TAKEN 3
US, 2014, 109 minutes, Colour.
Liam Neeson, Forrest Whitaker, Famke Janssen, Maggie Grace, Dougray Scott, Andrew Howard.
Directed by Olivier Megatron.
Who would have thought there would be three Taken films? In the first, Bryan Mills, a solid and sympathetic Liam Neeson, finds that his daughter is kidnapped in Paris and that he has to find her, s drawing on his skills in detection and combat action in his past Secret Service, before she is sold into sexual slavery. Plenty of action, much of it violent, created by French writer-director, Luke Besson and directed by Pierre Morell.
Besson and writer Robert Mark Kamen got together with director, Olivier Megatron (a distracting thought is that his name sounds as if it is one of the Transformers) for a sequel, Taken 2, This time Mills’ wife, Famke Janssen, was kidnapped. Much the same plot except for some spectacular location photography in Istanbul and throughout Turkey.
Again Besson, Kamen and Megatron combined for this sequel. Since Mills had only one daughter, who could be taken in the third film? Apparently Liam Neeson did not want an abduction this time, so there is not. Rather, there is a murder, and the whole action is set in Los Angeles. Brian Mills goes through the same anguish as he did in the other films, relentlessly seeking out the murderer, which brings in subplots of arms deals, business companies and blackmail, loan sharks and violent demands for repayment, the Russian Mafia. Mills is deceived a couple of times, being set up not only for the murder, but for the hunting down of the Russian criminals.
This time the Los Angeles Police are a bit slow, going by the book, being fairly certain that Mills is the suspect that they are after, concentrating on him rather than the subplots which, eventually, they have to do. It is Forrest Whitaker who plays the main police chief.
Mills wife, Famke Janssen, has married again, to businessman, Stuart (Dougray Scott), who is not very happy about her keeping contact with her former husband, and Mills fostering that contact. In the meantime, Mills’s daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace), is pregnant but is wary of telling her father. Needless to say, the Mafia thugs are after as well.
There are some twists in the plot – which may make us not so alert to some of the improbabilities and holes in the plot. Nevertheless, this is an action show, detection show – and the last in the series.
1. The popularity of the series? The character of Bryan Mills? The story of his family, his career? Targets and rescue?
2. The stipulation that there be no abduction in this film? Rather, a police investigation, mystery?
3. The Los Angeles settings, apartments, the domestic sequences? Offices and business? The police? Locations? The musical score?
4. The prologue, the abduction of the worker, the Russian Mafia, the office, the thugs, the criminal, opening the safe? No money, putting the man in the safe?
5. The police, Los Angeles, Dotzler, on-the-job, going by the book, steps in detection? Mills as suspect? The attempts at rest? The CCTV, the documents? His persistence? Demand her evidence? The issue of the bagels and his not suspecting Mills?
6. Mills, buying the panda, Kim and her birthday, discovering she was pregnant, her relationship with Jim? Not telling her father about the pregnancy? His taking back the panda? Her relationship with her mother?
7. The situation, Lenore and Stuart, the marriage, her anxiety, the phone call from Bryan, visiting him, the discussions, leaving, the continued love, his love? With Stuart, at home? The phone call, the request for bagels, Bryan going home, finding his wife dead? The police, his eluding them?
8. His detective work, examining the CCTV, reconstructing what happened? The tattoo on the villain’s hand?
9. Bryan, the arrest, the evidence, his skill in getting away, flushed away? Going to his friend, organising his disappearance? The messages to Kim, reassuring? Arranging to meet her? Interactions with the police, with Stuart?
10. The CCTV, the Russians, the abduction of Lenore? Responsible for her death?
11. The use of GPS, surveillance, the police following, keeping tabs?
12. Stuart, his marriage to a Lenore, suspicions of Bryan, visiting, threatening him? The deaths? Insurance policies on himself and his wife? His being the businessman, his debts, his past contact with the Russians, arms deals, some successful, some not? His shrewdness in playing Bryan, steering him against the Russians? The setup in the building, confrontations, shootings and death? The revelation of the truth, getting on the plane, the attempt at leaving, Bryan’s car stopping the plane on the tarmac?
13. The Russians, the boss, money lending, thugs for hire, in action? The boss, his penthouse, the women, the confrontation with Bryan? The fight? His death?
14. Bryan, his age, his past, skills, fights, guns, the big man? Plans?
15. Going to the building, the phone call, Dotzler and his following?
16. The resolution, Bryan as hero, reunited with his family? The defeat of the Russian villains? Stuart‘s imprisonment? Kim and her pregnancy – and happy ever after?
