Taken (Partial)

DVD Front Cover

I started watching this DVD (movie) last night. "Taken" has been on my list for a while but I don't remember where I first heard about it. My impression was that it was a good conspiracy type thriller (ala Harrison Ford's 1988 movie, "Frantic").

The short plot description on the back of the DVD box is: "Liam Neeson is an unstoppable force in this action-packed international thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. When his estranged teenage daughter is kidnapped in Paris, he sets out to dfind her at any cost. Relying on his special skills, the former spy tracks down the ruthless gang that abducted her and launches a one-man war to bring them to justice and rescue his daughter."

I had to turn it off after the first half hour because it was too personal for me, as it reminded me of my own situation with my son. Liam Neeson plays a divorced father who moves close to his ex-wife so he can be more involved in his child's life. However, the former wife despises him and frequently sabotages his attempts to have a relationship with his daughter. The mother enlists the daughter to lie and trick the father into giving permission for the daughter to go to Paris. The father knows that it is dangerous for a teenager (especially a girl) to be traveling abroad without adult supervision. As he feared, the daughter almost immediately gets into trouble.

I'm going to try to continue the movie tonight. I'm hoping that the rest of movie will be more of the action thriller aspect. Don't know how it will end (I suspect the father will rescue the daughter but who knows? Plus I don't know what part the ex-wife will play in the remainder of the film.).

Interestingly, two more sequels were made after the original film. As usual, I borrowed this from the library. I will have to do a follow-up post to report on my thoughts after finishing the movie. The DVD has two versions: the original theatrical version plus an Extended (unrated) version. Right now, I am watching the regular theatrical version.

I'm kind of sad today because usually I go with my son to the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Milford but since I have not heard from him in over six months I could not bear to go alone.

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Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taken_(film)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frantic_(film)
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2014/03/st-patricks-day-parade.html
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Written Saturday 12 March 2016.