Liam Neeson returns as Bryan Mills in Taken 2, and the movie spends most of its runtime doing exactly what you expect: chasing bad guys, punching through doors, and shouting at anyone who gets in his way. It is fast, loud, and mostly empty. The problem is that the film never bothers to make any of it matter.
Trailer, via 20th Century Studios UK.
The Setup
Bryan Mills and his wife Lenore are in Istanbul for a vacation. They are supposed to enjoy themselves. Instead, Bryan gets pulled back into the world he left behind when his daughter Kim is taken by a gangster named Abbas. The plot is simple: Bryan has to rescue her, and everyone else in the family ends up in danger along the way.
The setup is fine. It is the execution that drags the film down.
The Stunts
Taken 2 is at its best when it is moving. The action scenes are kinetic, with cars crashing, guns firing, and Neeson taking on groups of men with his bare hands. These moments are the reason people watch this movie, and they are often well-choreographed.
But the stunts are not enough to carry the film. They are repeated too often, and each one feels like a variation on the last. The film includes several distinct set pieces:
- A chase through a market
- A fight in a hotel corridor
- A final showdown that plays out almost identically to the climax of the first film
The novelty wears off quickly.
The Writing
The dialogue is thin. Characters speak in flat, functional lines designed to get the plot moving rather than to reveal anything about themselves. Bryan is a man of few words, and the script rarely asks him to say anything beyond “I will find you” or “I will kill you.” That would be fine if the film were purely about the action. It is not.
The supporting characters fare even worse. Lenore and Kim are barely developed. Their fear is used as a plot device, not as a character trait. The villains are cartoonish, and their motivations are never explained beyond wanting to hurt the Mills family.
The Direction
Luc Besson directed the original Taken, and his influence is still present in Taken 2. The film has a sleek, international style, with locations ranging from the streets of Istanbul to the casinos of Monte Carlo. But the direction here is mechanical. Scenes are set up, action happens, and then the next scene begins. There is no rhythm, no tension built over time, and no payoff that matches the effort.
The pacing is uneven. Some sequences are thrilling, while others drag. The film runs long, and the middle stretch, where Bryan chases Abbas across Europe, feels like filler. The audience knows where the story is going; the film does not need to spend so much time getting there.
The Soundtrack
The music is loud and bombastic. It swells during every action beat, drowning out any attempt at subtlety. This is not necessarily a flaw. In a film this shallow, the score does the emotional work that the writing refuses to do.
The Comparisons
| Film | Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|
| Taken 2 | Action choreography | Thin writing |
| Original Taken | Character development | Shorter runtime |
The comparison to the original Taken is instructive. That film worked because it balanced action with character. Bryan Mills was a father first, a fighter second. Taken 2 reverses that order, and the result is a movie that feels hollow.
The Running Time
The film runs long, and the excess material shows. A shorter version, focused on the central rescue mission, might have worked better. As it stands, the padding stretches the running time unnecessarily.
The Verdict
Taken 2 is not a bad movie. It is a competent, enjoyable one that does not ask for much thought. If you want to watch Liam Neeson break bones and shout at people, you will find plenty of that here. But if you want a film with stakes, with characters you care about, or with any sense of purpose beyond spectacle, you will leave disappointed.
The action is fun, but the fun is fleeting. The film is a reminder that a good premise is not the same as a good movie.
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