by: Anthony Zangrillo
Liam Neeson returns as ex-CIA agent Bryan Mills, yet Taken 3 does not capture the same magic that defined the original entry in this franchise. In fact, no one in the film is even “taken” per se. After most critics decimated the pathetic and formulaic plot of Taken 2, this film attempts to revitalize the series by taking the film in a new direction. Admittedly, Forest Whitaker’s character has been given a number of eccentric characteristics that makes his role stand out amidst the fog of forgettable secondary characters. Unfortunately, not enough time is devoted to this Fugitive relationship, as the creative team pursues a complex, yet predictable betrayal that creates an unnecessary swerve.
Neeson does most of the heavy lifting in this film, yet Maggie Grace and Forest Whitaker also provide good performances. Famke Janssen is mostly relegated to an unimportant role (without going into spoilers). In interviews, Grace has commented on how she has grown up with this franchise, and I can honestly see a noticeable improvement in her acting skills. The creative team gives Neeson a chance to really showcase Mills’ humanism. This different direction results in a hit-or-miss subplot that revolves around the broken family dynamic. Audiences may find these relatable scenes groan-worthy, as they retread common themes of the action movie genre.
Whitaker’s Detective Dotzler character is unusual, yet brilliant. Whitaker provides a great performance, as the franchise finally presents a character that can match the unstoppable Neeson. While Mills always seems to be one step ahead of his competition, Whitaker actually makes it seem that he will be able to outwit the former CIA operative. The writers have given Dotzler a set of intriguing mannerisms, yet ultimately this character is not fully developed. The detective constantly carries a knight chess piece around with him, even using it as a marker at the scene of a crime. At the same time, the detective skillfully manipulates a rubber band through his elastic fingers. This tick supposedly conveys the detective’s profound and unrelenting thought process. Unfortunately, more time should have been devoted to this character, as the audience needs to extrapolate most of the character’s traits and motivations. The director provides enough information to fill in the gaps, yet I would’ve enjoyed a more thorough treatment of such an interesting character.
Ultimately, most audiences will grow to become disinterested in the detective’s unsuccessful pursuit. Instead, viewers will gravitate towards a tense, yet fun shootout. Still, the actual gravitas of the confrontation is meager and unexciting. The true business transactional nature of the conflict may bore and even confuse some moviegoers. Admittedly, the opening scene does establish one of the antagonists as cold, crazy, vicious, and sadistic. Still, it becomes hard to root for Neeson, when his character doesn’t really have that much at stake. This problem is not wholly resolved until the very end of the film, where Mills clearly expresses his concern and reason for distrusting the police to find the correct culprit.
In conclusion, fans of the series may embrace this story’s final chapter, yet overall audiences will most likely find that this conclusion does not properly end the series. In fact, the film leaves open the possibility for another sequel, so the “it ends here” tagline may not be totally accurate. The Motion Picture Club gives Taken 3 a 5/10.
Score: 5/10
