When an Albanian crime ring abducted an American girl in Taken (2009), they had no idea that her ex-CIA dad would not only get her back, but kill them all in the process. In Taken 2, the thugs are back (or rather, their families), and they’re after revenge.
Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) is still living a boring life of retirement, spending his days trying to bond with his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) and his nights barbequing with ex-CIA buddies. Except now Kim has a boyfriend and his ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) is separated from her new husband, conveniently opening the door for Mills to re-enter the picture. Meanwhile, the families of the Albanian criminals have been plotting Mills’ death. When Mills happens to get a personal security gig in Istanbul and asks Kim and Lenore to join him there for vacation, he unwittingly leads them straight into the bad guys’ plans. The three have only just been reunited in Turkey when the Albanians show up, this time taking Mills and the ex-wife.
There’s no mistaking that the film is all Neeson, who despite being past his physical prime proves yet again that he’s a solid action star. Neeson plays Mills with an unassuming ordinariness and frankness that makes his “special set of skills” that much more appealing. When he’s not breaking necks, he’s just a dad fumbling to impress his teenage daughter.
Still, something’s amiss about the Mills family dynamic. Kim is too giggly for her age and Lenore too stiff for us to understand why Mills would want her back (oh right, she’s gorgeous), and their relationships feel as forced as Lenore’s smiles. Mr. Mills also seems to have lost his moral compass over the last few years. Mills’ innate goodness is at the core of his character, but here his “do whatever it takes” attitude results in ridiculous new levels of recklessness. In one scene, he instructs his daughter to throw grenades onto the city’s rooftops so that he can use the speed of sound to estimate his relative location.
The unexpected success of Taken seems to have left producer Luc Besson and director Olivier Megaton too scared to deviate from the formula. While the best part of the original was the revelation that Mills could and would kick everyone’s ass to save his daughter, the second one lacks any similarly satisfying twists. There are times when you get caught up in the thrill of the ride (there’s a hell of a car chase through the backstreets of Istanbul) but other times you’re just waiting for it to be over. The bad guys are overly simplistic and the plot predictable, resulting in a film that’s like an extended version or repeat of the original. But hardcore Liam Neeson fans won’t be disappointed.