Taken Review (2008) – A gripping, thrilling and scary look at human trafficking with an unrealistic but badass dad!

We are starting our action month with the amazing movie Taken (2008)! One of our favorite action movies that also makes us squirm a bit. The dark look into human trafficking is compelling and scary. We potatoes watched this film many years ago and while it does make us uncomfortable in many ways we love this movie!

Liam Neeson does an excellent job and the film is well paced, action packed and still entertaining despite the darker themes. It is a bit predictable and unrealistic but in a film like this some predictability is a good thing in our opinion.

Trigger warnings before we get into it, this movie is graphic, violent, involves human trafficking, sexual exploitation, assault, drugs, implied and coercive rape, etc. We say implied because this film thankfully does not force the audience to watch all of the horrors involved in human trafficking. But it is heavily implied and clear what is happening. This movie is as dark as it is a good time and it is important to watch with caution.

On to this epic, intimidating and thrilling ride!

The movie begins with our main character Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) dreaming of a little girl, not in a gross or creepy way but in an old, home movie, nostalgic way. He wakes seated on his couch in his living room.

He turns on a light and we see that he is holding a picture…the picture is of a young teenage girl on a horse. We know quickly that she means something to him, and that she is most likely his daughter.

Cut to the next day with Bryan going to at a radio shack like store. The owner of the store is familiar with Bryan because he goes there frequently to study the karaoke machines. Bryan buys the best machine the store has, the one that the professionals use, and meticulously gift wraps it.

The way that he wraps the gift is incredibly telling, and very detailed. His home is also incredibly tidy, and organized. We are already getting some good hints that he has spent time in some form of government service.

Cut to the next scene, he is pulling up to a large mansion in his economy vehicle. The house enormous and is incredibly over the top…and in our minds, unnecessarily extravagant. No one truly needs a house that large it is silly to us. But we digress!

There is a large birthday party happening at this ostentatious house! Bryan walks up but he gets stopped by someone. “The adult party is at the front of the house.”

Bryan informs the man that he is her father, to which the stranger responds that he, “works for her father.” Bryan corrects him further by stating that he is “Her real father.”

A woman has been watching the exchange, and decides to intervene. Her name is Lenore. Lenore (Famke Janssen) walks up to them, and sends the other man away so she can deal with the situation. It is clear from her body language and attitude towards Bryan that she is his ex.

Bryan is still carrying his birthday present, and wants to give it to their daughter himself. We potatoes think this is very reasonable but for reasons we do not know, Lenore is displeased. She exudes resentment and anger towards Bryan.

Kim (Maggie Grace), Bryan’s daughter, runs up to greet her dad! Bryan prompts Kim to open her gift right there, and she eagerly does so despite Lenore’s disapproval. It is not completely clear at this time what age she is turning, but we will tell you anyway, it is her 17th birthday party. She is happy about the karaoke machine because she wants to be a singer! Lenore is not happy, (of course) but Kim is very grateful!

Bryan pulls out an old school, disposable Polaroid camera and takes a picture of Kim with her present. Kim seems like a kind person who enjoys humoring her Dad.

Well, if the garish, giant house was not enough of an indication that Kim’s stepfather, Stuart (Xander Berkeley), is rich…the horse he walks out definitely is! Kim excitedly runs to Stuart and the beautiful animal leaving Bryan standing there awkwardly.

Stuart smugly walks up to Bryan, and the whole situation makes us feel for Bryan. Bryan cannot provide this kind of luxury for Kim, and it is clear that the stepfather likes to rub it in a bit.

Bryan goes home and puts the picture he took of Kim with her present in an album. He smiles and looks through the album. There is a picture for every birthday.

While he is looking through the album, the doorbell rings, and he opens it to three men around the same age group as him.

They have all brought some food or drink. Which we potatoes approve of! If you are going to a dinner party, it is only polite to bring a little something. It does not have to be big! But contribute something! Looks like he has some awesome friends!

Bryan had forgotten that they were getting together that day, but he is gracious and invites them in. They congregate in the backyard and are all participating. A couple of them are setting up the table while Bryan grills.

We find this scene to be incredibly sweet, and wish this was more of the norm for men in our society. They are all openly and honestly talking to each other. They talk about Kim, they discuss Lenore a bit and more…we are here for it! Emotional intelligence and communication is key to any and all relationships.

The only part we did not like is of the men implying that Bryan gave up his “Life” for Kim…is that not what all parents are supposed to do once they have children? Children blow up your life. They just do. Parents are supposed to be aware of that and willing to deal with that fact when having children without blaming the children for it.

Sacrifices are a given, and yes that sucks! Of course it sucks! But it is a fact of having children. Kim did not ask to be born. She did not ask her parents to “give up their lives” for her. We do not like this mind set as it gives parents excuses to be poor parents and it places blame where it does not belong, on the children.

Moving on! They are all together, barbecuing, chatting, and reminiscing about the past. They all worked for the government in some capacity and obviously met on the job. Bryan is strapped for cash…who isn’t these days…sigh. But that is neither here nor there!

