". First off is the inclusion of humor in the film. I'm not used to the idea of seeing a movie as serious as Taken have touches of comedy. I really guess its just me who found it weird to see this infusion.
Given that characters should grow their role, the film's story also features a more action oriented Kim. Rather than being the damsel in distress like in the first film, we're seeing a more feisty version of Kim. She does some good stunts in this flick as well. We see her jump around and drive like a maniac in the busy streets of Istanbul. Oh and she also hurls grenades it were candy.
In hindsight, the writers turned Kim the teenage damsel in distress to Kim Bauer. In a stunning turn of event, I'm really reminded of 24's Kim Bauer.
Famke Janssen was pretty cute in this flick. Gone were the days when I only saw her as Jean Grey or Xenia Onatopp. Again, its a small writing that really made her just be the kidnapped wife. There were no real defining moments for her character.
Liam Neeson on the other hand is a beast in his own right. He still has this seriousness that makes him really scary. He plays a pretty convincing bodyguard/ ex-CIA agent. I really missed the quotable quotes which he did when Kim was kidnapped in the first movie...
In the first film we get to see a lot of stunts and car chases but in this new movie, it's limited to what, around two to three really big scenes. If you count the actual scene where both Lenny and Brian gets abducted as an action scene then that rounds it to two.
Don't get me wrong Taken 2 is still a kick ass movie. It's got suspense and a lot of good action sequences but the problem is that there's no real villain in the film. The film's intended 'villain' had this whole 'evil genius' vibe towards the start but it all falls down towards the end relegating himself to becoming a guy with hired guns. I mean seriously would go to war with a man who killed six or seven people single handedly and not bring a lot more goons?
Taken 2 is not bad actually. You'll laugh and you'll cheer and you'll even hold your breath suspensefully as things unfold. The main cast is pretty and Liam Neeson is a total badass. Nowhere in the movie was there an indication of having a third movie. I'll tell you this though, it's a happy ending for the good guys which involves sundaes, milkshakes and a pretty solid reaction coming from Neeson.
VERDICT: 8/10
Special thanks to 20th Century Fox! Taken 2 Opens October 4
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