If you haven’t seen Taken, I suggest seeing it first. It will probably make you appreciate Taken 2 less, but it is the reason of the second movie was made and the third is probably in the works. Because, even though Taken 2 is not as cool or impressive as Taken, I am not ready to stop watching Liam Neeson kicking ass around Europe saving someone he cares about.
Oh, and I might be dropping Taken spoilers.
That said, let’s roll:
Our favorite badass ex-CIA Brian Mills (Liam Neeson) is now closer with his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace), though he is worried about how she is coping (or if she is being careful enough) after he saved her from a human trafficking gang (and killed everyone who was responsible) in France.
Unfortunately , the father of one of those men is incredibly pissed and wants justice. And he gets the perfect opportunity when Brian travels to Istanbul for a private security job and his daughter and ex-wife (Famke Jenssen) visit him.
This time, they manage to take her, and Brian. But of course Kim tries to be daddy’s daughter, and with her help, Brian starts kicking ass again.
Taken > Taken 2
It pretty much sums it up. Taken is bigger, better, cooler. Brian kicks more ass, and kicks it better in Taken. As much as there are probably things that defy rationale in the first film, I don’t remember noticing because I was too busy getting caught in the action.
This is not to say that Taken 2 isn’t entertaining. It is. But because it is more over-the-top in many ways that is less cool and often less logical, you notice the flaws. You notice how stupid the criminals are.
And then there is the over-stereotyping of Istanbul that doesn’t go unnoticed by anyone who has been there. Granted, France wasn’t shown in the best light in Taken, but again, we were too “taken” by the film to realize or care.
That said, if you liked the first one, you should at least try to give the second one a shot. I belong to the club that really enjoys Liam Neeson kicking ass all around Europe. I loved Taken and I loved Unknown. Taken 2 is alright, and yes, I’ll see the third one if they make it.
But I’d say: Taken> Unknown> Taken 2
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Also on Liam Neeson:
Unknown starring Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones & Aidan Quinn
Chloe starring Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore and Amanda Seyfried
Seraphim Falls starring Liam Neeson and Pierce Brosnan
The Other Man starring Liam Neeson, Antonio Banderas and Laura Linney
Battleship starring Taylor Kitsch, Liam Neeson, Rihanna, Brooklyn Decker & Alexander Skarsgard
Famke janssen:
City of Industry starring Harvey Keitel, Stephen Dorff and Timothy Hutton
Maggie grace
Lockout starring Guy Pearce & Maggie Grace