My own self

You know that guy he plays in "Love Actually"? He's that guy, with a gun.

I've seen this getting pretty bland reviews, but knowing your love (and mine) of all things Neeson, I shall respectfully make a note of "Taken".

Well, the plot is dreadfully familiar, but the execution is so good I didn't really ever notice the predictableness anyway. I even enjoyed the car-chases a little, and that NEVER happens. But really, this is the first season of "24", only without the assassination-plot and done much more intensely and with much more emotion throughout, and with Neeson rather than Sutherland which is, no offense to Sutherland intended, an enormous upgrade. And honestly, the first season of "24" is pretty damn good, so that's high praise.

The movie should probably just get a 7, because it's a well-made, engaging and compelling movie without anything really original going for it. But an action-movie that made me cry five or six times in an hour and a half and forget about how starving I was (I'd eaten way too early that day) for the entire duration of the movie clearly made an impact on ME that wouldn't be reflected in that grade. So I let it get the benefit of the doubt. I'll totally buy this on DVD, and I might adjust the grade down to a more objective 8 or 8.5 then. But for now, 9 is truthfully how much I enjoyed it.

I totally support your review of "Taken", Loki. It's a full throttle, relentless & insane movie that manages to retain a little heart in all its madness. After it gets done with the - admittedly - contrived beginning, I couldn't tear my eyes away from it. It was like watching a monster truck bulldoze through an entire car park; it was glorious in Neeson's brilliantly portrayed hunt for his daughter.

Fucking fantastic, and definitely a 9/10.

Yay! I quite agree with your assessment, obviously. The beginning was a bit contrived, to be sure, but it didn't feel TOO unrealistic, and they did the set-up at a refreshingly slow pace.

I disagree - it was VERY unrealistic. Everyone knows that if you go up against Neeson, you're going to get your ass handed to you. "Taken" is just his way of saying a big, "I told you so!" to the world.

"Everyone knows that if you go up against Neeson, you're going to get your ass handed to you."

*coughdarthmaulcough*


But yeah. ^^