Taken

TAKEN (2009) - Jan. 30, 2009
A film that pretty much defines the word "awesome," Taken stars Liam Neeson as an ex-CIA agent (who is such a badass he makes Jack Bauer look like a hand-wringing amateur) who springs into action when his daughter is kidnapped. Liam Neeson is a big reason that the film is as successful as it is -- he brings a gravitas to the role that a lesser actor never could have hoped for. Also, there seems to be something inherently awesome about seeing Neeson tearing through Paris, kicking ass. This was so much better than the usual, watered down, slick, explosion-heavy CGI-fests that pass for action these days. The fact that they managed to make such an awesome, satisfying action film within the constraints of a PG-13 rating means that there really is no excuse for the egregious mediocrity of most contemporary action movies. Pierre Morel's direction is a bit more shaky-cam heavy than I'd like, but that really is a minor complaint for what is otherwise such a superlative genre outing. ****