Taken 3

Taken 3 is the third and final(?) installment of the Taken trilogy. I was slightly surprised we didn't get Taken 3 part 1.

A couple years back Bill Maher made a joke that now all of Liam Neeson's films should simply be called "I will Hunt You Down and Kill You." It's funny, but basically true. I have enjoyed Liam's transformation into the thinking mans action hero of late. Being the capable actor he is, he tends to lend a little more depth to a typical action character, and sells being a very capable combatant.

And now, Taken 3. In this film we see Neeson's character Bryan Mills in much more of a defensive position, then in the previous Taken films were he was in a decidedly more offensive situation. After the death of his ex-wife, Mills is framed for her murder, and must find the real killer to avenger her, keep his daughter safe, and clear his name. Obviously he is on the run mainly instead of being in pursuit. While the character is still interesting, this change takes a little of the intellect, and strategy out of the character. He still stays a step ahead of the police, and tracks down the bad guy, but in general he just seems a little flatter then in the previous films. It is nice to see him enlist the help of some of his buddies, but they clearly wanted to keep it the Liam show so their help is minimal. I was excited to see what Forest Whitaker would bring to the film, unfortunately his character was left some what two dimensional, and in general just served to move the plot along.

In the previous films, especially Taken 2 the camera work was frantic, and did a good job of pulling you into the mayhem. In 3 however I felt the camera work was more tame, and kept you purely as a view rather then drawing you into the action. This is not meant to be a fault, just pointing out what I believe to be a stylistic change.

This may sound like I didn't like the film, which isn't true. I enjoyed it, and found it to be a perfectly capable action film. However it doesn't hit the same highs the previous films did. I would watch it again though.
High Points:
Liam Neeson kicking ass. Excellent use of a Porsche verse a jet plane. Bryan Mills is still a cut above many other action hero's.
Low Points:
Ok, in movies I know you have to suspend disbelief, but some times the line is crossed to a point that it makes me yell at the screen. Depicting a modern police car having no barrier between the back seats and front of the car made me scream. You can't find a taxi cab these days that doesn't have a cage or bullet proof glass between the seats let alone a police cruiser. Come on! Forest Whitaker is wasted on a less then fully developed character.