Taken (film)

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Taken

French theatrical poster
Directed by Pierre Morel
Produced by Luc Besson
Written by Luc Besson
Robert Mark Kamen
Starring Liam Neeson
Famke Janssen
Maggie Grace
Xander Berkeley
Holly Valance
Katie Cassidy
Music by Nathaniel Mechaly
Cinematography Michel Abramowicz
Editing by Frédéric Thoraval
Studio EuropaCorp
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date(s) France:
27 February 2008
Australia:
14 August 2008
United Kingdom:
26 September 2008
United States:
30 January 2009
Running time 93 minutes (International version)
91 minutes (US theatrical cut)
Country France
Language French
English
Albanian
Arabic
Budget €19,000,000 (US$25,000,000)
Gross revenue $226,830,568[1](worldwide)
Followed by Taken 2 (working title)

Taken is a 2008 action thriller film starring Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, and Maggie Grace. It is based on a script by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen and was directed by Pierre Morel. Neeson plays a former Central Intelligence Agency paramilitary operative who sets about tracking down his teenage daughter after she is kidnapped by slave traders while traveling in Europe.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Decorated and highly-skilled CIA operative Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) has recently retired to spend more time with his teen-aged daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace), an aspiring singer. He buys an expensive karaoke machine for her 17th birthday, but his gift is upstaged by Kim's wealthy step-father, Stuart (Xander Berkeley), who gives her a horse at the party.

Later, Bryan's friend and former CIA colleague, Sam (Leland Orser), convinces Bryan to accept a one-night job with him: bodyguards for the famous singer, Sheerah (Holly Valance). After fending off an armed attacker, Bryan earns Sheerah's gratitude and a promise to help with Kim's musical aspirations. Kim invites Bryan to lunch the next day, but before he can share his good news, he discovers his ex-wife, Lenore (Famke Janssen), is also there; the lunch is actually a set-up to persuade Bryan to sign a parental consent form allowing Kim to travel to Paris with her 19-year-old friend, Amanda (Katie Cassidy), who is visiting relatives there. Bryan reluctantly agrees, insisting Kim call him immediately upon landing and every night thereafter. Bryan learns later that the girls actually plan to follow a U2 concert tour throughout Europe. He is outraged that Lenore granted permission and disregards the dangers, but she pressures him into letting Kim go.

In Paris, Kim and Amanda meet a stranger named Peter (Nicolas Giraud) who suggests sharing a taxi. As Kim and Amanda head into the apartment, Peter calls someone on his cell phone, giving information about the girls and the address. Kim, meanwhile, learns that Amanda lied—her cousins are actually in Spain for the summer, and the girls are staying at the apartment alone—a fact Amanda revealed to Peter.

While talking to Bryan on her cell phone, Kim witnesses Amanda being abducted in another room. Bryan warns that she will be taken as well, and instructs her to shout out as much information as she can about the kidnappers as he tapes the call. Sam analyzes the recording, saying that the kidnappers are the Albanian Mafia operating in Paris, and they largely deal in sex slaves. There is only about 96 hours before Kim permanently disappears.

At the Paris airport, Bryan locates Peter as he lures another victim into a taxi, but he is killed attempting to escape. Bryan contacts an old friend, Jean-Claude (Olivier Rabourdin), who works for French Intelligence. Though doubtful Kim can be found, he provides information on where Albanian pimps and their prostitutes operate; from there, Bryan learns about a nearby Albanian-run brothel. Neither Kim nor Amanda are there, but Brian rescues another girl who remembers a house and a street name where Kim might still be. Bryan bluffs his way into the house, and, identifying a gang member's voice from the phone recording, kills nearly everyone. Kim is already gone, but Amanda is found dead from an apparent overdose.

Before executing the surviving gang member, Bryan tortures him into revealing that Kim was sold to a man named Patrice Saint-Clair (Gérard Watkins). Bryan appears at Jean-Claude's apartment to confront him about his apparent dealings with the Albanians. When Bryan threatens to kill him and his wife, Jean Claude provides Saint-Clair's address.

At Saint-Clair's, Kim is being auctioned in a darkened room. Before Bryan can rescue her, he is overpowered and Saint-Clair orders him to be killed. Brian escapes and forces Saint-Clair to reveal where Kim was taken, then shoots him.

Bryan boards the yacht belonging to the Arab sheikh who bought Kim, killing him and the guards. Bryan and Kim return to the United States, and, shortly after, Bryan surprises Kim with a visit to Sheerah's house to help Kim launch a singing career.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Production

The film was produced by Luc Besson's Europacorp.[2] It was filmed mostly in Paris with about the first 30 minutes taking place in Los Angeles. Recognizable points in the movie are Staples Center, and Los Angeles International Airport in L.A and the Eiffel Tower and Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.

