Taken 3

                                                                 
                                                                     

If there's anybody in Hollywood with a most interesting career, it has to be Liam Neeson. With a first role in Excalibur, then a breakout role in Schindler's List and roles in the massive popular Star Wars: Episode I : Phantom of the Menace and Batman Begins, it's safe to say to he has dabbled in many genres in his film career.  In 2008 he starred in Taken, a French thriller about a guy going to save his daughter in France after being kidnapped and really that's where Neeson really took off. With roles in Unknown in 2011, The Grey in 2012 and Non-Stop along A Walk Among the Tombstones both in 2014, Neeson has found his niche as 60 year old action character who's willing to kick some ass. It's unusual for an actor  to have a peak like this so late in his career but he's one that did. Neeson is back to this type of role in the newest installment in the Taken series.

Following the events of the first two movies, Bryan Mills (Neeson) is now living a normal life in Los Angeles until his ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) is killed and Bryan is framed for the murder. A typical plot that really is not very good.      

We expected Neeson to be the action guy that he is in these films but it is as if this script took him too far into this character. He gets framed for the murder of his ex-wife but instead he goes on a long journey to catch the killers where it would be so much easier to testify to the police because all of the evidence points to him being not at all involved in this murder. So once Liam gets to fight these guys, we have a high budget movie with very unrealistic action set in a very typical L.A. and further the action sadly only picks up well in its last act.

Director Olivier Megaton also proves that he doesn't know what to do with supporting characters along the way. Maggie Grace who plays Mills' daughter is left to wander through most acts and is also a character that we learn is pregnant which serves no purpose to the main plot. Taken 3 has a script that takes the characters' motives in a way that feels like it's trying to reclaim old success. Even Forrest Whitaker shows up playing a typical cop role for him with a lot unintentional humor and the character literally that makes you want to have some bagels right after you leave the theater.                                                                        

                                             

I am not surprised at all that Taken 3 falls into a January release nor am I surprised  how much money it made because of it's cast and due to the popularity of the other films. We really don't need another Taken film but with this series making some good money, I won't be surprised to see more down the road. The Taken series is a clumsy and broad action series that by now has run it's course.


1.5/5