'Taken 3' is the Last Time We'll See Bryan Mills... and That's a Good Thing
Taken 3 succeeds over its predecessor Taken 2, but that is hardly a reason to shout from the roof tops. Taken 2 was pitiful at best, so something with any sort of narrative drive was always going to surpass the second effort. But that doesn't mean Taken 3 is worth your time.
on the run
Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson), the former covert operative, is trying to lead a normal relationship with his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace). He is also attempting to advice his ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) who's indecisive as to whether she wants to remain married to her husband Stuart (Dougray Scott). Thinking he is finally at peace with his past and his new-found relationship with family, Mills receives a text message from her telling asking to talk with him. Upon buying bagels for his breakfast with Lenore, Mills returns to his apartment to find her dead. Police arrive and Mills makes his escape knowing he'll be the prime suspect. Inspector Franck Dotzler (Forest Whitaker) is investigating the case but finds it hard believing Mills' side of the story. Mills goes on the run to evade the relentless pursuit of the CIA, FBI and police. Mills uses his particular set of skills to track down the real killers, exact his unique brand of justice, and protect the only thing that matters to him now— his daughter.
The problem with the Taken series stemmed from the first movie— although a throughly entertaining action thriller— it was a stripped down, one-dimensional story. Invariably, it was going to be a struggle to maneuver the idea along in the subsequent releases without it feeling repetitive. As we saw, Taken 2 was a clumpy, mess of a sequel. It made money but lacked the sharpness the original had in abundance. The same can be said for Taken 3. Narratively it's improved (slightly), and it will find an audience— but that doesn't reflect away from its blundering, and stuttering story.
attempts to recapture the magic
The opening act is far too rapid in pace, jumping around like a dog on heat. It exerts itself to hurry the story along but gives us no time to digest it. The second and third acts are just as limp and lifeless, making you question exactly why you're watching this. Its high spots are the only redeeming quality, but considering its action sequences have always been Taken's strongest facet— it's no surprise these have remained the nucleus of the franchise's pulling power.
Taken 3 attempts to recapture the same magic Andrew Davis' The Fugitive grabbed back in 1993— a man falsely accused of his wife's murder is on the run, ferociously trying to prove his innocence. But what The Fugitive succeed in, Taken 3 fails at miserably. It's built entirely on set-pieces that don't correspond with previous attempts at building an engaging story. Instead, we are given a movie that has no heart to its family orientated theme— and when we get to those intimate family moments, they are destroyed by swooping camera angles, frantic jump cuts and an urgency to move us onto the next fast-paced fight scene.
Liam Neeson cuts a story figure of an actor playing a character that is worn out with his best days firmly behind him. It Ends Now is the tag-line for Taken 3, marking the last time we'll see Bryan Mills use his particular set of skills... and that's a good thing.
