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Monday, May 23, 2016

Taken 3 (Starring Liam Neeson) - Yet more action - Released in 2014

Released in 2014, or 2015 ? Well, the movie had a premier in Germany in December 2014 and was released in the United States in January, 2015. For those fans of the previous version of the movie, the movie was something that they had to watch. And you knew there was going to be a sequel. After Taken 2, it was supposed to be that there would not be another version of the movie, but movies that have made money and developed a sort of cult get pushed to make more money, and you do that by releasing another sequel. So, Taken 3 was planned and had a similar kind of approach. You have this former special agent, Bryan Mills, who has his own special set of skills (quick work, explosive action and an intellect that allows him to work out situations and take action accordingly); and with his family in danger in Taken 1 and Taken 2, you expect that there would be action, killings (the way he operates, he can kill people very quickly and quietly and in numbers, and all without emotion).
The movie operates the same way. His ex-wife (Lenore, played by Famke Janssen) is running into trouble with her current husband Stuart and there is sort of an expectation that maybe she will finally get back with Bryan, and the emotions unleashed by the events of Taken 2 might have pushed that forward. He is already on pretty good terms with his daughter Kim (played by Maggie Grace), and there is some movement forward in terms of reconciling the family again.
Spoiler Alert.
And then the disaster, (Bryan has a plant to meet with Lenore for breakfast with bagels) and finds that Lenore is dead. The police are on the scene, and he is the prime suspect, and the ex-husband bit and all would play to the suspicious nature of police. He is taken by them, but as you would expect, that does not continue for too much time. He breaks free from them, and moves to a safe house where he tries to determine as to the sequence of events. He is able to do some reconstruction, but then police arrive at his safe house as well.
He again manages to escape from the police in their vehicle and starts doing more research, including using access to police records. He contacts his daughter and removes a surveillance device that was on her, and learns that Stuart is becoming more tense and watchful. He goes through more adventure, including a car crash down a cliff, and catches Stuart, learning from him that the murder was carried out by an ex-Spetsnaz operative called Oleg Malankov (played by Sam Spruell).
After much confrontation and a gun battle, Bryan learns that Stuart was playing a double game. He wanted the proceeds of a 12 Million Dollar insurance policy and needed Bryan to take the blame. Bryan finally manages to capture Stuart and hand him over the police, who in turn decide that Bryan was innocent and let him go.
The movie was all action, and the editing and flow could have been better - if you are a fan of Taken, you would not mind since the action is there. And Liam Neeson is there, as in the other Taken movies, raising the movie to a watchable one. However, the movie was panned by critics, but it was a commercial success, making more than 5 times the budget of the movie.

Taken 3 (Starring Liam Neeson) - Yet more action - Released in 2014