Got out the other day to see Taken 2 featuring Liam Neeson.
I had some pretty high expectations for this film, since I enjoyed the first movie, but ultimately the film fell short.
The plot picks up pretty much where Taken leaves off, Neeson's character is still working private security, and the families of the men who kidnapped his daughter in the first movie have sworn vengeance.
Neeson's ex wife is going through a messy second divorce so Neeson invites both she and their daughter to join him in Istanbul after his latest security project concludes for a family vacation to help take their minds off of everything.
The bad guys track down the entire family, and this time they successfully abduct Neeson and his ex-wife while their daughter is able to elude capture.
Neeson, being a specialist in this type of international kidnapping scenario is able to walk his daughter through successfully locating where they are being held, through the use of a concealed cell phone like device.
The rest of the movie is really just a blur of car chases, foot chases, brutal hand to hand combat, and a couple of tough choices for Neeson's character.
Here's the thing, I really disliked what Liam Neeson brought to the role. Yes, he is a big, imposing guy, even with the greying hair I buy that he could be working private security. In fact, I totally would buy him as Jason Bourne, from the original novels, the older, more detached Bourne that Hollywood stayed away from in favour of Matt Damon's fiery younger version. What I don't buy is that he loves his family. The character is just so calm and detached from everything, that alot of the dialogue gets delivered in the same unemotiomal blank drone. Perfect example, during the big car chase, Neeson is riding shotgun, shooting at the baddies while his 16 year old daughter, who doesn't have a license, drives the get away car. She is having trouble operating the car to his standards, and he just sits in the pasenger seat droneing "Faster Kim, come on,go faster" for the whole 3 minuite chase sequence. Between this and all of the other references that the film makes to him being a total OCD nutbag, it is hard to develop any kind of relationship with tje character. Ultimately the film ends up feeling like another American ode to freedom. American's good! Random Muslim terrorist types bad!
For my money, I think I would rather see A Good Day to Die Hard.
I had some pretty high expectations for this film, since I enjoyed the first movie, but ultimately the film fell short.
The plot picks up pretty much where Taken leaves off, Neeson's character is still working private security, and the families of the men who kidnapped his daughter in the first movie have sworn vengeance.
Neeson's ex wife is going through a messy second divorce so Neeson invites both she and their daughter to join him in Istanbul after his latest security project concludes for a family vacation to help take their minds off of everything.
The bad guys track down the entire family, and this time they successfully abduct Neeson and his ex-wife while their daughter is able to elude capture.
Neeson, being a specialist in this type of international kidnapping scenario is able to walk his daughter through successfully locating where they are being held, through the use of a concealed cell phone like device.
The rest of the movie is really just a blur of car chases, foot chases, brutal hand to hand combat, and a couple of tough choices for Neeson's character.
Here's the thing, I really disliked what Liam Neeson brought to the role. Yes, he is a big, imposing guy, even with the greying hair I buy that he could be working private security. In fact, I totally would buy him as Jason Bourne, from the original novels, the older, more detached Bourne that Hollywood stayed away from in favour of Matt Damon's fiery younger version. What I don't buy is that he loves his family. The character is just so calm and detached from everything, that alot of the dialogue gets delivered in the same unemotiomal blank drone. Perfect example, during the big car chase, Neeson is riding shotgun, shooting at the baddies while his 16 year old daughter, who doesn't have a license, drives the get away car. She is having trouble operating the car to his standards, and he just sits in the pasenger seat droneing "Faster Kim, come on,go faster" for the whole 3 minuite chase sequence. Between this and all of the other references that the film makes to him being a total OCD nutbag, it is hard to develop any kind of relationship with tje character. Ultimately the film ends up feeling like another American ode to freedom. American's good! Random Muslim terrorist types bad!
For my money, I think I would rather see A Good Day to Die Hard.
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