Taken casts Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills, an ex-CIA agent struggling to reestablish a relationship with his daughter.
Standing in the way is unforgiving ex-wife done by ex-Bond babe and X-Mens Famke Janssen.
The ex, the daughter, her new hubby, his still-in-the-biz buddies and a pop star do a dumb character establishment dance and waste the first 20 minutes.
Then the daughter takes a European vacation to follow the rock band U-2 across the continent and gets kidnapped by bad guys in France. Mills leaps into action.
Predictable, badly edited, horribly choreographed action punctuated with badly-written, predictable dialogue, cliché villains and that always-necessary surprise twist that writers use to punch up a thriller.
All of that wastes the next 60 minutes and leaves five minutes for Neesons Mills to some decent movie ending butt-kicking, rescue the kid and head into the five-minute happy ending.
At one time Luc Besson was one of the most creative action writer/directors working. Partnering again with Robert Mark Kamen who helped him do the Transporter series, Besson has become strictly cookie-cutter.
Youve already seen the best lines and the best scenes of Taken in the TV and theater commercials urging you to catch the movie. If you take the bait be prepared to check your brain at the door.
Mr. Movie rating: 2 stars
Rated PG-13 for mature themes, some violence. It opens Friday, Jan. 30 at the Carmike 12 and at the Fairchild Cinemas 12.
5 stars to 4 1/2 stars: Must see on the big screen
4 stars to 3 1/2 stars: Good film, see it if it's your type of movie.
3 stars to 2 1/2 stars: Wait until it comes out on video.
2 stars to 1 star: Don't bother.
0 stars: Speaks for itself.
Similar stories:
'Star Wars: Episode 1 The Phantom Menace' in 3-D
'Star Wars: Episode 1 The Phantom Menace' in 3-D
Here's what you may (or may not) remember from "Star Wars: Episode 1-The Phantom Menace," now back in theaters in 3-D.
'The Grey' a bleakly effective thriller
'The Grey' a bleakly effective thriller
For reasons that boil down to we should all just give up, we have accepted the presence of marketers in our everyday life.
Thus it's acceptable for credit card companies to call us during dinner, for missionaries to knock on our door while we are trying to appreciate the mind-expanding majesty of the Internet, and for fundraisers of all kinds to attempt to shame us for our callousness as we walk into the grocery stores without which we would die. Yet if I give them an impromptu demonstration of the anesthetic properties of a mallet, do I get a medal? No. Not unless it's for Most Terrified Cellmate.
I do my best to avoid all this by dressing in knives and training my dogs to attack pamphlets on sight. Yet even violent hermitude can't help me escape. Not when you have to deal with marketers like those who handled The Grey , who did their best to make sure everyone will leave the theater unhappy.
'Safe House' lots of camera movement for non-moving plot
'Safe House' lots of camera movement for non-moving plot
The movie is Safe House . It is anything but safe.
Denzel Washington is Tobin Frost, a rogue agent the CIA has been hunting for years. He has a mysterious chip that a very violent group wants. They corner him and faced with certain death, Frost — who is in South Africa — turns himself in at the American Consulate.
Ryan Reynolds is Matt Weston. He’s a CIA rookie running the safe house. Nothing ever happens there. He spends every day alone with nothing to do. His safe his is where they take the captured Frost. The men chasing Frost seem to know he’s there. They raid the safe house, kill Frost’s elite guard forcing Weston and Frost go on the run.
'Don't be Afraid of the Dark' offers few reasons to worry
'Don't be Afraid of the Dark' offers few reasons to worry
Emphasis. Don’t. That’s “don’t” as in Don’t be Afraid of the Dark .
This movie won’t leave you afraid of the dark or much else. No leaving the lights on for the night when you get home. No checking rooms and closets or peeking under the bed worried that something creepy might be there.
Nope. In the 99 very slow minutes of Don’t be Afraid of the Dark an expected jump or two is about all you get. And they’re not even that good.
'Drive' awesomely shifts between hypnotic, unusual
'Drive' awesomely shifts between hypnotic, unusual
Pro tip: movie characters do not make for great role models.
Being a Transformer looks pretty cool, but do you know how much training and fresh pairs of pants it takes to pull that off? Anyway, what good does being able to shapeshift into a semi-truck actually do for you? Save money on gas? Yeah, but those dollars come right back out of your pocket on maintenance. Do you know how much an 18-wheeler has to spend on shoes?
-- Local show times, theaters, trailer.
Print
Email Story
