Taken 3 (2015) Review!!

Synopsis – Ex-government operative Bryan Mills is accused of a ruthless murder he never committed or witnessed. As he is tracked and pursued, Mills brings out his particular set of skills to find the true killer and clear his name.

My Take – I was among the lucky few to attend the red carpet premiere in the 3rd installment of this self aware yet very enjoyable action series. But frankly or I would rather say unfortunately, the best part of this whole event was the presence of the star Liam Neeson himself, & not the 109 minute long movie. Its a common know fact that 3rd installments are just another attempt by the studio to grab some more cash out of an almost dried up franchise (Shrek 3, Spider-man 3, Transformers 3), well of course their are exceptions. Being a fan of the original & the sequel, I was hoping that the series would go out on a bang, but unfortunately Director Olivier Magaton has made sure this film would not only kill a franchise, but has found himself a nomination for one of the worst films of the year already! To set the record straight, no one gets taken in here, a condition that its principal star Liam Neeson apparently laid down before he agreed to return for this third and presumably final installment.

That is perfectly fine with us; after all, how many times can ex- Special Forces operative Bryan Mills find himself having to deploy his very particular set of skills after a member of his family is taken away from him? Indeed, that is not the issue we had with this utterly disappointing third outing, which totally squanders what audience goodwill the first movie had accumulated and its immediate predecessor had not yet depleted. So Bryan Mills (Neeson) is struggling to reconnect to his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace), now grown up and secretly pregnant to her boyfriend. Bryan is also rekindling his ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen), unhappily married to Stuart (Dougray Scott), but he won’t move until they’re separated. After buying some bagels (important) Bryan returns to his flat and finds Lenore has been murdered. The police arrive immediately and prepare to arrest him for the murder. He escapes arrest and sets off to find who killed his wife and framed him. Dotzler (Forest Whitaker) is the inspector chasing him, and comes to the Sherlock-like conclusion Bryan might be innocent after all. In the last portion there are hilariously sleazy, drunken Russian mobsters who will receive their comeuppance Yes!, the Russians are the baddies again. Probably the biggest sin of this film is – it tries to be an unnecessary & an unoriginal remake of The Fugitive starring Harrison Ford. Produced by French-based EuropaCorp, the Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen scripted ‘Taken’ was one of the most notable action films in recent memory when it was released back in 2008. Key to its success was Neeson, whose viciously efficient qualities as the former CIA badass were excellent complement to the actor’s natural gravitas and air of gentleman nobility. The inevitable sequel that followed four years later was also an enjoyable film; even though it toned down the former’s no-holds-barred brutality to make it more accessible to a younger audience, even though it had lost the former’s gritty edge, it still had its hold enough to entertain. But the deadened violence isn’t quite the movie’s most critical flaw; that belongs unquestionably to its director Olivier Megaton.

Liam Neeson is a talented actor & a delight to watch, but perhaps Liam Neeson is all too aware that the ‘Taken’ franchise has completely sputtered out; indeed, the film plays almost like a parody of the original movie, which was to action fans a sheer unbridled delight for its realistic stunt work and hand-to-hand combat. Both these elements are sorely and sadly missing from a movie that can’t even get its priorities right, no thanks to the utter shocking ineptitude of its director. Oscar winner Forest Whitaker is completely under used, what would have seemed to be turning into a cat-mouse game between the stars, turns out to be nothing but bland promises. Maggie Grace looks really worn out. What starts off as a fairly safe and bland family melodrama crash lands into familiar idiocy. The plot, including various twists, motives and double crosses, is laughably convoluted and stupid. The movie is also moves at a snoring speed and is less focused on action, if compared to the previous ones. On the Whole “Taken 3” is a disappointing mess of a so called finale to a fairly enjoyable franchise, which tarnishes its good star’s name & gives us nothing but agony & frustration. Avoid!