Summary
The classic 2008 thriller that turnedLiam Neesonfrom a respected dramatic actor into a beloved action star is now streaming on Max, and it’s still one of the high points of his career. After landing early roles inExcaliburandThe Dead Pool, Neeson first rose to fame with his turn as Oskar Schindler in Steven Spielberg’s harrowing Holocaust dramaSchindler’s Listin 1993, which earned him a much-deserved Oscar nomination for Best Actor. This led to other leading roles in historical biopics, like 1995’sRob Royand 1996’sMichael Collins.
Neeson first broke into the blockbuster realm with his fan-favorite performance as Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn inStar Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menacein 1999. He went on to play Ra’s al Ghul inBatman Beginsand Aslan inThe Chronicles of Narniatrilogy. But Neeson still wasn’t done evolving his career and surprising audiences. In 2008, he starred in a tiny low-budget thriller about a desperate father searching for his kidnapped daughter, and it unexpectedly became a global hit. It turned him into an iconic action hero and led to a whole new career renaissance for the actor.
Taken Is Now Streaming On Max – What To Know About The Movie
Neeson stars as a father trying to find his kidnapped daughter in Paris
Neeson’s first straightforward action thriller,Taken, originally released in 2008, is nowstreaming on Max.Neeson plays an ex-CIA agent and single father named Bryan Mills, who’s now more interested in building a relationship with his 17-year-old daughter Kim than protecting national security.When Kim and her friend go on a trip to Paris, they’re abductedby a sinister band of Albanian human traffickers.Mills determines he has 96 hours to find her before she’s lost forever, and heads to Paris to track her down. He draws on his very particular set of skills to bring the traffickers to justice.
Neeson’s co-stars include Maggie Grace as Kim, Famke Janssen as his ex-wife Lenore, Xander Berkeley as Lenore’s new husband, and Leland Orser as an old CIA colleague who helps Mills track down Kim’s kidnappers. When it first arrived in 2008,Takenwas met with mixed reviews from critics. It’s sitting right on the verge of a “rotten” verdict on Rotten Tomatoes with the just-about-fresh score of 60%. Critics praised Neeson’s performance, but criticized the implausible logic of the film’s plot.
But in spite of those mixed reviews,Takenreally struck a chord with audiences. Everyone can relate to Mills, because he just wants to save his daughter from the worst people in the world. A parent’s quest to keep their child safe is universal, andTakenputs that universal parental feelingunder the most extreme circumstances for an action thriller that’s both hugely entertaining on a visceral level and deeply engaging on an emotional level.
How Taken Transformed Liam Neeson’s Career
Taken turned Neeson into an action star
Although Neeson didn’t think much ofTakenwhen he was shooting it, it ended up completely redefining his career. He went from being the Oscar nominee best known for his role inSchindler’s Listto being the action star best known for his role inTaken.Takenstarted a trend of action movies starring older actors– it was promptly followed byRED,The Gunman,The Expendables,Escape Plan, andA Good Day to Die Hard– and created a whole subgenre dubbed “geriaction.” What was expected to be a forgettable straight-to-DVD thriller ended up being a game-changer in the action genre.
Neeson has done a handful of non-action movies in the years since he starred inTaken(Silence,The Lego Movie,A Million Ways to Die in the West), butmost of his post-Takenfilms have been attempts to recaptureTaken’s success.Unknown,Non-Stop,Run All Night,The Commuter,Cold Pursuit,Honest Thief,The Marksman, andThe Ice Roadwere all shallow attempts to replicate the success ofTaken.Neeson even starred in two sequels toTakenthat were just as successful at the box office but didn’t resonate nearly as much.
Taken Is Still One Of The High Points Of Liam Neeson’s Action Career
Taken is often imitated but rarely bettered
Given that it’s often imitated but rarely matched (and even more rarely improved upon),Takenremains one of the high points of Neeson’s action movie career. Out of the post-Takenbunch of Neeson-starring actioners, there are only a small handful that are worthy of basking inTaken’s legacy.The Greyis a nail-biting thriller that pits Neeson against a pack of wolves in the harsh wilderness.Cold Pursuitsubverted expectations with a pitch-black sense of humor.Liam Neesonhas made some great action movies sinceTaken, but they’re sadly few and far between.
Taken
Cast
Taken stars Liam Neeson as ex-Green Beret and ex-CIA operative Bryan Mills, who retired from his life of fighting in order to be there for his family. When his teenage daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) travels to Paris and is kidnapped by human traffickers, Mills launches into action, mounting a one-man rescue mission that sees him tear through gangs of European criminals with extreme prejudice in hopes of finding and rescuing Kim before it’s too late.
