The action movie for dads with daughters

TAKEN

Starring Liam Nesson as the Primo Papa Brian Mills; father and ex-spy.

Summary: This is what happens to you when you mess with a semi-retired government operative's daughter. Solid action flick with plenty of hand to hand action and clever spy tricks.

Pros: Total guy movie that you can watch with your wife or girlfriend. Great action and camera work a la Jason Bourne. Should be viewed by any boy coming to pick up your daughter.

Cons: Nesson's character Bryan who is portrayed as a seasoned world traveling spy never has to break from speaking English during the entire film. I thought all those guys could speak 10 languages.



You may have heard the saying "a man's man", well Bryan Mills played by Liam Nesson is a dad's dad. In Taken, Bryan is an ex-government operative who has retired and moved closer to his teenage daughter with the hope of make up for lost time. The story kicks into high gear after the daughter with her mother's help, coaxes Byran to give consent so she can spend the summer in Paris with another teenage friend. Before the two young travelers spend their first night in Paris they are kidnapped by sex traffickers. This action flick tells a thrilling story about what a father is willing to do to save his daughter when he has Bryan's particular set of skills.

This story is a gift from writers Luc Besson & Robert Mark Kamen to any guy who is now the father of a little girl and fan of the Bourne, bond, or the Transporter movies. They set up the action by giving you some time to see the range of emotion experienced by a father who is trying to reconnect with his child after many years lost to an all consuming career. All the while navigating the icy water of an ex-wife and her uber rich husband. Once the emotional foundation is laid, it serves as a launching pad for Neeson's character to blast of into a focused rage and quest to bring his daughter home alive.

Bryan is always thinking. He seems to never loose his cool. All of the detective work to uncover the tiniest clues is clever. Watching him shred through all of the evil doers he encounters in the Paris under world delivers close hand to hand combat and fast paced action. In one particular seen when he realizes an old French spy buddy is on the crime boss' payroll, Bryan has no problem demonstrating his determination, even if it means inflicting a little pain on someone his old pal loves.

Nesson does a great job of making sure that nowhere during this entire odyssey do you loose sight of the fact that he is still a dad trying to save his child. His facial expressions often convey enough that words are not needed. Even during his rampage on all the sex trading scum he is able to show some compassion for another girl instead of just tossing her aside.

After a great final round of beat downs, Bryan is reunited with his daughter and you are presented with a predictable but realistic happy ending. Taken is a fun film for you to check out. For any guy with a teenage daughter, there are a few select scenes that are perfect to have for the viewing pleasure of any new boy that comes knocking on your door.