Jump to content
IGNORED

Taken - Liam Neeson

Goose

By Goose
in Film, TV & Radio

 Share

Recommended Posts

  • 1 month later...
Sng

Sng

Posted
Posted

Just watched this. Awesome.

Tad unbelievable and over the top but that's what made it so fun to watch.

Was it just me muttering "he better not drive that car off the bridge onto the boat.." during that scene because it started creeping a tad close towards that kind of thing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Capwn

Capwn

Posted
Posted

Yeah I really liked this film, my only problems were the corny parts with holly valance and how it ends which seemed to be over too quickly and easily. It's an odd one, at times it's really creative and other times it goes down the popcorn flick route.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Timmo

Timmo

Posted
Posted
Still can't believe all the bad reviews this got in the press. Do critics not know how to have fun watching a movie, anymore?

This is why I don't read reviews.

This film was awesome. On paper it shouldn't have been. Liam "cardboard" Neeson. Annoying one off Lost. Holly fricking Valance. Paper thin plot.

But somehow it was.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Steve McQueef

Steve McQueef

Posted
Posted
This is why I don't read reviews.

This film was awesome. On paper it shouldn't have been. Liam "cardboard" Neeson. Annoying one off Lost. Holly fricking Valance. Paper thin plot.

But somehow it was.

This. Critics savaged this movie, showing once again, just how far removed they are from the actual audience. I loved Taken, take that, Bond!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mr_woo

mr_woo

Posted
Posted
LOL@PG-13 US cut.

Well if it's the same as the 15 rated version that we had over here in the cinema then it's still going to be pretty damn brutal as the only thing edited was the torture sequence and even that wasn't by much. All of the other fights etc were left intact and untrimmed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 4 weeks later...
Gabe

Gabe

Posted
Posted

Saw this tonight and thought it was pretty good, may be worth a repeat viewing. The reccy-scene was a surprise, and it was pretty relentless action once it kicked off. And whilst the opening 20 minutes wasn't exactly a thrill-ride, it did help to tell the audience that he was really trying to be a normal dad and wanted to move away from his past - but letting you know he was a man to be feared if you pissed him off. And the phonecall - and his delivery - is excellent.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Stanley

Stanley

Posted
Posted

It was immoral, vaguely racist, silly at times and massively violent. I loved it from start to finish and it really did take me back to all those action movies I enjoyed so much in the 80s. The first twenty minutes or so were essential in explaining this character. He was trying to give up his old career although he obviously missed it (him still doing the occasional job with his mates, and he wasted no time getting brutal). He was BORED and although he loved his daughter it was all just an excuse to let us, the audience, know that he meant every word of that phone call. Superb, and one of the best action movies since the first Die Hard.

I think that gif above should be spoilered or removed, the best bit of that house scene is not expecting it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Rudderless

Rudderless

Posted
Posted

Yeah, just to agree with most of the opinions above. Really entertaining stuff, with a great central performance from Neeson, who should do more of this kind of thing (I'd guess a sequel could be in the offing given its success Stateside). Whoever commented on Maggie Grace is right, too - she was genuinely convincing as an awkward seventeen-year-old.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
Spacehost

Spacehost

Posted
Posted

So I got this on the Forum Seal Of Approval® and by God, it was good. Quantum Of Solace was meant to be a revenge story- this showed them how it's meant to work. 20 minutes to set up why he cares, then WHAM- an hour of deploying ones very particular set of skills.

Usually action flicks slip down to me working out how The Hero is going to Fucking Ruin These Guy's Shit as he gets introduced to people, but I just sat back and enjoyed it this time. The best revenge-action film since, ooooh, Commando.

Villains- DO NOT KIDNAP THE HEROES' KIDS.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bingowings

bingowings

Posted
Posted

watched this last night after not knowing a damn thing about it. fuck me it's good.

for me the Bourne films are among some of the best 'man on a mission' films, but this is well up there. what makes it even more enjoyable is that there's no bullshit back story - all you really need to know is that he fucked people up for a living and he did it extremely well. his kid gets taken and he goes to get her back and woe betide any fuckball that gets in his way.

there were a good few moments where i went '...hahhaha oh wow!'. like when

he shoots the wife

and

in the red house, shoots the guy in the back, with no warning or afterthought

. amazing.

it's not as stylish or as kinetic as the Bourne films, especially Ultimatum but what it does it does very well. a nice, compact, and enjoyable action film.

i'll give it 4 dead Romanian hookers out of 5. a point off because i really wanted to see more of Neeson punching sheer fuck out of people.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
Peter Hitchens

Peter Hitchens

Posted
Posted

I watched this last night and it was definitely worth seeing and pretty entertaining, but I struggle to be as enthusiastic as everyone else. I mean, it was effective at what it did but it was still a REALLY stupid film. The phone call bit was great but the story after that was so simplistic that it got a bit repetitive - pretty much every scene was just: he beats someone up a bit, they give the name of a place/person, cut to: the next place, he finds another person and beats them up a bit, etc...

I realize this was also it's greatest strength: there was no tedious explanation and convoluted twists so it just whipped through the story before I got bored of it. I probably would have a much lower opinion of the film if it had been even 10-15 minutes longer. But still, it meant there was the feeling that there really was nothing to it at all, and the bad guys were so vague they could just do anything/be anyone. I found it pretty funny when

he found his daughter's friend dead for no particular reason. And also the 'virgin selling' scene.

Also, for someone with his past Neeson was a bit incompetent; most notably when he first loses the French guy when it appeared relatively simple to quietly 'take' him; it was completely unbelievable that he would have got away with it all with the level of carnage he left behind.

Also, personally I find it hard to justify the brutality of the violence when it's not contextualized by any intelligence or perspective, it was a rush and entertaining but I felt a bit dirty watching it at times. And I can't really ignore the vaguely racist/sexist side of it, suggesting that a good father should be an over protective dick and that everyone foreign is dangerous so 17 year olds shouldn't be allowed to go on holiday.

I guess everyone will say I'm missing the point as it's just a fun film, but to me these things are worth sayingas it's the reason this is a film I'll probably never bother to buy and will never love despite enjoying it quite a lot.

The 'very particular set of skills' line was VERY cool, though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Spacehost

Spacehost

Posted
Posted
I found it pretty funny when

he found his daughter's friend dead for no particular reason.

She was ODed on heroin by her captors, didn't you notice him looking at the syringe and all the injection marks on her arm? I thought the idea of that scene was that it showed him his daughter's possible fate and pushed him even harder.

He lives on his own in a crappy apartment, has the odd barbecue with his Langley buddies and reads the manuals to cheap karaoke machines dozens of times to make sure it has the very particular set of skills his daughter requires. He's a father, but he's a mental one who used to torture people for the US Government. His brutality is the manifestation of his love for his daughter. That's how fucked up he is. He buys her a karaoke machine, gets her a chance to meet her favourite pop star, and nails a guy to a chair before hooking him up to the Paris electrical system. He's not meant to be entirely good or likeable- he's quite the antihero at times, bit like Rorschach in Watchmen. But if put into the position he's in, I'm sure a lot of forum dads would wish they had the very particular set of skills to get their child safe.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. Use of this website is subject to our Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, and Guidelines.

  I accept