'Taken 3' - predictable and mediocre (IANS Movie Review)

Jan 10,2015

Film: "Taken 3"; Cast: Liam Neeson, Forest Whitaker, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Sam Spruell, Dougray Scott, Dylan Bruno, Leland Orser and Jon Gries; Director: Olivier Megaton; Rating: **

"Somebody murdered your mother in my house. I don't know who did it or why, but I'll find out," Bryan Mills assures his daughter Kim. This forms the crux of "Taken 3".

Unlike its previous two editions, "Taken 3" is a scaled up, reminiscent, action-packed thriller whose premise is loosely based on the 1993-released Harrison Ford starrer "The Fugitive".

Set in Los Angeles, deadly ex-CIA operative Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) returns as a doting father to his now grown-up daughter Kim (Maggie Grace). He soon learns from his ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen), who is married to a multi-businessman Stuart (Dougray Scott), that she still fantasises about him and is considering a reconciliation.

But then their dreams are short-lived when Lenore gets brutally murdered and Bryan is framed for her death.

What makes this film a run-of-the-mill affair is the plot and screenplay written by Luc Besson and his long standing associate Robert Mark Kamen. The turn of events as well as the characterisation is predictable and lackadaisical. There are a couple of 'plot-holes' and unconvincing scenes that make the narrative appear weak. Also that is also why the actors fail to deliver.

The ageing Liam Neeson, though charming, does not elevate his character of the anguished superhero. His expressions are perfunctory, actions mechanical and speech on a low-note hollow, sounds superficial at times.

On the other hand, Forest Whitaker is lively as the bagel-munching detective Frank Dotzler, who is in awe of Bryan's impressive skills. He seems silly while trying to caricature a stereotype detective and is seriously, not funny at all.

Dougray Scott, who has replaced Xander Berkeley from the earlier edition and Sam Spruell, who plays the Russian Gangster Oleg Malankov are the new entrants. They are quite noticeable among the supporting cast as there is not much complexity in the character development.

Visually, the plethora of impressive day and night aerial shots, gives the film a superior feel. But overall, with jerky camera moments, poor lighting to capture the atmospheric tension cinematographer, Eric Kress's work is shifty and jarring. This, combined with super quick jump-cuts, mars the viewing experience, especially during the dramatic over-the-top action and chase scenes.

The background score is perfect except for a random Hindi song in one of the scenes. That score is unwarranted to the script and sounds illogical in the narrative. With the inclusion of this number, it is but obvious that director Olivier Megaton along with his producers, is trying to please a global audience and in the bargain, have delivered a mediocre kitsch.

Watch "Taken 3" if you have nothing better to do this weekend.

Tags:

'Taken 3' - predictable and mediocre (IANS Movie Review) Liam Neeson in news news about Liam Neeson Maggie Grace in news news about Maggie Grace Famke Janssen in news news about Famke Janssen

Priyanka Chopra: Kareena, who was the enemy in 'Aitraaz', praised Priyanka, wrote- 'Made to rule the world'

Jul 18,2025

Priyanka Chopra is celebrating her 43rd birthday today, i.e. on 18th July. On this special occasion, the actress has been congratulated by her film 'Aitraaz' co-star Kareena Kapoor in a different style. Kareena shared an old picture of an award show on Instagram Stories and wrote that Priyanka w

Vidyut Jamwal: Vidyut Jamwal is ready for his Hollywood debut, will play a strong role in this film

Jul 15,2025

Actor Vidyut Jamwal, known for his action, is now going to make his entry in a Hollywood film. He has joined the star cast of the live-action film 'Street Fighter'. It is a film based on an iconic video game franchise.Vidyut's Hollywood entryAccording to a Deadline report, Vidyut will be seen i

Vijay Deverakonda: New update on Vijay Deverakonda's film, Kingdom's new release date will be announced today

Jul 07,2025

Vijay Deverakonda has joined hands with famous director Gautam Tinnanuri for the action drama film 'Kingdom'. There is a lot of excitement about the film since its announcement. The recently released teaser has further increased the expectations of the fans. The new release date of the f

Dhurandhar's heroine Sara Arjun's father is also a top Bollywood actor, and has worked with Shah Rukh and Aamir.

Jul 07,2025

Sara Arjun, a well-known child artist of Indian cinema, is now going to rock the big screen with Ranveer Singh, who is 20 years older. A small glimpse of Sara in the first look of the Dhurandhar movie filled the audience with excitement.Ever since Dhurandhar was announced, it was believed

Panchayat 5: Now there will be a fight for the post of Deputy Pradhan in Phulera, the makers announced 'Panchayat 5'; know the update

Jul 07,2025

Last month, on June 24, the fourth season of 'Panchayat' was released on Amazon Prime, which the audience is loving a lot. However, in this season, Manju Devi loses the election of Pradhani, which disappointed the audience. Now everyone is waiting to see what will happen in its fifth season. See

This flop film's luck changed as soon as it came on OTT, got included in the top list.

Jun 30,2025

The year 2025 has proved to be lucky for most of the Big Star films. At the same time, the story of some stars' movies was not liked on the big screen. Today we are talking about a film that proved to be a flop at the box office, but when the movie knocked on OTT, it got immense love. Let us know

Harshvardhan Rane: The poster of Harshvardhan Rane's upcoming film was released, actor was seen covered in blood; Know the name of the movie

Jun 30,2025

Actor Harshvardhan Rane, who won everyone's heart with the film 'Sanam Teri Kasam', is now going to be seen in a great film, whose poster and title have been revealed. Recently, the actor was seen preparing for this upcoming film. Let's know about this film.The first look of the film releasedT

Panchayat 4: Neena Gupta is known not only for Manju Devi of Panchayat but also for these characters

Jun 26,2025

Recently 'Panchayat 4' has been released on OTT. This series is getting a lot of love from the audience. In this, actress Neena Gupta has played the character of Manju Devi, who is the head of Phulera village. She is very much in the news at this time. Know about those films and web seri