Taken 3 - Directed by Oliver Megaton
Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Forest Whitaker, Famke Janssen, Dougray Scott, Leland Orser, Jon Gries
Running Time: 109 minutes
Rating: M - mild violence and low level language
Here we go again.
And by that I mean - Please God let this be better than the last movie!
The first movie in the Taken franchise was a blast out of nowhere- a great little action-revenge flick that had the audience gleefully cheering Bryan Mills on as he took out all sorts of human trafficking filth in a variety of ingenious ways.
The second movie felt like it existed only because the first movie earned some serious coin.
The premise was bad - the execution worse.
So going into the third movie I had no expectations but nonetheless desperately wanted it to be closer to the first movie than the second.
At least this time the plot seems reasonable....
Mills is framed for the murder of ex-wife Lenore and sets about avenging her death.
Nice and simple - these films work better that way.
First we are re-introduced to the Mills family.
Bryan is still buying gifts for daughter Kim as if she was still seven years old and Lenore is still married (just) to Stewart - a man whose only appeal seems to be extreme wealth.
Apart from the jarring realisation that Stewart is played by Dougray Scott now instead of Xander Berkeley everything seems to be set up reasonably well.
But as soon as Lenore is dispatched things start to unravel.
I won't dwell on my distress at losing Famke Janssen - my love for her is beyond the measure of current science. No- the real problems here are plot holes and the infuriating 'smart people doing dumb things' nonsense.
So- plot holes....
So much doesn't make any sense that it beggars belief even for a popcorn action flick.
Kim's doting boyfriend disappears for all but the final moments of the movie - showing up for a single scene early on to impart some exposition that couldn't have been more obvious if he had winked, made a "shhh" noise and pointed at the audience knowingly.
Secondly Stewart has changed from a simpering man hiding behind his money to a much younger and more intimidating version.
The reason for the change is clear - the script called for this character to be very different from the one shown in the first movie to enable the catalyst for the entire plot- the murder of Lenore.
So Stewart is not the man that we all know and despise.
Gone is the man put back in his hole with a simple "Now is not the time for a dick measuring contest Stewart" barked at him by Mills in full 'on' mode.
And on that note- there isn't the same sense that Mills is a normal guy who can switch on his 'special skills' when they are required.
His is a character who has grown less interesting and shallower with each new movie - the exact opposite of which should happen almost by accident if not intention.
But miraculously he is not only shaved back to the quick in terms of characterisation but the sole quality left - his ass-kicking prowess- is reduced to an ineptitude that is laughable.
He frequently deliberately enters into a situation underpowered even when given the choice to go in with a more level playing field.
So we see him go up against several men with assault rifles brandishing only a pistol with one magazine. He tosses the weapon as soon as he has emptied it into several walls so that he can enter in a poorly choreographed hand to hand fight scene.
Time and time again the same flow is applied to the fights - a flurry of Mills moves and blows that momentarily give him the upper hand until miraculously the bad guy takes back the advantage in ways that are unclear before Bryan looks doomed but springs up to finish the villain off with a bloodless coup de grace.
And that is the other main beef that I have with this movie.
It is anaemic in the extreme.
You can't tell us how lethal Mills is in scene after scene of overblown CV reading then not give us the results of all that training and experience when he uses it.
This extends to his foes too.
One is pretty much described as the most brutally lethal man in Russia.
Later we see him totally fluff the chance to take Mills out from a raised position in a well lit room at close range and with the element of surprise.
And how does he mess it up?
He misses in a flurry of somewhere in the region of twenty bullets.
Sigh.
On the plus side- at least Kim is less annoying this time and actually serves some sort of purpose.
Maggie Grace plays sweet very well and she is a lovely woman. She deserves better but to her credit she plays the character with everything that she's got.
Forest Whitaker tries his best to be the smart cop chasing Mills but he is encumbered by some bloody awful one dimensional cops under him.
This is a weak, bloodless mess - under choreographed and over edited.
Is it too much to ask in these times of high tech editing computers and high def digital cameras that action scenes can be presented clearly and coherently rather than in a blur of clumsily bundled together frames?
If you want evidence of how far a lot of todays action movies have strayed check out the 1987 movie "The Hidden" with Kyle McLachlan and Michael Nouri.
The budget on that movie would barely cover the catering on "Taken 3"' but it packs in car chases, shootouts, beat ups, foot chases and much more. It moves at a hell of a lick but not for one second will you be confused as to what is happening during an action scene.
Using well designed shots and a distinct lack of quick cuts it is three times as thrilling as 'Taken 3".
"Taken 3" has a script riddled with holes and is so predictable you should be able to reach the end in your mind long before the movie finally, joylessly arrives there.
And of all the killings in this movie the most satisfying turns out to be the merciful end that the credits announce.
And they are weak and uninspired as well- arriving randomly as if they ran out of film and decided to just call it a day there.
