When his teenage daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) is kidnapped on a backpacking trip to Europe, CIA man-turnedprofessional bodyguard Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) calmly warns her abductors to let her go or face the consequences. When his warnings go unheeded, Mills takes off to Europe and begins tracking the gang who took her, leaving a trail of carnage through the underworld as he disposes of anyone who gets in his way. As the bodies mount up, Mills closes in on his daughter's whereabouts, but can he reach her before she is sold into a life of slavery?
Directed by Pierre Morel, the vibrant French filmmaker behind 2004's kinetic thriller District 13, this no-holds-barred action film gives Jason Bourne a run for his money. Best known for portraying benevolent good guys, Neeson displays a real talent for ruthlessness as the merciless former agent, utilising a range of cold-bloodedly brutal techniques that even James Bond would baulk at. With ex-Neighbours girl Holly Valance also making an appearance as a pop star under Mills' protection, Taken is a compelling revenge romp that may not be the most cerebral of films, but makes up for any shortfalls with relentless and bloody action.
Taken is a Film programme that first aired in 2008 and has been classified a 15 certificate.
