movie night - taken
Tonight Mike and I went to go see Taken. Based upon the previews the movie seemed to be a standard first-quarter action filler movie with stock Hollywood plot #675: Army/CIA/NSA/Montanian with a large gun collection's wife/girlfriend/daughter/sister/mother is kidnapped and aforementioned bad ass goes on a rampage to get them back/avenge their death. Simple, mindless, and been done hundreds of times before.
That being said, I found myself pleasantly surprised. The difference between this film and others with its archetype (The Marine, etc.) is the difference between a man defending his woman's honour and a drunk frat guy kicking the ass of someone who danced with his girl in a club. For starters, you are emotionally drawn in to the main character, played by Liam Neeson, within the first ten minutes or so. I'd like to say that the entire film was well cast, however every character besides Bryan Mills (Neeson) is merely a sort of bit role. While usually I find this method of storytelling to be mildly pedantic, there were enough other details which made this film quite refreshing.
One such detail was the stark contrast between wealth, middle class, and poverty. A detail so minute that, unless you are paying attention to the scene transitions and how wealth is used, you would miss it altogether. The previews make Neeson's character seem financially struggling, which is a bit of a misconception; he, by all accounts, appears to be a member of our ever-dwindling middle class. As the movie progresses you observe individuals existing in the most impoverished conditions as slaves, those surrounded by the most lavish of accoutrements, and characters who fight doggedly to exist between the two worlds. There is also a palpable awareness of the difference in perspective depending on the individual's situation. And anyone who has been a reader of my journal for long knows how much I fancy perspective.
The action scenes were beautifully choreographed and something that almost anyone can appreciate, from the Die Hard meat-heads to the Bond loyalists, down to the John Woo fan-boys (present company included there). There was one particular scene that I felt jumped the shark a bit, but was still within the range of audience suspension of disbelief. Explosions and fire-fights were far from gratuitous and could be considered well below the norm by today's movie standards.
Overall Taken is one of the better action films I've seen in the past few years, and that includes comic book genres. If you are looking for a multifaceted film, this isn't it. However if you want a few hours of a tried-and-true plot with superb cinematography, an award-winning lead, natural dialog, and adrenaline pumping action, Taken is definitely not a bad choice.
That being said, I found myself pleasantly surprised. The difference between this film and others with its archetype (The Marine, etc.) is the difference between a man defending his woman's honour and a drunk frat guy kicking the ass of someone who danced with his girl in a club. For starters, you are emotionally drawn in to the main character, played by Liam Neeson, within the first ten minutes or so. I'd like to say that the entire film was well cast, however every character besides Bryan Mills (Neeson) is merely a sort of bit role. While usually I find this method of storytelling to be mildly pedantic, there were enough other details which made this film quite refreshing.
One such detail was the stark contrast between wealth, middle class, and poverty. A detail so minute that, unless you are paying attention to the scene transitions and how wealth is used, you would miss it altogether. The previews make Neeson's character seem financially struggling, which is a bit of a misconception; he, by all accounts, appears to be a member of our ever-dwindling middle class. As the movie progresses you observe individuals existing in the most impoverished conditions as slaves, those surrounded by the most lavish of accoutrements, and characters who fight doggedly to exist between the two worlds. There is also a palpable awareness of the difference in perspective depending on the individual's situation. And anyone who has been a reader of my journal for long knows how much I fancy perspective.
The action scenes were beautifully choreographed and something that almost anyone can appreciate, from the Die Hard meat-heads to the Bond loyalists, down to the John Woo fan-boys (present company included there). There was one particular scene that I felt jumped the shark a bit, but was still within the range of audience suspension of disbelief. Explosions and fire-fights were far from gratuitous and could be considered well below the norm by today's movie standards.
Overall Taken is one of the better action films I've seen in the past few years, and that includes comic book genres. If you are looking for a multifaceted film, this isn't it. However if you want a few hours of a tried-and-true plot with superb cinematography, an award-winning lead, natural dialog, and adrenaline pumping action, Taken is definitely not a bad choice.