Taken

Liam Neeson turns middle-aged action hero (and energised his career) in this gritty thriller from French director Pierre Morel. Neeson's brow is creased with furious intent as he plays an ex-covert operative who runs, kicks, shoots and punches a bloody swathe through Paris in a race against time to find the men who've kidnapped his daughter (Maggie Grace). It soon becomes apparent that she's the victim of a major sex-trafficking operation, but any attempt to engage with this serious issue is drowned out by the crash, bang, wallop of bad guys (invariably swarthy immigrants) being dispatched. That's surely the influence of co-writer/producer Luc Besson (The Fifth Element), although Morel does counter the ludicrous Rambo-style moments with a bristling, raw energy to his camerawork. The physical punishment Neeson inflicts is almost palpable, but to his credit it's never at the expense of conveying his own sense of pain.