Even with low expectations this one is a huge disappointment.
Running Time: 109 minutes
Rating: M - mild violence and low level language
Here we go again.
And by that I mean - Please God let this be better than the last movie!
The first movie in the Taken franchise was a blast out of nowhere- a great little action-revenge flick that had the audience gleefully cheering Bryan Mills on as he took out all sorts of human trafficking filth in a variety of ingenious ways.
The second movie felt like it existed only because the first movie earned some serious coin.
The premise was bad - the execution worse.
So going into the third movie I had no expectations but nonetheless desperately wanted it to be closer to the first movie than the second.
At least this time the plot seems reasonable....
Mills is framed for the murder of ex-wife Lenore and sets about avenging her death.
Nice and simple - these films work better that way.
First we are re-introduced to the Mills family.
Bryan is still buying gifts for daughter Kim as if she was still seven years old and Lenore is still married (just) to Stewart - a man whose only appeal seems to be extreme wealth.
Apart from the jarring realisation that Stewart is played by Dougray Scott now instead of Xander Berkeley everything seems to be set up reasonably well.
But as soon as Lenore is dispatched things start to unravel.
I won't dwell on my distress at losing Famke Janssen - my love for her is beyond the measure of current science. No- the real problems here are plot holes and the infuriating 'smart people doing dumb things' nonsense.
So- plot holes....
So much doesn't make any sense that it beggars belief even for a popcorn action flick.
Kim's doting boyfriend disappears for all but the final moments of the movie - showing up for a single scene early on to impart some exposition that couldn't have been more obvious if he had winked, made a "shhh" noise and pointed at the audience knowingly.Secondly Stewart has changed from a simpering man hiding behind his money to a much younger and more intimidating version.
The reason for the change is clear - the script called for this character to be very different from the one shown in the first movie to enable the catalyst for the entire plot- the murder of Lenore.
So Stewart is not the man that we all know and despise.
Gone is the man put back in his hole with a simple "Now is not the time for a dick measuring contest Stewart" barked at him by Mills in full 'on' mode.
And on that note- there isn't the same sense that Mills is a normal guy who can switch on his 'special skills' when they are required.
His is a character who has grown less interesting and shallower with each new movie - the exact opposite of which should happen almost by accident if not intention.
But miraculously he is not only shaved back to the quick in terms of characterisation but the sole quality left - his ass-kicking prowess- is reduced to an ineptitude that is laughable.
He frequently deliberately enters into a situation underpowered even when given the choice to go in with a more level playing field.
So we see him go up against several men with assault rifles brandishing only a pistol with one magazine. He tosses the weapon as soon as he has emptied it into several walls so that he can enter in a poorly choreographed hand to hand fight scene.
Time and time again the same flow is applied to the fights - a flurry of Mills moves and blows that momentarily give him the upper hand until miraculously the bad guy takes back the advantage in ways that are unclear before Bryan looks doomed but springs up to finish the villain off with a bloodless coup de grace.
And that is the other main beef that I have with this movie.
It is anaemic in the extreme.
You can't tell us how lethal Mills is in scene after scene of overblown CV reading then not give us the results of all that training and experience when he uses it.
This extends to his foes too.
One is pretty much described as the most brutally lethal man in Russia.
Later we see him totally fluff the chance to take Mills out from a raised position in a well lit room at close range and with the element of surprise.
And how does he mess it up?
He misses in a flurry of somewhere in the region of twenty bullets.
Sigh.
 |
| The old gang is all here along with some new faces and some new-old ones. |
Maggie Grace plays sweet very well and she is a lovely woman. She deserves better but to her credit she plays the character with everything that she's got.
Forest Whitaker tries his best to be the smart cop chasing Mills but he is encumbered by some bloody awful one dimensional cops under him.
This is a weak, bloodless mess - under choreographed and over edited.
Is it too much to ask in these times of high tech editing computers and high def digital cameras that action scenes can be presented clearly and coherently rather than in a blur of clumsily bundled together frames?
If you want evidence of how far a lot of todays action movies have strayed check out the 1987 movie "The Hidden" with Kyle McLachlan and Michael Nouri.
The budget on that movie would barely cover the catering on "Taken 3"' but it packs in car chases, shootouts, beat ups, foot chases and much more. It moves at a hell of a lick but not for one second will you be confused as to what is happening during an action scene.
Using well designed shots and a distinct lack of quick cuts it is three times as thrilling as 'Taken 3".
"Taken 3" has a script riddled with holes and is so predictable you should be able to reach the end in your mind long before the movie finally, joylessly arrives there.
And of all the killings in this movie the most satisfying turns out to be the merciful end that the credits announce.
And they are weak and uninspired as well- arriving randomly as if they ran out of film and decided to just call it a day there.
Even with low expectations this one is a huge disappointment.
- RATING: 60/100
- CONCLUSION: Wait for the DVD
- STAY AT THE END: No - just leave in tears
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