“Taken 3” hit theaters Jan. 9 as the third installment of the Taken franchise. Liam Neeson returned as Bryan Mills, a retired U.S. spy whose life seems to be filled with unfortunate events. The first film in the series centers on the abduction of Mills’ daughter Kim (Maggie Grace). The second development turns the tables as Mills and his ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) are abducted, leaving Kim as their only hope of being rescued (spoiler alert: they escape). So, of course, a new plot had to be developed for Taken 3, and naturally, someone had to die.
The film takes on a brave premise and kills Lenore. Mills comes home one day to discover his ex-wife in his bed with her throat slashed. A knife is lying on the floor of the bedroom, and within seconds, two policemen burst through the door to arrest Mills. This framed murder may have worked had it been against anyone but Mills. In a few swift movements, Mills has the cops in handcuffs and jumps out the window to make his escape.
Right away, this film introduces something different from the past two movies. Rather than playing a sort of cat-and-mouse game, a mystery storyline takes place in addition to the action. Audiences might have expected to see the same story once again, but “Taken 3” goes beyond its predecessors.
Throughout the movie, Mills performs his regular routine of running, punching, shooting and making witty remarks.
Stuart St. John (Dougray Scott), Lenore’s current husband and Kim’s less-than-favored stepdad, is suspicious from the beginning. Prior to the murder, he shows up at Bryan’s house and basically says, “Don’t ever see my wife again, or else.”
Then, the audience is informed that St. John has a millionaire Russian boss named Malankov (Sam Spruell) who allegedly wants to kill Stuart because he owes him a great deal of money. St. John tells Mills all about this and begs him to devise a plan to kill Malankov. Although Mills isn’t fond of St. John, he agrees to help him in order to avenge Lenore.
The strangest part of the 112-minute thriller is that a huge plot point has to do with bagels. The morning of the murder, Mills receives a text from Lenore asking to meet for bagels. The idea of casual breakfast dates in a thriller movie seems a little comical. Hearing Neeson mutter “bagel” in his deep tone is enough to achieve a theater full of chuckles.
One of the film’s most notable scenes occurs in a liquor store, where Bryan attacks a group of Russian thugs and knocks them all out, one by one. It’s a classic fight scene that reminds audiences why Neeson is such an acclaimed actor. Plus, the sounds of punches, harsh moans and breaking bottles are both suspenseful and exciting.
Fans of the trilogy have been both disappointed and satisfied with the third film. It’s easy to see how viewers may be getting bored with the storyline, but even if that’s true, the film still earned $39.2 million during its first weekend in theaters. In comparison, “Taken” earned $24.7 million its first weekend, and “Taken 2” earned $49.5 million.
The movie appears to have a “love it or hate it” vibe, but if nothing else, it can bring about some intense debate among viewers.
