– “It has a particular set of skills, but they’re mostly on vacation.”
Whether you’re rewatching it or seeing it for the first time, this guide will help you set the right expectations, understand the good and the bad, and actually enjoy the ride. Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) is trying to be a normal dad. He’s in Istanbul, Turkey, with his ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) and his now-famous daughter Kim (Maggie Grace). The goal? A peaceful vacation to reconnect as a family.
Maggie Grace does a lot of the heavy lifting here. She’s no longer just the screaming victim. Watching her drive a stick shift, throw grenades (with instruction over the phone), and navigate Istanbul is genuinely fun. She becomes a junior action hero. What to Watch Out For (The Helpful Negatives) 1. The Shaky Cam Director Olivier Megaton (yes, that’s his real name) loves quick cuts and a shaky camera. In the first Taken , the action was clear and brutal. Here, several fights are hard to follow. If you get motion sickness, sit a little further from the screen.
If you want a Sunday afternoon action movie where Liam Neeson throws a bunch of punches, a teenager saves the day, and you get to see beautiful shots of Istanbul, film taken 2
So when Taken 2 arrived in 2012, expectations were high. The result? A film that is... complicated. It’s not the classic the first one was, but it’s also not the unwatchable mess some claim.
The first Taken was a hard PG-13/R in spirit. Taken 2 pulls its punches. The violence is less visceral. Bryan uses a frying pan and a towel rack more than his lethal “skills.” It feels sanitized compared to the raw desperation of the original.
There’s a moment early on where Kim throws a grenade off a rooftop, and Bryan tells her to “estimate the distance” so he can triangulate his position from miles away. It is laughably impossible. Just accept it as a video game logic moment and move on. – “It has a particular set of skills,
Let’s be honest. When Taken came out in 2008, it changed the action genre. We all learned a very specific set of skills, and we learned to fear Liam Neeson’s “particular set of skills” phone call.
This is the one clever, memorable trick the film adds to the action toolbox. Captive in a hotel room, Bryan pulls the pin on a grenade, tosses it down the hall, and uses the sound of the explosion and subsequent car alarms to map out the enemy’s positions. It’s smart, tense, and exactly what you want from a Mills tactical move.
Even when the script is shaky, Neeson commits. He looks tired (which makes sense—the man is pushing 60 and just wants a vacation), but that weariness adds a layer of realism. He’s not an invincible superhero; he’s a skilled, aging operative in pain. The goal
Taken 2 is the definition of a . It’s not good, but it’s rarely boring. Turn your brain off, admire the scenery, and enjoy watching Bryan Mills prove that even a bad Taken movie is more entertaining than a lot of other action films.
If you want a gritty, realistic thriller like the first Taken , skip this. You will be frustrated.
The problem? The father of one of the Albanian kidnappers Bryan killed in the first film wants revenge. He captures Bryan and Lenore. Now, it’s up to Kim to help rescue her parents using the “skills” she picked up from her overprotective dad. 1. The Istanbul Setting The filmmakers use Istanbul brilliantly. The chase scenes through the Grand Bazaar, the rooftop foot chases, and the final showdown in a traditional Turkish bath (hamam) give the movie a unique flavor. It’s a fantastic travel commercial for Istanbul.