One of his friends, Sam (Leland Orser), offers him a security job for the next night. At first Bryan is hesitant…until he learns that this job would be for a singer! Sam expands on that, and Bryan is sold. He agrees to be part of their security detail.

Sam is happy, and tells him that it will be just like old times! Bryan responds, “Better. No one gets killed.” They shake on it and Sam leaves with the other two.

Cut to the next night, they are rolling up to the concert in black SUV’s. Paparazzi is there, a crowd is there and everyone is hyped for the pop singer Sheerah (Holly Valance)! Bryan escorts her to her dressing room where she does some scales and gets ready for her performance.

On her way out to her performance Bryan asks if she has any tips for his daughter Kim on being a singer. She is in a rush, and seems flustered. She responds a bit rudely, “Tell her to pick another career.”

Next we cut to the security personnel, Bryan and Sam are playing cards at a fold up table at the back of the concert while Sheerah performs. They are shooting the shit as they say, and just killing time.

Bryan’s cellphone rings (flip phone), and it’s Kim! They have a bit of difficulty talking as the location is, of course, extremely loud. It is hard for Bryan to hear, but the gist is that Kim wants to meet up for lunch tomorrow!

Bryan agrees and is thrilled! He really wants to reconnect with Kim, and he is putting in the time and the effort.

Later that night after the concert has wrapped up Bryan is escorting Sheerah to her car when she gets attacked by a fan! Bryan is of course able to defuse the situation efficiently and get her out of there safely but this is a traumatizing event. Sheerah is shaken, upset, and in shock.

Bryan comforts her in a kind, fatherly and professional manner. They get her back to her hotel and Bryan is commiserating with the rest of the team.

We have to put this in here, because it is one of our favorite moments, Sam is giving out the money that they made from the night and telling Bryan that he should work with them more often.

Bryan is hesitant. He wants to be present for Kim. Sam mentions that Kim will be going to college soon and that he will lose her. Bryan retorts in the best way ever, “That gives me a year to find her.”

Bryan may not have been the best father or a very present father with Kim when she was young. This was, of course, a huge mistake on his part, but we have to give it to him for really trying. He is putting in the effort and expecting nothing in return. He may not win father of the year, but we potatoes have to give him points for effort.

Back to the movie! We are going to abbreviate a bit here so we can skip ahead. Sheerah is relieved and happy to have been saved by Bryan and offers to help Kim with her singing career.

Cut to the next day Bryan is waiting at the agreed upon restaurant for Kim…to his surprise Kim arrives but she is not alone! Lenore is with her too. He already ordered Kim a milkshake because he knows what she likes, and he offers to get something for Lenore.

Lenore of course declines. Missed opportunity there…milkshakes are amazing! So of course this whole situation smells fishy. They want something…and they drop it on him fairly quickly.

Kim wants to go on a trip with her 19 year old friend Amanda, to Paris, France! But…because she is underage, they need not only her mom’s permission but also her father’s in order for Kim to leave the country.

Bryan is not thrilled with this at all! He does not feel that it is safe. He tries to compromise by saying maybe he could go along with them. Of course no teenager wants their parents breathing down their necks on a fun European adventure. Kim is understandably upset, and leaves the restaurant.

Bryan and Lenore are still at the table. Lenore pushes him and guilt’s him about his concerns. He is un-swayed. Frustrated Lenore leaves Bryan at the table in a huff. Bryan remains seated and sips his coffee pensively.

Cut to the next day. Bryan is knocking on the mansion door, it opens and he asks for Kim. He signed the paper! He gives her a list of conditions she needs to meet. She needs to give him all of the information about her travels, call him daily, and keep him informed essentially.

Excited she agrees without really hearing him, but she is thrilled!

One of the conditions is that Bryan gets to drive her to the airport. This is the next scene. They are in the car together on their way to the airport! She asks him some questions about his government work. She does not fully understand or know what it is he did.

We think he could have been far more descriptive and honest about his work as an operative which in our minds is pretty evident at this point in the film. He likely worked for the CIA or something along those lines.

But he still is incredibly vague and does not give clear answers.

They reach the airport and while collecting the bags, Bryan finds a paper map of Europe with a lot of places circled along with dates. He was told that she was just going to Paris…but this map would indicate that this is not true!

He confronts Lenore and she admits that they are going to be following a band tour around Europe. He is frustrated, but Lenore is able to talk him around with a good dose of guilt and shame!

As I am sure you all can tell…we just love Lenore! Sigh. Lenore has some problematic behaviors. She allows her resentment towards Bryan to affect her parenting and her daughter. She can be manipulative and spiteful. We struggle with not feeling irritated with Lenore. Admittedly, we do not have many details about how her marriage to Bryan went!

For all we know Bryan was a piss poor spouse in a multitude of ways, but in our mind they are divorced, and this isn’t about either of them. It is about Kim. But we digress again!

