Taken - He's Hell

(2008) ★★★☆☆

Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) seems like a bodyguard, but he’s more than that. We don’t know what exactly his job is, but we’re told that he’s a retired preventer that prevents bad things from happening for the Government. He has, like he says, a set of skills and of course networks to track down things or people wherever they are. So you’d better not ask him for a ransom because he wouldn’t pay it. Instead, he’d find you and even end you. Those kidnappers unfortunately piss off the wrong guy.

‘Taken’ shows how the skilful and unstoppable Bryan Mills goes to Paris to save his precious daughter from ruthless human traffickers. This is a pure action film in a stylish fast tempo. The story doesn’t make much sense, but the actions are gripping enough to keep you seated for an hour and a half. Please note that it’s not directed by Luc Besson himself, and it’s not at all magnificent and moving as the director’s classic ‘Leon’ (1994). Still it’s worth a checkout if you’re a fan of action movies.

Two things I’ve learned: never ever trust a stranger, especially someone you think is nice and hot, when traveling abroad; and human trafficking is so damn inhumane. In the film, one of the human traffickers says that it’s just business and nothing personal. How could they think of such business in the first place? How could they be so evil then? Guess what? I wish there’d be more Bryan Mills since such a guy’s indeed hell for those scumbags!