Taken was released in France on 27 February 2008. The film received mixed reviews from critics, and was a financial success, grossing $226 million against a $25 million budget. Numerous media outlets cited the film as a turning point in Neeson's career that redefined him as an action star.[5][6][7] It also launched a franchise, consisting of two sequels and a television series.
Former Green Beret and retired CIA officer Bryan Mills attempts to build a closer relationship with his 17-year-old daughter, Kim, who lives with her mother, Lenore, and her wealthy step-father, Stuart. While overseeing security at a concert for pop star Sheerah, Bryan saves her from a knife-wielding attacker. A grateful Sheerah offers to have her vocal coach assess Kim, an aspiring singer. Meanwhile, Kim needs Bryan's written permission to visit Paris with her friend, Amanda. Though concerned about Kim's safety, Bryan, pressured by Lenore, reluctantly agrees. At the airport, Bryan learns that Kim and Amanda are actually planning to follow U2 during their European tour. Kim assures him that Amanda's cousins are chaperoning them.
Upon arriving at Charles de Gaulle Airport, Kim and Amanda meet Peter, who offers to share a taxi. Kim and Amanda arrive at Amanda's cousins' apartment, where Kim learns that the cousins are vacationing in Spain. While talking with Bryan on her cell phone, Kim sees men entering the apartment and abducting Amanda. While being dragged from hiding, Kim yells out her abductor's description as Bryan records the call and gives instructions. As the abductor listens on the phone, Bryon says he will not pursue the kidnappers if they release Kim. Refusing will result in their deaths.[8] The listener only replies, "good luck," and terminates the call. Bryan's former colleague, Sam, deduces the kidnappers belong to an Albanian sex trafficking ring and identifies the listener's recorded voice as mob boss, Marko Hoxha. Based on previous abductions, Kim must be found within 96 hours or be lost forever.
Bryan flies to Paris. At the apartment, he finds Kim's phone and checks the photos. One has Peter's reflection on it. Bryan locates Peter at the airport attempting to lure another young victim. Bryan forcefully demands to know Kim and Amanda's whereabouts. Peter breaks free but is killed by an oncoming truck. With his only lead dead, Bryan contacts old colleague, Jean-Claude Pitrel, an ex-DGSE agent turned National Police officer. Jean-Claude informs him about the local red-light district where the Albanians operate. He warns Bryan to avoid getting involved. Bryan goes there and engages an Albanian pimp. He plants a listening device on him, and with help from a hired translator, is led to a makeshift brothel in a construction yard. Bryan rescues a drugged young woman who has Kim's denim jacket.
After a violent gunfight, killing several sex traffickers, and mostly destroying the facility, Bryan takes the woman to a hotel and improvises her detoxification. The woman tells Bryan about a house where she and Kim were kept. Posing as Jean-Claude, Bryan enters the trafficker safehouse under the pretence of renegotiating the police protection rate. When Bryan identifies Marko by his voice, the meeting erupts into a fight, which results in several terrorists being killed. Searching the house, Bryan finds Amanda, who is dead from an overdose. Bryan tortures Marko with electricity and leaves him to die from continuous electrocution, but not before the latter reveals that virgins like Kim are sold on the black market. He identifies the buyer as crime syndicate terrorist, Patrice Saint-Clair.
Bryan confronts Jean Claude over his corruption and forces him to disclose Saint-Clair's location. Bryan infiltrates a clandestine sex slave auction occurring beneath Saint-Clair's mansion. Kim is the evening's last sale. Bryan forces a bidder to purchase her but is subsequently caught and subdued. Learning Bryan's identity, Saint-Clair orders him killed, but Bryan breaks loose and eliminates everyone. A mortally wounded Saint-Clair reveals Kim was delivered to a nearby yacht. Bryan boards the vessel and eliminates the bodyguards. He breaks into a bedroom where a Sheikh is holding Kim at knifepoint. Bryan fatally shoots him and saves Kim. Back in the US, Bryan surprises Kim by taking her to visit Sheerah.
Cast
Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills, an ex-Green Beret and CIA officer seeking to rescue his daughter from sex traffickers
Maggie Grace as Kimberly "Kim" Mills, Bryan's daughter
Famke Janssen as Lenore "Lenny" Mills-St John, Bryan's former wife
Nicolas Giraud as Peter, a scout for a terrorist sex trafficking ring[9]
Goran Kostić as Gregor, an Albanian University professor who Bryan hired to translate for him
Nabil Massad[fr] as Raman, the Sheikh, and a customer to Pitrel
Jalil Naciri[fr] as Ali, the Sheikh's personal bodyguard
Production
The film was produced by Luc Besson's EuropaCorp.[10] Pierre Morel had previously worked as a director of photography for Besson, and they had also collaborated on Morel's directorial debut, District 13. Besson pitched the idea of Taken one night over dinner and Morel immediately became attached to the idea of a father fighting to protect his daughter.[11]Jeff Bridges was first cast as Bryan Mills, but after he dropped out of the project, Liam Neeson accepted the part, desiring to play a more physically demanding role than he was used to. Neeson at first thought the film to be no more than a "little side road" for his career, expecting it to be released directly to video. Instead, the film went on to define Neeson's career and establish him as an action star.[12]
Music
The score of the film was composed by Nathaniel Méchaly and released on 27 January 2009.[13]
Soundtrack
All songs written and composed by Nathaniel Méchaly except where noted.[14][15]
"Tick Tick, Boom" (Written and performed by The Hives)
3:24
15.
