Double movie review, Taken and Takers.

Taken

Friends gave it good reviews. First viewing was also pretty impressive. Bryan, the only character worth remembering, demolishes most of Paris in an effort to reclaim his kidnapped daughter from East European sex traders. He is the juggernaut of justice, a less cynical modern Rambo. On second viewing, it’s not as impressive because the action sequences are too calculated, too methodical, and there’s very little characterization to hang on to.

Takers

A somewhat by the numbers ensemble bank heist movie. The big job they’re pulling off is codenamed The Italian Job, appropriately enough. There’s an effort made to give each character a back story, with two exceptions. Paul Walker’s back story is that he’s Paul Walker, and Darth Vader’s back story is omitted which is frustrating because I was most curious about it. Two main sources of conflict come from Matt Dillon’s not quite clean cop bearing down on the crew, and the just out of jail Ghost pushing the crew to take a job they’re not ready for. Not a superb film, but well executed, and probably deserved at least a little more attention than it received.

Comparison

In terms of action temperature, Takers runs hot while Taken runs cold. By contrast, the revenge in Takers is served up much, much colder. Both movies feature, in different ways, a group of men who do what they want with general disregard for law and order, but are eventually brought down by the perseverance of a lone agent. Be wary of hubris and don’t get greedy.

Ebert reviews Taken and basically says it is what it is. The highlight of the movie is Liam’s “hard-edged, mercilessly focused anger”, which I think captures the essence of the first viewing good, second viewing less good phenomenon. Filmcritic.com’s review of Takers is perhaps a little harsh. I was not expecting a reinvention of the crime drama, so was not quite as disappointed.

For my money, I much preferred Man on Fire as an alternative to Taken. The basic setup is similar, but Denzel’s bodyguard is a much deeper character and even the bad guys are more than paper cutouts. Takers obviously compares to The Italian Job, but without the over the top zany happy happy feel.