Average Rating: 5.8/10
Reviews Counted: 167
Fresh: 97 | Rotten: 70
Taken is undeniably fun with slick action, but is largely a brainless exercise.
Average Rating: 5.1/10
Critic Reviews: 35
Fresh: 14 | Rotten: 21
Taken is undeniably fun with slick action, but is largely a brainless exercise.
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Average Rating: 4/5
User Ratings: 421,644
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An ex-soldier (Liam Neeson) traveling through Europe embarks on a frantic quest to rescue his daughter (Maggie Grace) after the young girl is abducted by slave traders in District B13 director Pierre Morel's contemporary thriller Taken. Robert Mark Kamen joins the screenwriting team, which also includes Morel and longtime collaborator Luc Besson, who also produces. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
PG-13, 1 hr. 31 min.
Jan 30, 2009 Wide
May 12, 2009
$144.9M
20th Century Fox
All Critics (168) | Top Critics (35) | Fresh (101) | Rotten (71) | DVD (11)
It's fun for about 15 minutes seeing Neeson do James Bond as Daddy Dangerous. But the surprise wears off quickly.
You've just kidnapped the wrong teenager, Mister Foreign Slave Trader Man.
Taken is the kind of exploitative junk everyone expects from no-talent French hack Luc Besson.
[Neeson's] performance is the most perturbing thing in the film, even more so than its electrical-torture sequence or its revelations about sex-trafficking.
It's the big, dolorous Neeson who makes the movie a keeper.
Don't be taken in by Taken.
As Kim, Maggie Grace is a bit old to convincingly portray a boppy underage teenager, although she appears to be giving her best to a one-dimensional role that essentially disappears during the movie's slam-bang midsection.
Neeson stars in the sort of part Harrison Ford would have gotten ten or fifteen years ago.
The dialogue is functional at best, Bryan's motives are basic; it's all apt for this bare-knuckle punch of an action movie.
It's so awesome to see Liam Neeson taking out the trash in pursuit of his prized child.
In Taken viewers are introduced to a new side of Irish actor Liam Neeson, one that is relentless and likes to hit criminals in the throat -- a lot.
Though the film takes some time to get going, once Neeson arrives in Paris, the 91-minute runtime flies by like its stuck on fast-forward.
After Taken, maybe the rest of the world will see [Neeson] as formidable of an action star. [He] deserves more movies like this.
Taken is a fast-paced, high-octane action movie that ... doesn't take very many detours into soul-searching melancholy.
I liked it, but don't expect the unexpected in this French action thriller -- especially in an ending that is about as predictable as a Pine Sol commercial.
On both standard DVD and Blu-ray, you get two versions of movie: the original theatrical version and an unrated extended cut of the movie.
It's got all the attributes of a guilty pleasure - excitement, some undeniably enjoyable scenes and the absence of what it needs to be more memorable and more substantial.
This heart-stopping revenge flick written by Luc Besson is easily Liam Neeson's most memorable performance since his Oscar-nominated outing in Schindler's List.
This heart-stopping revenge flick written by Luc Besson is easily Liam Neeson's most memorable performance since his Oscar-nominated outing in Schindler's List.
The action is engaging but rarely exciting; the drama heftier but still far from convincing.
"Taken" has turned out to be the surprise hit of year and I would recommend this hit to all.
In a lesser actor's hands, the powerful impact of the subject matter would not have been so ably delivered.
Liam Neeson is a complete bad ass mfer in this move!! The worst part about this movie is the premise, as a father of two girls it scares the living daylights out of me. This and the movie Trade with Kevin Kline .. i need nothing else to scare the shit out of me.
June 16, 2009Super Reviewer
Amazing movie, with the best quote ever! 'I don't Know Who You Are, I don't Know what you want, But If you Don't let My Daughter Go, I Will Find You And I WILL KILL YOU'I Love that quote so much! An amazing movie, powerful, rich and just fantastic! Liam Neeson is superb choice as the leading man and he did a fantastic
April 24, 2009
Super Reviewer
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