Taken

♣♣♣♣♣/♣♣♣♣♣

Action flick. Watch with your eyes and leave your brain with the ticket girl for safekeeping. What makes this movie work is the fact that it knows what it is. An action flick. It does not aspire or claim to be anything else. There is no dull moment in this movie except maybe for the first part where the characters and their relationships with each other were introduced but once the daughter is taken, the fun and the action begins.

YOU SHOULD NOT watch this movie thinking about loopholes because there are many. The suspension of disbelief should be set to HIGH, just like when watching 24. It should be assumed that Liam Neeson's character would be almost similar to Jack Bauer. His skills should not be questioned, his life long dedication as a US warrior would be enough to justify that. His access to sophisticated technology should not be put to doubt because he has very clever and tech savvy friends. This is not real life. This is an action flick.

YOU DO NOT ASK QUESTIONS such as How would bi-lateral relations between France and the US be affected by Liam Neeson's killing of more than 20 people, immigrants included, on French soil? This is not a freaking thesis on international relations. This is an action flick.

YOU SHOULD ASK QUESTIONS like Would Liam Neeson be able to get a bullet between the eyes of that arrogant kidnapper who only had 'Good Luck' as a response to his very long speech over the phone? Let your emotions rule over logic. Let the adrenaline rush. This is not a snooze fest UN assembly meeting. This is an action flick.

Liam Neeson without a light saber is still believable as an action hero. He shoots. He kills through the jugulars. He makes a construction site explode. He karate chops. He is extremely lucky. He is a dad. His daughter was taken away from him. He wants revenge. He gets it. That is the summary of the plot, HAHAHA.

I am not used to seeing Famke Janssen so powerless. As a Bond girl or Jean Grey, she could have saved the daughter herself but here she is the plain housewife whose role is to give in to the daughter's whims and say Oh my God when things go bad, very much like post-Matrix Carrie Anne Moss in Disturbia. Well that is Hollywood. Even Angelina Jolie had her turn in Changeling but at least she got nominated in the Oscars. Oops, off-topic. HAHAHA.

But I would not dare call this film boring. It might not be perfectly logical but I did enjoy it down to the very last scene. Just do not over analyze things and I assure you that you are bound to have an exciting hour and a half. Liam Neeson's character is morally ambiguous, the hell with you all as long as I get my daughter back! That is why I think a lot of people enjoyed it. They could relate to it. HAHAHA. I think five stars is well-deserved. I am not a movie critic anyway, I am just giving my opinions. So there, five clovers! Yahoo! Best action flick I have seen and enjoyed since Wanted last year.