Taken
French theatrical poster
Directed by	Pierre Morel
Produced by	Luc Besson
Written by	Luc Besson Robert Mark Kamen
Starring	Liam Neeson Famke Janssen Maggie Grace Xander Berkeley Holly Valance Katie Cassidy
Music by	Nathaniel Mechaly
Cinematography	Michel Abramowicz
Editing by	Frédéric Thoraval
Studio	EuropaCorp
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	France: 27 February 2008 Australia: 14 August 2008 United Kingdom: 26 September 2008 United States: 30 January 2009
Running time	93 minutes (International version) 91 minutes (US theatrical cut)
Country	France
Language	French English Albanian Arabic
Budget	€19,000,000 (US$25,000,000)
Gross revenue	$226,830,568[1](worldwide)
Followed by	Taken 2 (working title)

Taken is a 2008 action thriller film starring Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, and Maggie Grace. It is based on a script by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen and was directed by Pierre Morel. Neeson plays a former Central Intelligence Agency paramilitary operative who sets about tracking down his teenage daughter after she is kidnapped by slave traders while traveling in Europe.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Distribution 5 Versions 6 Reception 7 DVD sales 8 Sequel 9 References 10 External links

[edit] Plot

Decorated and highly-trained CIA operative Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) has recently retired to spend more time with his daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace). He buys an expensive karaoke machine for her 17th birthday, but his gift is upstaged by Kim's wealthy step-father, Stuart (Xander Berkeley), who gives her a horse at the party.

Later, Bryan's friend and former CIA colleague, Sam (Leland Orser), convinces Bryan to accept a one-night job with him: bodyguards for the famous singer, Sheerah (Holly Valance). As Bryan escorts Sheerah from the arena, he fends off an armed attacker, earning him her gratitude and a promise to help with Kim's musical aspirations. He meets Kim for lunch the next day, only to discover that his ex-wife, Lenore (Famke Janssen), is also there to help persuade Bryan to sign a parental consent form allowing Kim to go to Paris with her 19-year-old friend, Amanda (Katie Cassidy), who is visiting relatives there. Bryan reluctantly agrees, insisting Kim call him immediately upon landing and every night thereafter. At the airport, Bryan learns that the girls actually plan to follow a U2 concert tour throughout Europe. Bryan is angry at Lenore for ignoring how dangerous traveling abroad is for young girls, but she pressures him into letting Kim go.

Arriving in Paris, Kim and Amanda meet a stranger named Peter (Nicolas Giraud) who suggests sharing a taxi together. He invites the girls to a party, offering to pick them up at their address. As he leaves, he calls someone on his cell phone, giving information about the girls. Kim, meanwhile, learns that Amanda lied—her cousins are actually in Spain for the summer, and the girls are staying alone in the apartment. While on the cell phone with Bryan, Kim witnesses Amanda being abducted in another room. Bryan warns that she will be taken as well, and instructs her to shout out as much information as she can about the kidnappers. One takes the phone and, after Bryan threatens him, smashes it. Bryan recorded the call, and Sam analyzes it, telling Bryan that the kidnappers are the Albanian Mafia operating in Paris and who largely deal in sex slaves. He tells Bryan there is only about 96 hours before Kim permanently disappears.

In Paris, Bryan locates Peter at the airport as he lures another victim into a taxi, but he is killed attempting to escape. Bryan contacts his old friend, Jean-Claude (Olivier Rabourdin) for help, though he is doubtful Kim can be found. Bryan learns that there is an Albanian-run brothel at a nearby construction site. Neither Kim or Amanda are there, but Brian rescues another girl who has Kim's jacket. The girl says Kim gave her the jacket at a particular house where she may still be. Bryan finds the house. After bluffing his way in, he recognizes a voice from the phone recording, and kills nearly everyone there. Kim is no longer there, but Bryan finds many drugged, imprisoned sex slaves, including Kim's friend, Amanda, who is dead from an apparent overdose.

Before killing the surviving gang member, Bryan tortures him into revealing that Kim was sold to a man named Patrice Saint-Clair (Gérard Watkins). Bryan appears at Jean-Claude's apartment and confronts him about his apparent dealings with the Albanian smugglers, threatening him by shooting his wife but not killing her. Jean Claude gives him Saint-Clair's address.

