20 Reasons Why You Rock: Taken
Taken was released in the United States and Canada on January 30, 2009 after being premiering nearly a year prior in France. Looking back, Taken bridged the gap between the Jason Bourne movies released earlier in the decade and the John Wick movies that were still to come.
While the sequels proved the “law of diminishing returns” theory, the original took action fanatics like myself by storm, earning over $200 million dollars at the box office worldwide. And most importantly, Taken absolutely rocked…
#1. Taken was off to a strong start before it even went into production. The script was written by frequent collaborators, Luc Besson (Leon: The Professional and The Transporter) and Robert Mark Kamen (Kiss of the Dragon and Lethal Weapon 3). Throw in director Pierre Morel, who actually made his directorial debut on another film written by Besson, District B13, and you had a formula for action movie success.
#2. Had Taken been released 20 years earlier, I have no doubt that it would have been a vehicle for Charles Bronson. Much like Death Wish redefined Charles Bronson’s career back in the 1970’s, the same can be said for Taken and Liam Neeson. The box office success of Taken redefined Neeson as the new elder statesman of action. Neeson was legit as former CIA Agent, Bryan Mills, and brought a great deal of gravitas to the character.
#3. Among the skills I did not expect Bryan Mills to have was him being a great gift giver… although, he was highly motivated in this case as he looked to repair his damaged relationship with his daughter, Kim. When it comes to gift giving, they say it is the thought that counts. Well, nobody put more thought into gift giving than Bryan Mills when purchasing a karaoke machine for his daughter for Kim’s 17th birthday.
#4. Speaking of Kim, Maggie Grace was perfect as Kim. Grace’s Kim projected the innocence of a young woman who saw the world very differently than her grizzled father. And even when it is eventually learned that Kim was less than honest with her dad concerning her trip to Paris, you can understand her motivations and don’t hold it against the character.
#5. While I am raving about the casting decisions, I need to give props to Famke Janssen (Model by Day), who played Kim’s mom and Bryan’s ex-wife, Lenore. Lenore has built a new life for her and Kim, after years of the stress and anxiety that comes with being married to a globetrotting CIA agent, who often put service of his country ahead of his own family. Famke delivered in her emotional scenes as a mother who wanted nothing more than to have her daughter back.
#6. If you are a fan of dated technology in cinema, you’ll love Bryan Mills and his disposable cameras.
#7. Bryan Mills may be out of the CIA, but he still keeps in touch with his CIA buddies that include Sam (Leland Orser), Bernie (David Warshofsky) and Casey (Jon Gries). I am a sucker for a familiar face in a movie and when I saw Gries, I could not help but think of his work as Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite, Rusty, the rickshaw pulling bum, on Seinfeld and my personal favorite, Louie from Fright Night Part 2.
#8. Sam ends up providing some valuable intel to Bryan after Kim is taken, but prior to that Sam hooks Bryan up with a security job. This is where we get our first glimpse at the physicality of Bryan Mills when he prevents an assailant from attacking/possibly killing pop sensation, Sheerah… something that comes into play at the end of the movie.
#9. In addition to his fighting skills and gift giving skills, Bryan Mills also has great instincts… he knows Kim going to Paris with her friend Amanda is a bad idea and he should have trusted those instincts. Instead he caved and signed off on the vacation, with some stipulations of course. What really impressed me was when the bad feelings he had about Kim’s trip came true… Bryan didn’t use it as an opportunity to say “I told you so” to Lenore.
#10. Not only does Taken feature the certified banger “Tick, Tick, Boom” by The Hives,, but Amanda plays it at the proper volume level when she and Kim arrive in Paris.
#11. The most memorable (and meme worthy) scene in the entire movie has to be when Bryan speaks to Marko, one of Kim’s kidnappers, and utters the famous words… “I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don’t have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that’ll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don’t, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.”… to which Marko responds with “Good luck”, two words that will come back to haunt him!
#12. Bryan’s first target when he arrives in Paris, is the spotter who set up Kim and Amanda, Peter. Bryan whoops Peter’s ass in the backseat of a cab! When Peter gets away, Bryan gets behind the wheel of the cab and pursues him, when that doesn’t work, Bryan chases Peter on foot… which forces Peter to make a daring escape… however he couldn’t escape the oncoming truck!
#13. My nomination for Taken‘s unsung hero, Gregor the Translator!
#14.The car chase at the construction site took the action up a notch or ten and also allowed Bryan to defy his old buddy/current law enforcement big wig, Jean Claude’s request that Bryan doesn’t make a mess.
#15. One of the most satisfying scenes in the movie is when Bryan assumes the identity of Jean Claude and comes face to face with Marko… even getting him to say “Good luck” to confirm he was the scumbag that he spoke to on the phone two days prior. Marko gets exactly what he deserved and then some!
#16. After his visit with Marko, Bryan pays an unexpected visit to his old buddy Jean Claude and Jean Claude’s family… it seems that there are some on the police force that are profiting from the skin trade that the Albanians are running in Paris. When Jean Claude proves to not be as cooperative as Bryan would like… he shoots Jean Claude’s wife in the arm!! A surprise to say the least, but the clock was ticking!!
#17. Jean Claude is able to point Bryan in the direction of Mr. St-Clair, the man who hosts the skin trade auctions in the lower levels of his palatial estate. And it is there the big reveal that Kim is still alive, Bryan has accomplished his goal or has he!??!
#18. Up until this point, Bryan had been making nothing but progress, but now he finds himself caught by St-Clair’s security staff. After an exchange with St-Clair, St-Clair orders his men to kill Bryan quietly and it seems like Bryan has come to the end of the road… THINK AGAIN! Bryan manages to escape, take out his would be executioners and more importantly Mr. St-Clair!
#19. After he finishes with St-Clair, Bryan has a boat to catch and that sets up the big final showdown, where Bryan Mills wins the Father of the Year Award.
#20. Taken gets a double happy ending. First, Bryan safely returns Kim to her mother. Then, Bryan blows Kim’s mind when he takes her to Sheerah’s house and cashes in the favor he earned when he saved Sheerah’s life .
