"I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for a ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you." ~ Retired Special Agent Bryan Mills
"Good Luck..." ~ Albanese Kidnapper 'Marco'
Summary
The seventeen year-old Kim is the pride and joy of her father, the retired agent Bryan Mills that left the his classified government job to stay near Kim in California. Kim lives with her mother Lenore and her wealthy stepfather Stuart; she convinces the reluctant Bryan to sign an authorization to travel to Paris with her friend Amanda. When they arrive, they share a cab with the stranger Peter and Amanda tells to him that they are alone in Paris. When Bryan succeeds in contacting his daughter, she tells that criminals have just broke in the apartment and they are kidnapped by an Albanese gang of human trafficking 'Organization'. Bryan promises in the phone to kill the kidnapper of his daughter and immediately travels to Paris to find Kim and chase the criminals.
Interesting Facts
*Doing this film propelled Famke Janssen ~ the actress who played Kim's mother, Lenore ~ to take action in the real fight against corruption. She now serves as the 'Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Office against Drugs and Crime'.
*Former Special Air Service (SAS) Soldier Mick Gould trained Liam Neeson ~ the actor who played Kim's father, Bryan Mills ~ in combatives and weapons handling skills to prepare him for the role.
*The fighting art used by Liam Neeson ~ Kim's father, Bryan Mills ~ in the film is primarily Filipino Kali ~ empty handed techniques, blade and stick fighting, and/or kicking ~ with elements of Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do ~ focusing basically on center line control, vertical punching, trapping, and/or forward pressure ~ Both fighting arts are currently used in British Special Air Service (SAS) as well as United States Navy Seals. Fight Coordinator/Technical Advisor Mick Gould is highly skilled in both.
Memorable Quotes
*"Now's not the time for dick measuring, Stuart!" ~ Bryan, Kim's Father, getting in the face of Stuart, Kim's Step-Father.
*"You don't Have to worry." ~ Kim trying to calm the nerves of her paranoid father ~ "That's like telling water not to be wet, sweetie."
*"You either give me what I need or this switch will stay on until they turn the power off for lack of payment on the bill." ~ An old government torture tactic used to retrieve vital information from a captive.
Review
He is the paranoid hard~ass father that every guy wishes they never cross pathes with win dating. He unfortunately, has to face every father's worst nightmare ~ his baby girl is kidnapped, and he must face the reality that there's nothing he can do to stop it, but he can get her back. If you are a daddy's girl, you will automatically bond with this movie within the first 6 minutes and 3 seconds ~ got a little laugh, didn't I? ~ You can feel the unconditional love this man has for his daughter. He retired from his government position as a "Preventor" to be able to bond with his daughter, whom he wasn't there for until recently as her 17th b-day rolls around. He talks about her constantly, boasting about how wonderful of a woman she's becoming. He awaits her calls and wishes everything to be greater involved in her life. The events and storyline of 'Taken' are a prime example at how far a father will go to seek revenge and to save the life of his daughter. The acting is excellent, the connection between the actor who portrayed Bryan and the actress who portrayed Kim really draws you into the movie. The plot was well thought of and the movie was Directed with remarkable and noteable skills. It is a suspense-thriller with action-packed scenes from beginning to end, never disappointing. Everything is revealed with clarity, no confusing back-stories or scenes where you're wondering what the hell just happened. And you can understand everything that is spoken, even the accents of the Albany and French actors/actresses. This movie will keep you on the edge of your seat, and questioning how far will a father really go to save his daughter.
Pretty close to real life too, so that just makes it more good.
