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We decided to watch Taken last night on Bluray. What we saw was not a great movie, but definitely an entertaining flick.

The film starts a  bit slow as we are introduced to Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) who is an ex-spy, or Preventer, for the US Government. We also see that his job has cost him his family and how this fact pains him deeply. We then meet his old team of super-military mercenaries who attempt to convince him to get back into the business. A few other things happen and then Mills takes off to find his daughter after threatening to find, and kill whoever took his daughter.

Now, a few questions come up:

1. Why does Mills go solo on this quest for vengence when he obviously has some supremely capable people on call?
2. Why does Mills seem to be living in destitution even though he apparently made tons of money doing the whole merc gig?
3. Should I be concerned that I, as the viewer, don’t really care about anybody else in the money other than Mills? (Short answer: no.)

It is at this point that the movie kicks into overdrive and never looks back. We are taken (no pun intended) on an adrenaline rush of a ride as Mills picks up on small clues to find just about everybody involved in his daughter’s taking. Not only does he find them, but he disables, manages, and/or kills every last one of them — granted, many in unlikely circumstances. However, this movie provides an escape from reality and a chance to root for a “hero”, so I find that I can forgive the many gross misgivings, including the fact that it seems that no one other than Mills could shoot the broadside of a barn.

This movie has some gritty violence and fight sequences. Neeson came across as a believable tour de force when it came to the hand to hand fighting, which was a surprise. It was an exhilirating ride for the most part which left me feeling like I just watched a Charles Bronson flick… A great movie, this is not… but it is a great time.

You can find this movie on Netflix and at Amazon.com.