Taken 2 - My Movie Review

Retired special ops agent Bryan Mills and his ex-wife are abducted in Istanbul in a bid to avenge the deaths of his daughter Kim's kidnappers. This time, it's Kim who helps to free her parents -- unleashing Bryan to turn the tables on his abductors.

Cast:

 

Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Leland Orser, Jon Gries, D.B. Sweeney, Luke Grimes, Rade Serbedzija

Genre:

 

Action Thrillers, Crime Action, Suspense, Action & Adventure

My review: 

First, I have to say that I love Liam Neeson and I found Taken a very original, action-packed, and interesting movie. I was eager to watch Taken 2. This urge wasn’t enough to drag me to the movie theaters, but I couldn’t wait until Netflix listed it either, so two days ago I rented it on Fios and watched it with my husband. The movie was forced and ridiculous. I only enjoyed watching it because my husband and I made jokes about it through its two hours. Unfortunately, Liam Neeson was not able to show any real emotions. I didn’t feel his love for his daughter or ex-wife (he left her bleeding on every corner with a cut on her throat without even attempting to hide her). The action scenes were recorded with a fast moving camera, so the fight scenes would look more real and deadly, I assume. They did not. I had the feeling that Mr.Neeson couldn’t deliver the strength and force a lethal CIA agent should have, so the director tried to compensate with a very annoying way of shooting the scenes.

About the daughter. For a girl who failed her driving test twice, she became such a badass driver in Istanbul, especially when she used the stick shift like a pro, making skids and crazy turns. Let me tell you something. I learned to drive on a stick shift car. However, in the past nine years I have been driving automatic cars. I went back to Hungary two years ago and borrowed my sister’s car. I drove like a student driver, as the routine of switching between pedals got rusty over the years. Therefore, a young girl who is capable of driving in a wild car chase without killing the engine just once is beyond reality.

The bad guys weren’t bad enough. What kind of lowlife Albanian criminal kidnaps the wife of the man who murdered his son, and does not even slap her around a little? Moreover, he leaves her with a trained assassin- husband in a room alone, without even checking his pockets for tools to assist in escaping. Criminals are not that dumb, not even in Albania.

Then Neeson sends his daughter dropping grenades all over Istanbul. Seriously? 

Taken 2 was the perfect example of Hollywood riding the wave of a successful movie. Don’t fall for it. Save your time and money. I wish I had.