Liam Neeson is an unstoppable force in this adrenaline-fueled thriller from director Pierre Morel. Bryan (Neeson) has taken early retirement from the CIA in order to live closer to his teenage daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace). Bryan's government work kept him away from Kim for much of her childhood, and he's now trying to make up for lost time. When Kim announces that she's taking a trip to Paris with her friend Amanda (Katie Cassidy), Bryan is apprehensive about her traveling on her own. His worst fear is soon realized, as Kim and Amanda are abducted upon their arrival in France. Bryan immediately springs into action, using his well-honed CIA skills to piece together clues from a single, frantic phone call he received from Kim. He hops a plane to Paris, determined to rescue his daughter before she falls off the grid completely. With some help from his old CIA buddies, he tracks down the kidnappers--an Albanian crime ring known for selling young girls into the sex trade. He quickly takes matters into his own hands, plowing his way through Paris's underworld as the clock ticks down and the bullets fly. His search propels him into the upper echelons of a massive crime ring, putting him closer and closer to his beloved daughter.

Neeson is known for tackling extremely cerebral roles, so it is interesting to see him in full-on action-hero mode. In TAKEN he is no less than a crime-fighting machine--a Bourne/Bond hybrid with a deathly serious baritone. And while he spends most of the film firing Uzis and snapping necks, he still manages to deliver a moving performance as an estranged father fighting for what he loves most in the world. The film undeniably owes a lot to Neeson's acting chops. He manages to raise this rather thinly plotted, deeply violent film a bar above your typical action fare.

DVD Features:

Region [unknown]
NTSC
Keep Case
Anamorphic Widescreen - 2.40
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Dolby Digital Surround - French, Spanish
Subtitles - English, French, Spanish
Additional Release Material:
Featurette:
1. Black OPS Field Manual
2. Le Making Of
3. Avant Premiere
4. Inside Action: 6 Side by Side Comparisons
Audio Commentary:
1. Director Pierre Morel, Cinematographer Michel Abramowicz and Michel Julienne
2. Writer Robert Mark Kamen
Trailers:
1. Forced Trailers: Digital Copy Trailer, WOLVERINE, STREET FIGHTER, 12 ROUNDS
2. Trailer Farm: NOTORIOUS, POSSESSION

Distributor Notes: Prepare to get Taken for the ride of your life! “Liam Neeson is an unstoppable force” (Premiere) in this action-packed international thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. When his estranged teenage daughter (Maggie Grace) is kidnapped in Paris, a former spy (Neeson) sets out to find her at any cost. Relying on his special skills, he tracks down the ruthless gang that abducted her and launches a one-man war to bring them to justice and rescue his daughter.

Liam Neeson: Irish actor, EXCALIBUR/SCHINDLER'S LIST
Maggie Grace: American Actress, MURDER IN GREENWICH (2002)
Famke Janssen: Model/actress
Xander Berkeley: Actor
Leland Orser: Actor/"Cover Story"
Jon Gries: Actor
David Warshofsky: 
Katie Cassidy: Actress, BLACK CHRISTMAS (2006)
Holly Valance: Star, PLEDGE THIS! (2006)
Nathan Rippy: Actor

Pierre Morel: D.O.P./director

Luc Besson: French director/writer: LEON/THE FIFTH ELEMENT

Luc Besson: French director/writer: LEON/THE FIFTH ELEMENT
Robert Mark Kamen: 

Nathaniel Mechaly: Composer, REVOLVER

"Morel directs much like his mentor Besson -- that's to say, very slickly, with an emphasis on glossy action sequences."
"TAKEN is very much its own film, bolstered by director Morel's explosive, adrenaline-driven approach to staging action and a cleverly-constructed script..."
"A satisfying thriller as grimly professional as its efficient hero, TAKEN pairs the ruthless hand-to-hand combat of the Bourne series with the potent child-in-peril plotline of a Lifetime original movie."
3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]his is an absolute hoot whose visceral, no-holds-barred fight and torture scenes...are brutal enough to make even Jack Bauer flinch."
"Neeson throws himself into this role, appearing in nearly every scene and making good use of a purposeful scowl that combines fury and disgust in equal measure."
3 stars out of 5 -- "Ex-cinematographer Pierre Morel brings much of the punishing brutality he injected into DISTRICT 13..."
"One of the biggest -- and most surprising -- hits of the year, TAKEN gooses a tired premise and turns it into a tense exercise..." -- Grade: A-