892 out of 895 people found the following review helpful:

5* Action Thriller, 5* Acting from Liam Neeson

Katrina from , 26th September, 2008

Honestly, this is the best action/thriller I've seen in years. It got my attention from the word go, and I was glued to the screen throughout. I very much respect Liam Neeson for his acting, and for the way he carefully chooses his roles (only the best will do!). Once again he has come up trumps with this fantastic film which deserves every success. Synopsis. A retired government secret agent (Neeson) is forced to use his skill and combat when his teenage daughter and best friend get kidnapped whilst travelling in Europe.

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138 out of 165 people found the following review helpful:

Fathers for Justice

citizenk from , 26th September, 2008

Liam Neeson stars in this surprisingly unstylish,subtle-as-a-sledgehammer revenge thriller from producer Luc Besson,and 'District 13' director Pierre Morel.Neeson plays a retired US government operative (I know,yawn) who's marriage has gone sour,but who still dotes on his daughter to an almost obsessional degree. When she and a friend decide to travel across Europe despite the dire misgivings of Neeson,you just know there's going to be trouble.And so it turns out.Neeson's daughter and her friend are kidnapped in France by generic swarthy foreigners in Paris,and forced into prostitution.From here on in the film shifts into Jason Bourne territory,that is to say it turns into a slick-ish continental thriller/shoot em up,but has none of the depth or imagination of the Bourne movies.In fact you'll really have to go some to see a more spiteful,mean spirited film this year(a torture scene involving electricity being particularly sadistic).Once again we are witness to numerous random acts of violence and carnage which incurr zero consequences. It's hard to make a case for the existence of this movie,so I won't.Neeson does his best work as the brooding father doting on his daughter,as soon as he goes into he-man mode the film sadly loses any credibility it had.

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97 out of 97 people found the following review helpful:

They messed with the wrong guy

Mickey Mouse from Dorset, England, 8th October, 2008

One of the best action thrillers I've seen in years. Despite not having as much press or hype, this movie is easily as good as the Bourne films, if not better. The quality is top-notch and the action is fast, frantic and constant throughout. It's more aimed at older viewers than the Bourne films though, as the plot is to do with the sex slave trade and can be quite hard-hitting at times. That said, the 15 certificate is spot on in my opinion. As someone who is quite easily offended and despises overly morbid or unpleasant content in movies, I thoroughly enjoyed this. It goes far enough to make it's point - the sex slave trade is horrendous and the monsters behind it are evil in it's purest form. Yet it doesn't go too far, to the point where it would become too distressing to watch. It's very focused on being a fast-paced, edge of your seat action-packed thriller. I wouldn't have chosen Liam Neeson as an action hero at all before seeing this, but I have to say he was the perfect choice. And although I scoffed at the thought initially, I reckon he could've played a good Bond, which he was offered to do. I've seen a lot of action films lately and this is truely something special, though not perfect (how many are?). Don't over-analyse, just enjoy watching the car chases, gun fights, punch-ups and explosions as Mr Neeson does whatever he has to to find his daughter. Despite sounding cliched, I actually found this to be quite resfreshingly different somehow from other action flicks. It's quite dark and visceral, and Liam Neeson's intensity on saving his daughter is incredibly gripping. It's utterly satisfying when he starts slaughtering the baddies, and boy did they mess with the wrong guy. Tons of awesome moments throughout - I'm absolutely gonna buy this when it's out on DVD, I've only just seen it at the cinema, but already I want to see it again. If you love action movies/series like the Bourne trilogy and 24, then go and see it, you'll love it.

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53 out of 57 people found the following review helpful:

Simply awful

Alfsda from , 12th February, 2009

Formulaic, badly scripted waste of celluloid. Liam Neeson pretends to be Steven Seagal, badly. How people can compare this to the Bourne series is incomprehensible. Two hours of my life I'll never get back.

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*** May contain spoilers ***

Quite gripping

madison from , 18th March, 2010

This was a good film that kept me interested throughout. Ending was a bit predictable and a little raw for my tastes.

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Pretty awesome!

Howellsy from , 18th March, 2010

Liam neeson is great in this and as ive never seen him before as an action guy. Gripping film from start to finish.

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Taken 2008

A Customer from Gainsborough, Lincs, 18th March, 2010

Very Good Film seen it now for the second time and not got bored of it.. plenty of action. worth renting

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Poor Bourne Clone

Fortinbras from , 18th March, 2010

Very formulaic thriller that owes far to much to Bourne. Clearly aimed at conservative Americans, the film suggests that anywhere 'overseas' is intrinsically dangerous - 'don't let your children out!'; the baddies operate from France (USA's favourite country!) and come from the old eastern block. Neeson creates an interesting character - clearly flawed, you can understand why his wife left him. He does this with almost no opportunity to develop his part as the action sequences start within seconds of the start. Action sequences are OK but Neeson seems to be indestructible (to pander to the US market again?). Clearly set up to be a franchise, I doubt this has the legs...

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