At Saint-Clair's residence, Bryan finds Kim just as she is being auctioned in a darkened room, but he is apprehended. After regaining consciousness and escaping, Bryan finds Saint-Clair and learns where Kim was taken, then kills him. Bryan tracks down and boards a yacht belonging to the Arab sheikh who bought Kim. Bryan kills the guards and the sheikh. Bryan and Kim return to the United States, and shortly after, Bryan surprises Kim with a visit to Sheerah's house to help Kim launch a singing career.

[edit] Cast

• Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills
• Maggie Grace as Kim Mills
• Famke Janssen as Lenore (Lenny)
• Xander Berkeley as Stuart
• Katie Cassidy as Amanda
• Leland Orser as Sam
• Olivier Rabourdin as Jean-Claude
• Holly Valance as Sheerah
• Jon Gries as Casey
• David Warshofsky as Bernie
• Nathan Rippy as Victor
• Camille Japy as Isabelle
• Nicolas Giraud as Peter
• Arben Bajraktaraj as Marko Hoxha
• Gérard Watkins as Patrice Saint Clair
• Ethan Millican as an unidentified assassin
• Sigmuound Froyd as bartender

[edit] Production

The film was produced by Luc Besson's Europacorp.^[2] It was filmed mostly in Paris with about the first 30 minutes taking place in Los Angeles. Recognizable points in the movie are The Staples Center, and Los Angeles International Airport in L.A and the Eiffel Tower and Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.

[edit] Distribution

Taken premiered in France on February 27, 2008, with releases in the United Kingdom and United States following on September 26, 2008 and January 30, 2009, respectively.

[edit] Versions

Pierre Morel stated that 20th Century Fox (this film's United States distributor) forced him to re-edit this film for its United States theatrical release (so it could receive a PG-13 rating).^[3] Later, 20th Century Fox released this film's original version as 'Extended Cut' on DVD and Blu-ray. The 'Extended Cut' has more violence which was cut from the US theatrical release.^[4]

[edit] Reception

On its opening day in the United States, the film grossed $9.4 million, scoring the best opening day ever for Super Bowl weekend.^[5] The film has grossed $145,000,989 in the United States and Canada, and $81,829,579 overseas, for a worldwide total of $220,429,550.^[1]

Although very profitable and successful with audiences as a whole, the movie has received mixed reviews from professional critics. Dan Kois of the Washington Post described the film as "a satisfying thriller as grimly professional as its efficient hero" and likens the action to the Bourne series. Derek Elley of Variety described the film as a "kick ass, pedal-to-the-metal actioner." He added, "Besson alum Pierre Morel ... wisely doesn't give the viewer any time to ponder the string of unlikely coincidences in the script by Besson and regular scribe Robert Mark Kamen. From the actual kidnapping—breathlessly staged with Kim actually on the phone with dad—to Bryan arriving in Paris and immediately causing a pileup outside the airport, pic has the forward, devil-may-care momentum of a Bond movie on steroids." He went on to say, the "widescreen package is technically slick at all levels, and ditto the action choreography, in a cartoonish way."^[6] Kenneth Turan, of the The Los Angeles Times, described the premise of Taken as "a brisk and violent action programmer that can't help being unintentionally silly at times... Obviously, Taken is not the kind of action film to spend much time worrying about its pedestrian script or largely indifferent acting, so it's fortunate to have Neeson in the starring role." He characterized Bryan Mills as "a relentless attack machine who is impervious to fists, bullets and fast-moving cars, he uses a variety of martial skills to knock out more opponents than Mike Tyson and casually kill those he doesn't KO."^[7]

The film opened to mixed to favorable reviews with a 57% rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes.^[8]

The film has been compared to the television series 24: with Neeson's character compared to Jack Bauer and Grace's role of Kim Mills to Kim Bauer. Xander Berkeley, who played George Mason on 24, also has a small role in the film.^[9][10] Additionally, the action takes place knowing that Mills has a time limit of 96 hours, after which it is unlikely his search will be successful.

[edit] DVD sales

Taken was released on May 12, 2009 on DVD. Since November 1, 2009 the DVD has sold 3,926,197 copies generating $62,769,163 in sales. As of November 1, 2009 the film has received a total of $288,230,490 in Box office and DVD sales..^[11]

[edit] Sequel

Robert Mark Kamen revealed that a sequel for the film is already in the works.^[12]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Taken

• Official website
• Taken at Allmovie
• Taken at the Internet Movie Database
• Taken at Metacritic
• Taken at Box Office Mojo
• Taken at Rotten Tomatoes

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