The Film
While Taken begins almost as a Hitchcock-style potboiler (The Man Who Wasn't There), it ends up as just another unbelievable over-the-top action film. Set in Paris, the action sequences and brief car chases are strongly reminiscent of the Bourne films and Ronin, but this time around the City of Lights doesn't quite shine as brightly.
Maggie Grace (LOST) is far too old and seasoned to actually come off as a naïve 17-year old, and with his slight yet obvious Irish accent Liam Neeson (the 17-year-old's father) just doesn't carry the role of a former CIA operative (maybe they should have gone with IRA instead?). But the film's ultimate failure is its pacing. No sooner does Grace, along with a wild 19-year old friend, land in Paris, than she's kidnapped by human traffickers, only to have Neeson race against the clock to find her. The point is made how important it is to find someone within the first 96 hours of an abduction, but this film pushes the story so hard as if it really needed to be told in just about 96 minutes.
Not "taken" by this review? Check out Karen Dahlstrom's theatrical review of Taken.
The Picture
With much of the film set in Paris, it should be a visual treat, but it falls a bit short. No doubt the bleakness of the story is part of the reason for its somber, muted tones, but it also seems like much of the film was shot in a backlot, not on the back streets. Rendition of detail is top notch, however. The 2.40:1 widescreen 1080p presentation looks fantastic, and with much of the action at night this shows off the black level capabilities of Blu-ray quite well.
The Sound
There is plenty of action, and the sound has a solid punch without overdoing it. The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio sound delivers the dialog, the sometimes frenetic action and the ambient sounds with crystal clarity. And despite a few moments where the soundtrack borders on boisterous, overall the balance and presentation of the sonic details are excellent.
The Extras
This "2-disc extended cut" is a little misleading. While the package does contain both the theatrical release as well as the extended international cut of Taken, everything is really on the first disc. The second disc is just the digital copy for portable media players (extended cut only). The extended cut provides a few minutes of additional action, and these are really not make-or-break moments. In addition the disc contains audio commentary, a "making of" featurette, a second featurette on how the effects were done, and even a "Black Ops Field Manual," for what that is worth. Trying to use the tips in this to advance your spy career will only get you in trouble, so it is really for entertainment purposes only of course. What is missing is anything about the real world tragedy of human trafficking. This is something that would seem natural to include, but instead the extras are just more of the same.
Final Thoughts
Given that this was co-written by seasoned action filmmaker Luc Besson (The Professional, Fifth Element) the end result is an utter disappointment - possibly even to Besson, as he doesn't participate in the commentary track with the co-screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen. By reducing the intensity of the gore, and softening the inside look at the sex trade this film earned a PG-13 rating, but it lost the chance to make the same impact of a film such as Hardcore. The result is just another action film with a happy ending (for the main characters, at least... certainly not for the audience).
Where to Buy
Product Details
- Actors: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Leland Orser, Jon Gries, David Warshofsky, Kate Cassidy, Holly Valance and Famke Janssen
- Director: Pierre Morel
- Audio Languages: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
- Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
- Number of Discs: 2
- Rating: PG-13 Theatrical Edition, Extended Edition Not Rated
- Studio: 20th Century Fox
- Release Date: May 12, 2009
- Run Time: 93 minutes
- List Price: $39.99
- Extras:
- Theatrical and extended cut of the film
- Extended cut audio commentary by Director Pierre Morel, Cinematographer Michel Abramowicz and Car Stunt Supervisor Michel Julienne
- Extended Cut Audio Commentary by Co-Screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen
- Le Making-of Featurette
- Avant Premiere Featurette
- Inside Action Side-by-Side Comparison
- Black Ops Manual
- Digital Copy of Taken for Portable Media Players (Extended Cut Only)
