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Taken 2

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Taken 2
Theatrical release poster
Directed byOlivier Megaton
Written byLuc Besson
Robert Mark Kamen
Produced byLuc Besson
StarringLiam Neeson
Maggie Grace
Famke Janssen
Rade Šerbedžija
CinematographyRomain Lacourbas
Edited byCamille Delamarre
Vincent Tabaillon
Music byNathaniel Méchaly
Production
companies
EuropaCorp
Grive Productions
Canal+
M6 Films
Ciné+
Distributed byEuropaCorp Distribution
(France)
20th Century Fox
(International)
Release dates
  • 7 September 2012 (2012-09-07) (Deauville Film Festival)
  • 3 October 2012 (2012-10-03) (France)
  • 5 October 2012 (2012-10-05) (United States)
Running time
91 minutes[4][5]
CountryFrance[1][2][3]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$45 million[5][6]
Box office$374,274,520 [5]

Taken 2 is a 2012 English-language French[1][2][3] action thriller film directed by Olivier Megaton which stars a wide international cast including Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen and Rade Šerbedžija.[7] It is the sequel to the 2008 film Taken and was released on 3 October 2012.

Despite receiving mixed reviews by critics, Taken 2 was a box office success, like its predecessor.

Plot

After the deaths of Albanian mobsters, the cousins of the criminals whom Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) killed while searching for his daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace), leave Paris, France and return to their hometown of Tropojë, Albania, for the dead men's funeral. During the ceremony, Murad (Rade Šerbedžija), the employer of the men and father of Marko, whom Bryan killed by electrocution, states that they will find Bryan to avenge the deaths of their loved ones, no matter what the cost.

Kim and her mother Lenore (Famke Janssen), who is currently having relationship problems with her husband, surprise Bryan by joining him on his trip to Istanbul, Turkey where he is having a business vacation after a work assignment for the CIA. While Kim remains at the hotel, Lenore and Bryan are being followed by Murad's men on the streets of Istanbul, but Bryan suspects a tail. The men capture Lenore, forcing Bryan to surrender, but before he does he calls Kim and warns her about the men, allowing her to escape through the hotel balcony, and she escapes through the rooftops of Istanbul, but Bryan is captured.

Bryan wakes with his hands tied to a pole in a dark room. Using a communications device that he has hidden in his sock, Bryan calls Kim, instructing her to go to the U.S Embassy and tell them what happened, but she begs for a chance to help him and Lenore. Under Bryan's guidance, she opens up his weaponry suitcase and throws a live grenade out of the window. Bryan uses the time it takes for the sound of the explosion to reach him in order to deduce his location.

He then has her take a gun and two more grenades and travel towards his location via the rooftops, while he frees himself from his restraints and sends steam up a chimney to mark his location. Kim tosses the gun down the chimney and Bryan uses it to escape. Now on the run, they are chased by Murad's men. They steal a cab and are chased through the streets. Bryan has Kim commandeer the car and while she drives away, he shoots the assailants, escaping.

Bryan later returns to the building but Lenore has already been moved. Leaving Kim at the U.S embassy, he follows the route to Murad's safehouse he memorized from his abduction. After killing two men, he confronts Murad, who insists that his two remaining sons will seek revenge if Bryan kills him. Murad agrees to call off his vendetta in exchange for Bryan letting him live. Bryan drops his gun and walks away, but Murad seizes it and tries to shoot Bryan, only to discover that Bryan has removed the bullets. Knowing that Murad would never abide by a truce, Bryan kills him by pushing his neck into a coat hanger.

Three weeks later, the Mills family eats at a diner back home in Los Angeles to celebrate Kim's passing her driving test. They are joined, much to Bryan's surprise, by Kim's boyfriend Jamie, and Kim jokingly asks her overprotective father not to shoot him or restrain him.

Cast

Production

Filming took place throughout early 2012; scenes depicting Neeson and Grace's characters in Los Angeles were shot in January.[8]

Istanbul scenes were shot in November 2011. [9]

Some scenes were filmed in the new film studios of the Cité du Cinéma founded by Luc Besson in Saint-Denis in France.

