Taken 3 is an alarming, depressing experience, an action film with two great actors who seem to have given up all hope on finding decent work in Hollywood. It's sad that there are no great roles for women over 40 unless your last name is Bullock, Streep, Moore or Roberts but men have no excuse. Ever since the first Taken became a surprise hit back in 2008, Liam Neeson has been in an abundance of action films where he plays some kind of bad ass whose hands are his guns. I have admittedly mostly enjoyed this side of Neeson. Even the largely hated Taken 2 was a fun (albeit unbelievably stupid) film in my opinion.
Now comes a film that can't even muster up the courage to admit that it's a complete rip off of 1993's The Fugitive (a better film in every way possible.) Neeson once again returns as Bryan Mills who has run out of things to have taken from him. This time, his ex-wife (Famke Janssen)'s life gets taken. Framed for the murder, Bryan must go on the run and dodge a tough agent (Forest Whitaker) who invests more time in the meaning of a bagel than most people invest in, well, anything.
If this sounds hilariously stupid, it's not. This is just an overly dull and typical action film that is ruined largely by Olivier Megaton's horrible directing. There are only about three shots in which the camera stays still on the shot for more than two seconds. The film is so disgusting to look at that it gave me the effect that a bad 3D film has on my eyes pumped up to a thousand.
The other big problem are Neeson and Whitaker. These men are terrific actors. They both have the ability to make anything believable because of how they sell it. Here, however, they are stuck with a script that gives them absolutely no opportunity to do so. The few times they get a chance to interact are the only few fun moments in the entire film. Neeson is doing the exact same thing he's been doing for years which would be alright if the script allowed him to just let loose. Meanwhile, Whitaker is playing the exact same character he played in The Last Stand (haven't heard that title in a while, have you?). Maggie Grace is also an actress that shows a lot of talent in her roles but her return as Bryan's daughter is simply so she can be a plot device.
Still, the most heartbreaking thing about this film is thinking about how much better all these actors are than this. One of the most recent reminders of that is A Walk Among The Tombstones, an excellent thriller from last year with Neeson as a former cop who now does revenge plots on the low. That film was more of a psychological thriller than a slam-bang action thriller and Neeson was terrific in it even though he barely fought anyone. Look at Whitaker as well, starring in Lee Daniels' The Butler recently and showing extreme talent by making a potentially one note character shine in the Christmas musical Black Nativity.
Taken 3 is a most excruciating watch. It's sad to watch such talented people stoop to such epic lows. This is an action film only for people who want to take a nap in an air conditioned auditorium.
(1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and for brief strong language)
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