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IMDbPro

Taken

  • 20082008
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
608K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,067
137
Liam Neeson in Taken (2008)
A retired CIA agent travels across Europe and relies on his old skills to save his estranged daughter, who has been kidnapped while on a trip to Paris.
Play trailer1:53
2 Videos
99+ Photos
ActionCrimeThriller
A retired CIA agent travels across Europe and relies on his old skills to save his estranged daughter, who has been kidnapped while on a trip to Paris.A retired CIA agent travels across Europe and relies on his old skills to save his estranged daughter, who has been kidnapped while on a trip to Paris.A retired CIA agent travels across Europe and relies on his old skills to save his estranged daughter, who has been kidnapped while on a trip to Paris.
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
608K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,067
137
    • Pierre Morel
    • Luc Besson
    • Robert Mark Kamen
  • Stars
    • Liam Neeson
    • Maggie Grace
    • Famke Janssen
    • Pierre Morel
    • Luc Besson
    • Robert Mark Kamen
  • Stars
    • Liam Neeson
    • Maggie Grace
    • Famke Janssen
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1.1KUser reviews
    • 275Critic reviews
    • 51Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos2

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:53
    Watch Official Trailer
    'Taken' | Anniversary Mashup
    Video 1:04
    Watch 'Taken' | Anniversary Mashup

    Photos144

    Liam Neeson in Taken (2008)
    Liam Neeson in Taken (2008)
    Maggie Grace in Taken (2008)
    Liam Neeson and Fani Kolarova in Taken (2008)
    Liam Neeson in Taken (2008)
    Liam Neeson and Olivier Rabourdin in Taken (2008)
    Famke Janssen and Liam Neeson in Taken (2008)
    Famke Janssen, Liam Neeson, and Maggie Grace in Taken (2008)
    Liam Neeson and Maggie Grace in Taken (2008)
    Liam Neeson and Maggie Grace in Taken (2008)
    Liam Neeson in Taken (2008)
    Liam Neeson and Maggie Grace in Taken (2008)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Liam Neeson
    Liam Neeson
    • Bryan Mills
    Maggie Grace
    Maggie Grace
    • Kim
    Famke Janssen
    Famke Janssen
    • Lenore
    Leland Orser
    Leland Orser
    • Sam
    Jon Gries
    Jon Gries
    • Casey
    David Warshofsky
    David Warshofsky
    • Bernie
    Holly Valance
    Holly Valance
    • Sheerah
    Katie Cassidy
    Katie Cassidy
    • Amanda
    Xander Berkeley
    Xander Berkeley
    • Stuart
    Olivier Rabourdin
    Olivier Rabourdin
    • Jean-Claude
    Gérard Watkins
    • St-Clair
    Marc Amyot
    • Pharmacist
    Arben Bajraktaraj
    Arben Bajraktaraj
    • Marko
    Radivoje Bukvic
    Radivoje Bukvic
    • Anton
    • (as Rasha Bukvic)
    Mathieu Busson
    • Undercover Agent
    Michel Flash
    • Gio
    Nicolas Giraud
    Nicolas Giraud
    • Peter
    Rubens Hyka
    • Leka
      • Pierre Morel
      • Luc Besson
      • Robert Mark Kamen
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Liam Neeson expected the film to bomb, but he signed on in order spend four months in Paris and learn karate, while playing the kind of role he had rarely been offered in the past. Ironically, not only was the film a massive hit, but created a new on-screen image for Neeson as an action hero.
    • Goofs
      When Bryan is chasing the sheik's barge along the Seine in his car, he appears to be traveling at high rate of speed alongside the barge. The barge would likely be traveling around 5 knots, about the speed of a light jog. The speed limit for boats on the Seine is 15 knots, (about 17 mph), so even if the boat could somehow travel at the maximum speed for the river (which would be impossible for a boat like that), it would still be at a crawl for a car.
    • Quotes

      Bryan Mills: [talking to Marko on the phone] I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for 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.

      Marko: [after a long pause] Good luck.