Release

Taken 2 was screened on 7 September 2012 at the 38th Deauville American Film Festival.[10] It was theatrically released in more than 25 international markets, including North America, on 5 October 2012.[11]

Box office

For its opening day in the United States and Canada, the film topped the box office and earned $18.4 million,[12] $1.5 million of which came from midnight showings.[11] In its opening weekend, Taken 2 grossed $49.5 million in North America, debuting in the No. 1 spot, setting a new record for the highest-ever October opening in North America of a film rated PG-13,[13][14] and earned about $55 million in other markets.[15] During its second weekend at the North American box office, the film dropped 55.8% from its first weekend and grossed $21.9 million while holding onto the No. 1 spot.[16] The film grossed a total of $3,385,094 in the Philippines by its fifth week.[17]

As of February 2013, Taken 2 has grossed $139,852,971 in North America and $234,421,549 internationally, which brings the film's worldwide total to $374,274,520.[5]

Home media

Taken 2 was released on DVD and Blu-ray, on January 15, 2013. The Blu-ray version was released with both the theatrical and unrated extended edition.[18]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the film received a score of 21% based on reviews from 156 critics and reports an audience rating average of 4.2 out of 10, with the reported consensus: "Taken 2 is largely bereft of the kinetic thrills — and surprises — that made the original a hit."[19] At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 45 based on 35 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[20]

Roger Ebert, of the Chicago Sun-Times, gave the film 3 stars out of 4, writing, "Taken 2 is slick, professional action" and concluding, "The cast is uniformly capable and dead serious, and if you're buying what [co-writer and producer] Luc Besson is selling, he's not short-changing you."[21] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times gave the film a positive review, writing, "At a beefy 6-foot-4, Liam Neeson certainly looks physically imposing, but it was the notion of casting someone who can actually act in an action hero role that was the counter-intuitive concept that made both films—Taken 2 is more a remake than a sequel—so successful."[22] Bernard Besserglik of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review after its screening at Deauville, concluding, "There's a touch of vigilante advocacy in the movie that will displease some, with Neeson as a more gentlemanly version of the Charles Bronson of the Death Wish series, but clearly there's still a market for such fantasies. Moviegoers who liked Taken and want more of the same will get precisely that."[23]

John Anderson of The Wall Street Journal gave the film a mixed review, writing that there is a "blind adherence to formula evident in most of Taken 2. As they might say in the advertising department, it's an adrenaline-fueled thrill ride. But it could have been much more."[24] Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a C grade, writing, "You know what happens in Taken 2, don't you? The same thing that happened four years ago in Taken, but different. (But the same.)" and that Taken 2 "is simultaneously silly, nasty, a lazy festival of stereotypes, and a cleverly made piece of merchandise—i.e., it's the devil we know."[25] Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times gave the film a mixed review, writing that much of Taken 2 "seems like a nonstop car and foot chase, with Albanian after Albanian falling victim to Bryan's remarkable aim and hand-fighting skills. Foreigners bad, Americans good, box office busy."[26]

Keith Phipps of The A.V. Club gave the film a C grade, writing, "What begins as a family outing, with a hint of rekindled romance between the parents, devolves into kidnapping (the word 'taken' gets thrown about liberally), torture, high-speed chases, and other misadventures probably not smiled upon by the Turkish Board Of Tourism. None of it is particularly novel or exciting."[27] Scott Bowles of USA Today gave the film 2.5 stars out of 4, writing, "The first half of Taken 2 is a serviceable action flick, but the second half descends into cliches" and "[a]t times, Taken 2 even steps from the shadows of the original with some terrifying imagery and an improved relationship between father and daughter. Alas, the movie can't help but descend into a pat part two, bereft of much suspense or tension."[28] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film 2 stars out of 5, concluding, "In the first movie, from the tailend of the Bush era, Liam was not shy about using Jack Bauerish torture techniques, wiring up evil-doers to the mains and zapping them with righteous volts. None of that now. That was a 15; this is a 12A, a bit tamer, just as ridiculous, but the premise is looking pretty tired."[29]