"Hotel Camelia"
1:38
16.
"The Auction"
1:38
17.
"Pursuit by the"
3:15
18.
"On the Boat"
1:05
19.
"The Last Fight"
1:52
20.
"The Dragster Wave" (Written and performed by Ghinzu)
6:09
Total length:
45:50
Release
Taken was released in France on 27 February 2008 by EuropaCorp and was released in other territories by 20th Century Fox.
The film was edited by 3 minutes to secure a PG-13 rating in the United States.[16]
Reception and legacy
Box office
Taken grossed $145 million in North America and $81.8 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $226.8 million, against a production budget of $25 million.[4]
On its opening day in North America, the film grossed $9.4million, scoring the best opening day ever for Super Bowl weekend.[17] It went on to make $24.7 million during its opening weekend playing in 3,183 theaters, with a $7,765 per-theatre average and ranking #1, which was the second highest Super Bowl opening weekend, at the time, behind Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert ($31.1 million).[18] The film is also the highest grossing among the Taken films in North America.[19]
The biggest markets in other territories were South Korea, UK, France, Australia and Spain: the film grossed $15.47 million, $11.27 million, $9.43 million, $6.28 million, and $5.46 million respectively.[20]
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 60%, based on 178 reviews, with an average rating of 5.80/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Taken is undeniably fun with slick action, but is largely a brainless exercise."[21] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 50 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[22]
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film two and a half stars out of four, writing, "It's always a puzzle to review a movie like this. On the one hand, it's preposterous. But who expects a 'Bourne'-type city-wrecking operative to be plausible? On the other hand, it's very well-made. Liam Neeson brings the character a hard-edged, mercilessly focused anger, and director Pierre Morel hurtles through action sequences at a breathless velocity."[23]Richard Corliss of Time said the film "has nothing more on its mind than dozens of bad guys getting beat up and another one turned into instant roadkill."[24]The Washington Post described the film as "a satisfying little thriller as grimly professional as its efficient hero" and likened the action to the Bourne film series.[25] Derek Elley of Variety described the film as a "kick ass, pedal-to-the-metal actioner [...] that wisely doesn't give the viewer any time to ponder the string of unlikely coincidences [...] the film has the forward, devil-may-care momentum of a Bond film on steroids."[26]
Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times described the film's premise as "unintentionally silly at times [...] Obviously, 'Taken' is not the kind of action film to spend much time worrying about its pedestrian script or largely indifferent acting, so it's fortunate to have Neeson in the starring role." Bryan Mills is characterized as "relentless attack machine who is impervious to fists, bullets and fast-moving cars, he uses a variety of martial arts skills to knock out more opponents than Mike Tyson and casually kill those he doesn't KO".[27]
Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[28]
Later events
In 2011, a self-proclaimed counter-terrorism expert was convicted of wire fraud after claiming the film was based on a real-life incident in which his daughter was killed. William G. Hillar, who pretended to be a retired Green Beret colonel, claimed to have spent more than 12 years lecturing US government agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation on security issues. However, records revealed he had actually been a radar operator in the Coast Guard Reserve between 1962 and 1970, and had never been in the U.S. Army. Nevertheless, his website claimed Taken was based on events involving him and his family. Hillar, who admitted the charges, was sentenced to 500 hours of community service at Maryland State Veteran Cemeteries. He also agreed to repay $171,000 in speaking fees that he had received from various organizations to which he had presented himself as an expert in terrorism and human trafficking.[29]
After the film was released, the "Taken Speech" that Neeson's character gave while talking on the phone with his daughter's kidnappers became an Internet meme.[8] Neeson described the scene as "corny. It was a cornball. I really did feel that."[32]
Taken was released as "Taken (Single-Disc Extended Edition)" on DVDs on 12 May 2009 and on Blu-ray on 9 December 2014. The film also saw release of "Taken (Two-Disc Extended Edition)" on DVDs and Blu-ray Discs on 12 May 2009.[33]As of 5February2015[update], the film has sold 5,388,963 DVDs and 607,073 Blu-ray Discs and grossing $79,798,171 and $10,069,116 respectively totaling $89,867,287 in North America.[34]
Sequels
In November 2010, Fox announced that EuropaCorp would produce a sequel directed by Olivier Megaton. Taken 2 was subsequently released in France on 3 October 2012, with Neeson, Janssen, Grace, Gries, Rabourdin and Orser reprising their roles from the first film.[35][36][37] A third Taken film was released 16 December 2014.[38]
In September 2015, NBC ordered a TV series depicting a younger Bryan Mills with Clive Standen portraying Mills, Gaius Charles, Monique Gabriela Curnen, James Landry Hébert, Michael Irby, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Jennifer Marsala and Simu Liu are cast as John, Vlasik, Casey, Scott, Dave, Riley and Faaron, members of OPCON. Brooklyn Sudano is cast as Asha, an attractive, well-educated young student from an upper-middle-class family who is furthering her education when she first meets Bryan, and Jennifer Beals is cast as Christina Hart, the Special Deputy Director of National Intelligence who has taken Mills under her wing. Alexander Cary is a writer, executive producer and showrunner for the series and Alex Graves directed the pilot.[39][40] The show lasted two seasons, beginning in February 2017 and ending in June the following year.
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