Three stars. Rating: PG-13, for relentless violence and action
By Derrick Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 10.5.12
I often lament the market-driven
ubiquity of sequels, many (most?) of which not only fail to live up to their
predecessors, but often taint those happy memories.
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| Do not get between this man and his family. When Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) runs into a kidnapping plot resulting from unfinished business lingering from this film's predecessor, he does what he does best: shoots and kills, shoots and kills. Sadly, though, the bloom has worn off this particular rose. |
Case in point: Taken 2, which
became inevitable after its 2008 predecessor turned into a surprise hit that
earned $224 million in worldwide box office.
This new entry isn’t a bad film,
per se; it’s simply unnecessary. It covers no new ground, except to soften the
long-estranged relationships between Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) and his ex-wife,
Lenore (Famke Janssen), and their outrageously spoiled teenage daughter, Kim
(Maggie Grace).
But that’s not the meat of
director Olivier Megaton’s amped-up action thriller, which exists mostly so
that Bryan can meticulously execute dozens of anonymous tough guys, who clearly
flunked out of Thug School. Rarely have we seen such a careless, sloppy and
unskilled collection of ruffians; even with automatic weapons, they couldn’t
hit the broad side of a barn. They dishonor the tattoo that marks their clan.
In fairness, contrivance and
coincidence also played a major role in the first Taken, but we weren’t quite
as distracted by narrative implausibility; it was fun to see Neeson emerge as
an unlikely but persuasively competent black-ops veteran. Mostly, Neeson’s
Bryan was mesmerizing because of his shrewd and almost uncanny intelligence.
Sure, he kicked plenty of ass, but mostly he out-thought his opponents. The
concept felt fresh.
Yes, Taken 2 finds a way to
further explore Bryan’s smarts; scripters Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen are
savvy enough not to mess with success. But that’s the point; they also haven’t
expanded upon that formula. In some ways, Taken 2 feels less like a sequel
and more like a remake; it suffers badly from a sense of sameness.
But to cases:
Things have indeed improved
between Bryan and Lenore, in part because Stuart, her second husband — never seen
and only referenced; I guess Xander Berkeley wasn’t available to reprise the
role — has been exposed as a louse. Bryan still monitors Kim too closely,
although most parents could forgive his paranoia; after all, she was kidnapped
and almost sold into white slavery.
Bryan’s insistence on
über-scheduling includes helping Kim pass her driving test, in order to secure
a license: a plot sidebar that blatantly telegraphs an eventual car chase with
an ill-prepared Kim behind the wheel. In fairness, it’s a corker of a chase,
but I’m getting ahead of things.