As we said before, Lenore is able to talk him around. He takes another cute picture before Kim and Amanda go through security and off they go! Up, up and away to Paris!

We are going to wrap things up from here, Kim and Amanda arrive in Paris and meet a young French man named Peter. Peter offers to help them out by sharing a cab to split the costs. They eagerly and naively agree.

They make it to the apartment where Kim discovers that the cousins she was told would be there…are not there. Amanda’s cousins are travelling and Amanda failed to inform Kim of this. Kim is initially nervous, but Amanda is able to calm her down…but things get far more nerve wracking from here.

The atmosphere quickly shifts from excitement to terror when, in the film's chilling turning point, a group of human traffickers break into the apartment and abduct Kim and Amanda. Panic ensues and as it happens Kim is on the phone with her father while it is all going down. She is able to provide crucial information about their location, and their abductors before they are abruptly cut off and an abductor puts the phone to his own ear.

Oddly calm, and collected Bryan talks to one of the abductors briefly and makes his intentions and abilities clear. The abductor does not take Bryan seriously and hangs up the phone. Bryan springs into action! Activating his formidable skills and resourcefulness. He begins a relentless pursuit to rescue Kim, utilizing his CIA training and contacts to track down the human traffickers responsible for the abduction.

The movie continues as a fast-paced and tension-filled, high-stakes cat-and-mouse chase that unfolds throughout the remainder of the film. As the clock ticks, Bryan's race against time to save Kim propels the story forward. We were enthralled in the thrilling and emotionally charged ride!

The film is a great action movie! But as much as we love Liam Neeson's “particular set of skills”, the film does have its fair share of clichés and questionable moments! The ease with which Bryan tracks down the criminals is a bit absurd, it's like he's a one-man CIA operation without any red tape or paperwork. Which we all know is a bit silly! Government work does not…well work that way, and he would still be held accountable for all of the crimes he committed while in Paris.

We potatoes also felt that while this movie may shine a light on human trafficking it does not delve deeply enough into the systemic issue that it is! These criminals operate with ruthless efficiency, preying on vulnerable young women and exploiting them for profit. Human trafficking is a real and pervasive problem that affects countless lives around the world.

The film's depiction of human trafficking oversimplifies the complexities of this global issue. The criminals in the movie are portrayed as a stereotypical and easily identifiable group of villains, which glosses over the reality that human trafficking operates through vast networks with various levels of organization.

The movie simply doesn't investigate the socioeconomic factors, root causes, or the broader societal impact of this heinous crime! We felt that there was a missed opportunity here to dig deeper, but the film's primary goal is to provide an adrenaline-fueled thrill ride with villains that anyone could hate rather than a nuanced exploration of the issue.

Although "Taken" is an engaging action film, it's essential that we recognize that human trafficking is a serious and complex problem that requires comprehensive understanding and collective efforts to combat. It's important to support organizations and initiatives that work to raise awareness, support survivors, and bring an end to this deeply disturbing form of exploitation!

So, again! While the film may present a simplified portrayal of human trafficking, we still thoroughly enjoy this dark, action-thriller! We think that it can serve as a starting point for conversations about the larger issue at hand. That it can remind us of the importance of vigilance, awareness, and the ongoing fight against this grave violation of human rights.

We do wish that the writers had focused more on the human rights issue as whole. It would have given the movie more complexity as well as give the audience more of a nuanced education on the severity of the problem.

We also think it would have been great if instead of being so focused on only Kim, Bryan could have burned it all to the ground saving many more lives. There are a couple of sequels that we have not seen so maybe he gets to that eventually!

All in all, we greatly enjoy this film! The beginning is a bit of a slow burn, but once the film gets going, it’s nonstop thrilling action! The film touches on some dark but real themes which we potatoes appreciate even if we think it could have been more of a focal point of the film.

We highly recommend this movie! If you are someone who likes darker, more serious themes, enjoys catchy lines, justice and revenge then you will love this movie!

We give this one 4 out of 5 French Martini’s!

The “Taken” (2008) Drinking Game

Take a sip anytime:

1.     Lenore is catty or resentful

2.     Anyone says "Kim" or "Kimmy"

3.     Bryan tries to be or is a good father

4.     Bryan is on the phone

5.     Bryan delivers an iconic line

6.     Bryan is resourceful or intelligent

7.     Bryan uses his spy tactics or surveillance skills

8.     Bryan engages in a high-speed chase

9.     Bryan confronts a corrupt authority figure

10.  Bryan outsmarts the villains or gains the upper hand

11.  Bryan sustains any injury

12.  Bryan discovers a clue that brings him closer to his daughter

13.  Bryan punches or chops anyone’s throat

14.  Anyone dies

15.  There's an explosion on screen

What did you think?? Did you like the movie? Did you hate it!? Do you have suggestions for other films we should watch?! Have you seen the any of the sequels? Any and all thoughts are welcome! Let us know here in the comments and always remember to be safe and drink responsibly!