Taken (Extended Cut)

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Rating: PG-13

Starring:

Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills

Maggie Grace as Kim

Famke Janssen as Lenore

Olivier Rabourdin as Jean-Claude

Katie Cassidy as Amanda

Leland Orser as Sam

Arben Bajraktaraj as Marko

Christophe Kourotchkine as Gilles

Edwin Kruger as Jean-Claude’s Assistant

Xander Berkeley as Stuart

Radivoje Bukvic as Anton

Michel Flash as Gio

Nicolas Giraud as Peter

Jon Gries as Casey

Rubens Hyka as Leka

Gérard Watkins as St-Clair

Camille Japy as Isabelle

Valentin Kalaj as Vinz

Goran Kostic as Gregor

Nabil Massad as Sheik Raman

Jalil Naciri as Ali

Anca Radici as Ingrid

Nathan Rippy as Victor

Opender Singh as Singh

Tommy Spahija as Nezir

Anatole Taubman as Dardan

Holly Valance as Sheerah

David Warshofsky as Bernie

Directed by Pierre Morel

Special Features:

– Includes Both the Theatrical Version and Extended Cut of the Film

– Extended Cut Audio Commentary by Director Pierre Morel, Cinematographer Michel Abramowicz and Car Stunt Supervisor Michel Julienne

– Extended Cut Audio Commentary by Co-Screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen

– Le Making-of Featurette

– Avant Premiere Featurette

– Inside Action Side-by-Side Scene Comparisons

Other Info:

Widescreen (2.40:1)

Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound

French and Spanish Languages

French and Spanish Subtitles

Running Time: 90 Minutes

The Movie:

The following is the official description of the film:

“Prepare to get ‘Taken’ for the ride of your life! Liam Neeson is an unstoppable force in this action-packed international thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. When his estranged teenage daughter (Maggie Grace) is kidnapped in Paris, a former spy (Neeson) sets out to find her at any cost. Relying on his special skills, he tracks down the ruthless gang that abducted her and launches a one-man war to bring them to justice and rescue his daughter. ”

“Taken” is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing thematic material, sexual content, some drug references and language.

Mini-Review:

If you like revenge flicks, you’ll enjoy “Taken.” Co-written by Luc Besson, it’s your classic story of a man mercilessly hunting down the bad guys in order to save his daughter. It’s kind of “Frantic” meets “The Bourne Identity.” You have Neeson racing across Paris hot on the trail of his daughter who has been kidnapped and forced into sex slavery. The added twist is that he’s exceptionally competent having experience as a spy or special operative of some type. So when he delivers the beat-down on the bad guys, it is quite brutal. It more than delivers on the chases, gunfights, and action.

“Taken” has a solid cast. Liam Neeson is pretty much great in any role he performs. He’s certainly convincing as both a protective father and a special forces operative. Neeson starts the film showing him as a kind of pushover, but when he kicks into gear, he kicks into gear. I liked Maggie Grace on “Lost,” so it was cool to see her here as Kim. Despite being around 26, she makes a very convincing 17-year-old. I’m also a fan of Famke Janssen, so it’s neat to see her in even a brief role.

The only hiccup in “Taken” is the pacing. It’s only an hour and a half long, but it takes 30 minutes for the story to get to the point it showed in the trailers. You probably could have fast forwarded to the part where Kim is kidnapped and been all the way up to speed.

If you want to see a good action story or just convince a teenage daughter that you’re not too overprotective, this is a film you’re going to want to watch.

The bonus features are your standard offerings – an audio commentary (without Neeson), a making-of video, behind the scenes on the action scenes, etc. It’s a solid offering, but I half expected them to include a documentary on the international slave trade.

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