Taken 2 (2012)

3/5

For a movie which got really bad reviews on release and a rotten tomatoes score of 21%, this is pretty enjoyable even though a bit clichéd in parts.

Liam Neeson returns as Bryan Mills, the undercover operative, who is enjoying life with his ex-wife and daughter in Istanbul. He is being targeted by the grandfather and relatives of the men he killed in the first part while he was saving his daughter. This time the plan is to kidnap the whole family and kill or sell them. Will Mills be able to save himself and his loved ones?

The story is wafer thin. However, for me where the movie scored was in the pacing of events. It quickly gets down to the action part and with its constant thrills and fights, it never lets the viewer’s attention sag. 

The scenes set in Istanbul don’t look all that great after that first act of SkyFall. The acting is on expected lines. Neeson is reliable and looks and acts the part. Anna Price as his wife whimpers throughout. His daughter irritates and hams and is especially terrible in the romantic scenes with her new found boyfriend.

The background music is good. The direction could have been better. In the initial parts of the movie I could not really understand why a simple scene of drama was being shown from multiple angles?

This has been panned as a sequel which has been made with the sole aim of making money. Even if that is really the case, then also it is undeniable that Taken 2 has its moments. Not a great movie but still a pretty decent action flick.