Taken 3 Review

The last month or two have been filled with pretty meaningless sequels; Night at the Museum 3, Woman in Black 2 etc. Movies that were made because the producers felt that there was still some steam left in the franchise, and not essentially because a good script was ready. So, going for Taken 3, one did hope that it was not a sequel made out of compulsion.

We know the drill with Taken 3! It has been the same over the last two movies. Miller (Liam Neeson) has to save his family from some huge mafia or drug lord or flesh trader who has somehow laid his hands on them. No matter how many people are killed, how many cars blown up, how man buildings brought down, Miller doesn’t care. He just wants his family safe.

It goes the same way here too. But, there is a slightly more sinister twist this time. Miller finds his wife Lennie dead in his bed. Before he knows there are cops pointing guns at him. He has to prove his innocence all by himself, because he knows that he has been framed by people who are really god at it. So, who’s framing him and why? That’s the only thing that Taken 3 is worth watching for.

The Taken franchise has worked mostly on Liam Neeson’s ability to pull of close range action

sequences with the slickness of a professional. He did it perfectly in Taken 1, which is why we loved it. But, in Taken 3, he seems to have slowed down a lot. Especially the first chase when he is running on the road and over fences, one can clearly make out that a body double has been used. That is shoddy making and has no excuses! The action too does not match up to the standards of the Taken franchise. The car chase looks more messy than exciting, with some special effects looking cheesy (you would expect something similar in a medium budget Tamil film). And, Liam Neeson escapes from too many car crashes without a real good explanation. Come on, we know he is not Superman!

But, the biggest let down is the script itself. It is just one action sequence set up after another with different reasons. One wonders why Miller is so desperate to contact his daughter in person just to tell her that he is okay, and risk getting arrested and getting his daughter in big trouble. It just seems like artificially induced spikes in the script because of lack of sufficient material. Yes, we know Miller dotes on his daughter, but we also know he is intelligent enough to sort out his priorities.

The best thing about Taken 3 is not Liam Neeson. He does his usually senior-pro stuff with ease. You will enjoy Forrest Whittaker’s nuanced performance as the detective. He has employed a couple of unique mannerisms which he consistently follows, and gets some very witty lines. But, his role is cut off for long periods in the script, which spoils the fun.

One feels that Taken 3 was just made because some people felt that there was some more juice left in the franchise. The script is half baked and does not excite at all. The action sequences are repetitive, and all what we have seen before, and sometimes look half-heartedly done. If you like Liam Neeson’s trademark underplay, and can enjoy Forrest Whittaker’s nuances, you might just about feel not too bad about this. Otherwise, there’s nothing new to watch it for.

[The audience]Taken (3) for granted

1.5/5