[edit] Distribution

Taken premiered in France on February 27, 2008, with releases in the United Kingdom and United States following on September 26, 2008 and January 30, 2009, respectively.

[edit] Versions

Pierre Morel stated that 20th Century Fox (this film's United States distributor) forced him to re-edit this film for its United States theatrical release (so it could receive a PG-13 rating).[3] Later, 20th Century Fox released this film's original version as 'Extended Cut' on DVD and Blu-ray. The 'Extended Cut' has more violence which was cut from the US theatrical release.[4]

[edit] Reception

On its opening day in the United States, the film grossed $9.4 million, scoring the best opening day ever for Super Bowl weekend.[5] The film has grossed $145,000,989 in the United States and Canada, and $81,829,579 overseas, for a worldwide total of $220,429,550.[1]

Although very profitable and successful with audiences as a whole, the movie has received mixed reviews from professional critics. Dan Kois of the Washington Post described the film as "a satisfying thriller as grimly professional as its efficient hero" and likens the action to the Bourne series. Derek Elley of Variety described the film as a "kick ass, pedal-to-the-metal actioner." He added, "Besson alum Pierre Morel ... wisely doesn't give the viewer any time to ponder the string of unlikely coincidences in the script by Besson and regular scribe Robert Mark Kamen. From the actual kidnapping—breathlessly staged with Kim actually on the phone with dad—to Bryan arriving in Paris and immediately causing a pileup outside the airport, pic has the forward, devil-may-care momentum of a Bond movie on steroids." He went on to say, the "widescreen package is technically slick at all levels, and ditto the action choreography, in a cartoonish way."[6] Kenneth Turan, of the The Los Angeles Times, described the premise of Taken as "a brisk and violent action programmer that can't help being unintentionally silly at times... Obviously, Taken is not the kind of action film to spend much time worrying about its pedestrian script or largely indifferent acting, so it's fortunate to have Neeson in the starring role." He characterized Bryan Mills as "a relentless attack machine who is impervious to fists, bullets and fast-moving cars, he uses a variety of martial skills to knock out more opponents than Mike Tyson and casually kill those he doesn't KO."[7]

The film opened to mixed to favorable reviews with a 57% rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[8]

The film has been compared to the television series 24: with Neeson's character compared to Jack Bauer and Grace's role of Kim Mills to Kim Bauer. Xander Berkeley, who played George Mason on 24, also has a small role in the film.[9][10] Additionally, the action takes place knowing that Mills has a time limit of 96 hours, after which it is unlikely his search will be successful.

[edit] DVD sales

Taken was released on May 12, 2009 on DVD. As of November 1, 2009 the DVD has sold 3,926,197 copies generating $62,769,163 in sales. As of November 1, 2009 the film has received a total of $288,230,490 in Box office and DVD sales..[11]

[edit] Sequel

Robert Mark Kamen revealed that a sequel for the film is already in the works.[12]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "Taken (2009)". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=taken.htm. Retrieved 2009-04-06. 
  2. ^ Jaafar, Ali; Keslassy, Elsa (21 November 2008). "New French wave prefers genre films - Morel, Leterrier, Aja lead new crop of directors". Variety. http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117996318&categoryid=2523. Retrieved 1 February 2009. 
  3. ^ Exclusive: Pierre Morel Talks Taken from ComingSoon.net
  4. ^ Taken (2009) (2-Disc Extended Cut) Review from IGN
  5. ^ McClintock, Pamela (31 January 2009). "Box office crown 'Taken' by Fox". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117999391.html?categoryid=13&cs=1. Retrieved 1 February 2009. 
  6. ^ Elley, Derek (13 March 2009). "Taken". Variety. http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117936489.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&query=taken. Retrieved 31 January 2009. 
  7. ^ Turan, Kenneth (January 30, 2009). "Review: Taken". The Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/reviews/la-et-taken30-2009jan30,0,5240736.story. Retrieved 31 January 2009. 
  8. ^ "Taken Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/taken/. Retrieved July 14, 2009. 
  9. ^ Lin, Bryan. "Action flick Taken leaves moviegoers behind". http://media.www.mcgilltribune.com/media/storage/paper234/news/2009/03/04/AE/Action.Flick.Taken.Leaves.Moviegoers.Behind-3658170.shtml. 
  10. ^ "0226 Movies Now Playing". http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/301257/147/. 
  11. ^ [http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2009/TAKEN.php.
  12. ^ Goldstein, Patrick (2009-03-09). "Sweet revenge: Hollywood screenwriter writes his own happy ending". The Big Picture: Patrick Goldstein on the collision of entertainment, media and pop culture. Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_big_picture/2009/03/sweet-revenge-h.html. Retrieved 2009-06-21. 

[edit] External links

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