Taken 2 (2012)

20th Century Fox

If you’ve seen the first Taken film, which was released in early 2009, then I don’t need to spend too much time on the plot of this movie. The trailers and commercials sum it up very briefly; a gang of men want revenge and seek out Bryan (Liam Neeson) and his family. I would’ve called it Look Who’s Taken Too, though the filmmakers kept the title simple too; it’s just called Taken 2.

Brian invites his family to Istanbul for a retreat and family togetherness time, yet it’s cut short when the bad guys interrupt their fun before it can even start. Bryan’s daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) was the reason for the first movie as she was kidnapped but this time she’s the only one who’s not abducted. Her dad helps her outsmart the baddies and she even gets to drive the get-away vehicle! During an earlier scene she has a problem with her driver’s license test, but after driving down crowded streets at top speed and surviving several crashes, I think she just passed the driver’s test with flying colors. With Liam Neeson as your dad, all things are possible. 

Taken 2 even leaves room for a possible sequel, though I really hope they don’t go down that road. If they must, I have an idea the filmmaker’s can use for free. Picture the movie trailer voice guy: “The first time they took Liam’s daughter. Last time they took Liam. But this time, they went too far, because they took Liam’s mom!!” Liam’s poor mother could be taking a vacation on one of those senior citizen boat cruises, when suddenly the bad guys abduct her. My title would be Taken On A Boat. So 20^th Century Fox, if you’re reading this, then make this poor Midwestern guy’s dream come true. If a sequel would happen, I hope we see more of Liam’s trio of buddies since those actors are underused.

If there is any fault with Taken 2, it’s the same problem as the first. Maggie Grace is far too old to be playing a teenager who barely has a licence, though I honestly don’t mind since most of these Mickey Mouse Club actors around today wouldn’t be as believable tossing grenades and running across roof-tops. The movie succeeds at what it’s supposed to be- Liam Neeson kicking ass and (not) taking names!