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Taken -- Having a child kidnapped is every parent’s nightmare. In this edgy, fast-paced thriller, that dread is somewhat eased -- and heightened -- by the fact that the child’s father is a former CIA operative with the skills to track down his daughter.
He also knows, however, that he only has a limited amount of tine to pick up her trail or he’ll never see her again.
Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) left the shadowy world of covert operations to try to save his marriage and be closer to his daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace.) Though the marriage ended, Bryan remains a dutiful father, living near Kim, his ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen of the X-Men series) and her new husband. Mills works private security for celebrities so he can see Kim more often.
Their sometimes strained relationship is tested when one of Kim’s school friends invites her to spend a month in Paris during the girl’s summer vacation. Bryan is concerned, but the friend swears they’ll be supervised by some of her relatives who own the apartment in which they’ll be staying . Reluctantly, he agrees to the trip.
When the girls arrive in the City of Lights, things are not quite as promised. The change in plans proves disastrous, as both girls are forcibly taken from the apartment, but not before Kim calls her father. He tries to bargain with the kidnappers, and then warns them he has the skills needed to track them down. A flippant response sets Bryan on the trail to rescue the girls and wreak havoc on the kidnappers, whatever the cost.
Taken moves at a breakneck pace once the kidnapping takes place, with Neeson doing a pretty good imitation of Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne.
In other words, he’s the World’s Most Dangerous Dad. He breaks bones, laws and about half a dozen international treaties as he cuts a wide swath through Europe trying to find the girls. His intense performance will sometimes elicit a bit of horrified amusement from viewers. His behavior when dining with a former spy colleague and his wife provides an excellent example.
The screenplay by Luc Besson (director of The Professional and other gritty action films) and Robert Mark Kamen touches lightly on the growing problem of sex trafficking, but is clearly more interested in pushing the action and violence. It never undersells the dark and seamy world into which we are plunged, but it doesn’t slow down long enough to let us absorb the pain and cost to the girls and women involved.
Director Pierre Morel clearly understands the movie’s flaws and covers for them by centering on Neeson and his relentless, ruthless hunt. His stop-at-nothing drive is what keeps the movie going and us involved.
If you’re an action fan, Taken will deliver all the no-holds-barred punch you’re looking for. If you want a sturdy plot to match the action, you may be disappointed, unless you’re a devoted Neeson fan.
Taken is available in an extended version with scenes not included in the theatrical version and in the Blu-Ray format.
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sometimes intense violence, sexual themes, profanity and drug references.

Joe’s Rating: Three (***) Stars.

Also released on May 12:
With the arrival in theaters last Friday of the new Star Trek movie, now seemed like a perfect time for the release of a new Trek collection or two on DVD. Paramount Home Video fills the void with three new sets.

The Best of Star Trek: The Original Series presents four episodes of the 1966-1969 NBC television series starring William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk, Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock and the late DeForrest Kelly as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy. Included in this set are: City on the Edge of Forever, The Trouble with Tribbles, Balance of Terror (which introduced the Romulans) and Amok Time.

The Best of Star Trek: The Next Generation celebrates the syndicated successor to the original. The set contains the two-part episode that introduced the Borg, Best of Both Worlds, Yesterday’s Enterprise and Measure of a Man, in which Data’s status as a man or machine must be resolved.
For the true Trekkie, there’s the Star Trek Original Series Motion Picture Collection. This multi-disc, Blu-Ray format set features all the movies that starred the original series cast members: Star Trek: The Motion Picture, The Wrath of Kahn, The Search for Spock, The Voyage Home, The Final Frontier and The Undiscovered Country. Also included is a special feature, The Captain’s Summit. Plenty of extras are here, including hours of commentaries and much more. Live long, prosper and pass the Romulan brandy!

Joe Barber’s entertainment reports and reviews can be heard Fridays through Sundays on WTOP-FM (103.5, 103.9, 107.7 & WTOP.com.) He can be seen regularly on WETA-TV’s Around Town and Fridays on Comcast Sports Net.