Human trafficking is a severe problem in the modern world; millions of people become victims of it each year.
But what happens when the daughter of an ex-CIA operative gets abducted for trafficking? To what extent the father goes to save his daughter? ‘Taken’ portrays the action-packed thriller of this rescue mission.
The Hollywood action thriller used to be the fan favourite of the teens a decade ago, and it still continues to amaze the new generation of cine-lovers.
The film’s plot centres around Bryan Mills (played by Liam Neeson), a former operative at the CIA, trying to catch up with his estranged daughter Kim.
Kim asks for his permission to travel to Paris with her best friend, but Bryan doesn’t permit being concerned about her safety. He finally gives in after brief persuasion by his ex-wife, despite his reluctance.
Kim’s tour goes awry when she and her friend gets kidnapped by Albanian sex traffickers while Bryan listens to the whole scenario from the phone.
His rescue mission begins there with his memorable monologue, “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.”
After reaching Paris, Bryan starts his struggles of rescuing his daughter, which is full of chasing Albanian crime ring leaders, dealing with a double-timing corrupt French police officer, venturing deep into underground human auctions, and fighting in a yacht full of henchmen hired by an Arab Sheikh.
He doesn’t even hesitate to neutralise anyone who dares stop him from his mission, staying true to his promise of menace.
Liam Neeson plays an incredible role in portraying Bryan Mills. He showed that Bryan could be both a loving family person and a ruthless fighter when saving his family. His cold-blooded fighting and investigation skills make him a genuine threat to his enemies.
Taken is an action-thriller film which will be enjoyable if it isn’t nitpicked for its plotholes and discrepancies.
There are many action-packed scenes of car chases, indoor fights and intense interrogations. But when it comes down to dissecting the plot, the story becomes relatively weak and inconsistent.
How did Bryan get away with causing a one-person show rampaging through Paris to get hold of an intimidating crime network? What did Kim feel after the death of her best friend at the hands of criminals?
The film does not answer them. But the audience is all in for actions proved by its box office success.
Released in 2009, Taken grossed USD 226.8 million in revenue. The massive success of this film prompted it to become a franchise, producing two sequels which both became commercially successful but received negative responses from critics.
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