Some actors just have IT.... the IT factor that draws you in, forcing you to instantly feel their emotions and readily accept their reality. Liam Neeson doe that perfectly in this thrilling sequel, which is set against the foreign backdrop of the city of Istanbul, Turkey. The story in this movie unfolds about a year after the original. The cool hero, Retired CIA Agent Bryan Mills [played by Neeson] is taking a vacation in Istanbul and he is granted a surprise visit by his daughter Kim [played by Maggie Grace] and his ex-wife Lenore [played by Famke Janssen]. But the demons from the past seem to catch up with the protagonist and his family, since an Albanian mobster named Šerbedžija [played by Murad Hoxha, whose son Liam Neeson electrocuted to death last year while searching for Kim], seems to have an agenda of vengeance on his mind.
[You may need to click on the word link that says "Read More" to the see the rest of this article with more pics of Maggie Grace!]
Maggie Grace Photo Gallery:
In this thriller movie, Kim was played by Maggie Grace, the same kidnapped girl back in the original Taken that was released in 2008. And I'll give the director a salute on that choice of continuity, since Kim looked more mature, in Taken 2... like a hot lil' spicy mama. Maggie Grace was born in 1983; thus she is 29, but she looks 8 years younger than that. Fanboys who like the American Maggie Grace will probably like the British blonde Actress Alice Eve as well - I did an article on Alice over HERE.
Staying with the movie plot in Istanbul, on a casual lunch date in the city, all hell brakes loose, and Liam Neeson and his wife get TAKEN....
Of course Liam is practically an ex-CIA Hitman in this flick, so he knows a whole lot about kicking asses and takin' names, with or without handguns.His daughter Kim plays a major role in helping her dad gain liberty from his abductors... but that leaves his kidnapped ex-wife still in harms way. Thus, after exhilarating car chases and explosive action, Liam shows that he doesn't care about who he kills or what he destroys along his path, as he strives to rescue his ex-wife from the remorseless vengeful mobsters.
Liam is the kind of actor that seems to get better with age... he's like "an old-school Jason Bourne" kinda guy. And he could probably kick James Bond's ass, if Bond tried to seduce his daughter. Liam has a strong presence about him; he seems to dominate everyone he comes in contact with in this movie. Per the design of his character, on a Bad-Ass scale of 1 to 10, Bryan Mills is an 11. There's just no stopping him.
The way this Taken 2 movie placidly ends, the door is left open for a Third Installment, since before he dies the main bad guy claims to have 2 more sons that are not on-site in Istanbul. Yet Liam says in his gritty strong voice, "If they come for me and my family, I will kill them too."
A pity the Albanian bad guy, Šerbedžija, doesn't know Liam like we know him....
LIAM NEESON PLAYED A GIANT TALKING LION, IN NARNIA
LIAM NEESON PLAYED ZEUS, ON MOUNT OLYMPUS
LIAM NEESON TRAINED THE GODDAMN BATMAN, IN GOTHAM
LIAM NEESON TRAINED OBI WAN KENOBI, IN SPACE
SO HOW ON EARTH DO YOU EXPECT YOUR 2 SONS TO KILL HIM? :)
And since this movie has already made 117 Million dollars worldwide [about 50 million in the USA] in about 3 days, there is a good chance that there will be a TAKEN 3, in a few years.
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Check out the movie review of Wrath of the Titans, which also stars Liam Neeson over HERE