      [hangs up his end of the phone]

    • Alternate versions
      Some of the shoot outs, the torture scene and some fisticuffs have been shortened in length for the film's US release to secure a PG-13 rating. The run time difference to the international version is about three minutes.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Echelon Conspiracy/Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li/Crossing Over (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      The Dragster Wave
      Performed by Ghinzu

      Written by John Stargasm (as Stargasm), Poe, Ghinzu

      From the album "Blow" by Ghinzu (www.ghinzu.com)

      (c) Contemporary Art

      (p) 2003 Dragoon (Contemporary Art)

      Courtesy of Barclay and Universal Music Vision, a Universal Music Publishing France Division

    User reviews1.1K

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Who needs luck when you can break a guy's arm in three places?
    Since the entire plot of this film is given away in the masterfully delivered trailer, it's not divulging anything to say that Taken is a modern-day revenge thriller. This presents an interesting experiment, actually. Considering that there aren't really any surprises to be found in Taken, beyond those we were offered in the pre-release snippet, are splendidly realized action sequences enough to carry this film? The answer here is a resounding "yes". Taken may be a simple film, but it's not simplistic, and even though the first third of it is spent recapping what we knew going in, the second and third acts here deliver enough thrills and action to make this film riveting, even if we know exactly where it's going.

    By setting the chase within the ultra-sleazy world of human trafficking, which we secretly hope is just a media creation, but know deep inside that this reprehensible and inhumane phenomenon is a reality, the film is propelled by a sense of urgency that isn't present in most revenge films. Liam Neeson's daughter isn't "Dead", she's "Taken", so his race against the ticking stopwatch tracking her probable fate provides enough tension to diffuse any disappointment in knowing exactly what's going to happen here.

    The selling point here is how deftly Liam Neeson hacks his way through a bevy of Albanian baddies. Neeson is untested as an action star, but watching him maneuver his way through the sea of detritus here, we're left hoping that he's got a franchise in him.

    The film may not have the intricacies of the expertly crafted Bourne films (although, like every action film made since Bourne appeared on the screen, the fight scenes here owe an obviously rich debt to Matt Damon's antics), but the gritty and realistic path Neeson carves to get to his stolen daughter is sufficient to deliver the promise implied by the fantastic trailer.

    You don't have to be a parent to understand and sympathize with Liam's plight here, and there is a morbid but exhilarating sense of release in seeing the evil empire pay for its transgressions. Sometimes morally complex, ambiguous studies of man's desire for revenge are too preachy to be entertaining. Taken doesn't really care if you like Liam Neeson or wonder if he's doing the right thing by flagrantly taking the law into his own hands; the film just wants you to strap yourself in and enjoy the tidings as he hands out beat-downs all over Paris.

    This film doesn't want you to think. Like Neeson's character quickly realizes, thinking is often not a luxury present in dire circumstances like these. Action is what counts, and for those who miss the era of the lean, mean 85-minute skull-crack fest, Taken will re-conjure the giddy thrills of watching Dudikoff, Seagal, and Van-Damme chomp through a slew of B-Movie terrorists. Having an Oscar-caliber actor delivering the judo chops only sweetens the pot.

    Forget about Oscars, plot points, or coherence. This dude's daughter has been kidnapped, and he's a former government agent trained to make bad guys' lives a living hell. Do you want to see him find his daughter and take down the scum who took her? Of course you do. Even reading this review is over-analyzing it.
    helpful•66
    10
    • happyendingrocks
    • Jun 24, 2009

    FAQ10

    • Is the daughter supposed to be slow?
    • What is "Taken" about?
    • Is "Taken" based on a book?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 30, 2009 (United States)
      • United Kingdom
      • France
      • United States
      • Facebook
      • Official Site
      • English
      • French
      • Albanian
      • Arabic
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Jardins du Louvre, Paris 1, Paris, France
    • Production companies
      • EuropaCorp
      • M6 Films
      • Grive Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 30 minutes
      • Color
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS

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