Joe Neumaier of the Daily News also gave the film 2 stars out of 5, writing, "Taken 2 has a plot that could have been written by a GPS program, and contains all the technical charm that conjures up. Yet somehow, Liam Neeson growls through this just-acceptable action sequel with his dignity intact, his wallet bigger and his movie family oblivious to all that occurred in 2009's Taken."[30] Neil Smith of Total Film also gave the film 2 stars out of 5, concluding, "'What are you going to do?' wails Maggie. 'What I do best!' growls Liam. Yet while it's fun to watch him take out the Eurotrash, we've seen him do it better."[31] Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post gave the film 1 star out of 4, writing, "You can't blame Neeson, or the Taken producers, for trying to catch lightning in a bottle again. What you can blame them for is Taken 2, a sequel every bit as clumsy, ham-handed, outlandish and laughable as the original was sleek, tough and efficient."[32]

Audiences polled by the market research firm CinemaScore gave the film a B+ grade on average.[15]

Sequel

Liam Neeson has cast doubt on a sequel;[33] however, 20th Century Fox and Taken co-writer/producers Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen are considering developing Taken 3. "We didn't start talking about Taken 3 until we saw the numbers," Kamen tells Hollywood.com. "But then we said, 'Oh, okay. I think we should do a third one.' And Fox wants us to do a third one. We've taken everyone we can take—it's going to go in another direction. Should be interesting."[34]

References

  1. ^ a b French, Philip (6 October 2012). "Taken 2 – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
  2. ^ a b Nesselson, Lisa (7 September 2012). "Taken 2". Screen International. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
  3. ^ a b Genzlinger, Neil (4 October 2012). "Taken 2 (2012)". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
  4. ^ "Taken 2". British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). 14 September 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d "Taken 2 (2012)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
  6. ^ Fritz, Ben (4 October 2012). "'Taken 2' shoots for a repeat of box office magic with Liam Neeson". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
  7. ^ Buchanan, Jason. "Taken 2". Allmovie. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  8. ^ "Liam Neeson looks pretty Taken with Maggie Grace: Co-stars reunite for thriller sequel". Daily Mail. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  9. ^ "Liam Neeson in Istanbul". NTVMSNBC. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  10. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (9 September 2012). "French buyers circle Una Noche, Booster after Deauville screenings". Screen International. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  11. ^ a b McClintock, Pamela (5 October 2012). "Box Office Report: 'Taken 2' Scores $1.5 Million in Midnight Runs". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  12. ^ Taken 2 Daily Box Office
  13. ^ Over $50M 'Taken' in as Liam Neeson sequel thrills audiences, box office
  14. ^ Weekend Report: 'Taken 2' Kills, 'Frankenweenie' Fails
  15. ^ a b McClintock, Pamela (7 October 2012). "Box Office Report: 'Taken 2' Dazzles With $105 Mil Worldwide, Among Top October Debuts". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  16. ^ Weekend Report: 'Taken' Repeats, 'Argo,' 'Sinister' Tops Among Newcomers
  17. ^ Philippines Box Office October 31–November 4, 2012
  18. ^ "Taken 2 Blu-ray Theatrical and Unrated Extended Cuts / Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy". 12 December 2012.
  19. ^ "Taken 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  20. ^ "Taken 2". Metacritic. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  21. ^ Ebert, Roger (3 October 2012). "Taken 2". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  22. ^ Turan, Kenneth (4 October 2012). "Review: Don't mess with Liam Neeson in 'Taken 2'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  23. ^ Besserglik, Bernard (7 September 2012). "Taken 2: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  24. ^ Anderson, John (4 October 2012). "Getting 'Taken' for a Ride". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  25. ^ Schwarzbaum, Lisa (5 October 2012). "Taken 2". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  26. ^ Genzlinger, Neil (4 October 2012). "In Harm's Way in Istanbul". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  27. ^ Phipps, Keith (4 October 2012). "Taken 2". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  28. ^ Bowles, Scott (5 October 2012). "'Taken 2' with Liam Neeson grabs just enough thrills". USA Today. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  29. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (4 October 2012). "Taken 2 – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  30. ^ Neumaier, Joe (5 October 2012). "Movie Review: 'Taken 2'". Daily News. New York. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  31. ^ Smith, Neil (3 October 2012). "Taken 2". Total Film. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  32. ^ Hornaday, Ann (5 October 2012). "Taken 2". The Washington Post. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  33. ^ Liam Neeson Casts Doubt On Taken 3
  34. ^ 'Taken 2' Writer Talks Sequelizing, Says Success Means 'Taken 3' Is On — EXCLUSIVE
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