The
final
installment
from
taken
franchise,
Liam
Neeson
starrer
Taken
3
is
a
nice
watch.
"Somebody
murdered
your
mother
in
my
house.
I
don't
know
who
did
it
or
why,
but
I'll
find
out," Bryan
Mills
assures
his
daughter
Kim.
This
forms
the
crux
of
"Taken
3".
Unlike
its
previous
two
editions,
"Taken
3" is
a
scaled
up,
reminiscent,
action-packed
thriller
whose
premise
is
loosely
based
on
the
1993-released
Harrison
Ford
starrer
"The
Fugitive".
Set
in
Los
Angeles,
deadly
ex-CIA
operative
Bryan
Mills
(Liam
Neeson)
returns
as
a
doting
father
to
his
now
grown-up
daughter
Kim
(Maggie
Grace).
He
soon
learns
from
his
ex-wife
Lenore
(Famke
Janssen),
who
is
married
to
a
multi-businessman
Stuart
(Dougray
Scott),
that
she
still
fantasises
about
him
and
is
considering
a
reconciliation.
But
then
their
dreams
are
short-lived
when
Lenore
gets
brutally
murdered
and
Bryan
is
framed
for
her
death.
What
makes
this
film
a
run-of-the-mill
affair
is
the
plot
and
screenplay
written
by
Luc
Besson
and
his
long
standing
associate
Robert
Mark
Kamen.
The
turn
of
events
as
well
as
the
characterisation
is
predictable
and
lackadaisical.
There
are
a
couple
of
'plot-holes'
and
unconvincing
scenes
that
make
the
narrative
appear
weak.
Also
that
is
also
why
the
actors
fail
to
deliver.
The
ageing
Liam
Neeson,
though
charming,
does
not
elevate
his
character
of
the
anguished
superhero.
His
expressions
are
perfunctory,
actions
mechanical
and
speech
on
a
low-note
hollow,
sounds
superficial
at
times.
On
the
other
hand,
Forest
Whitaker
is
lively
as
the
bagel-munching
detective
Frank
Dotzler,
who
is
in
awe
of
Bryan's
impressive
skills.
He
seems
silly
while
trying
to
caricature
a
stereotype
detective
and
is
seriously,
not
funny
at
all.
Dougray
Scott,
who
has
replaced
Xander
Berkeley
from
the
earlier
edition
and
Sam
Spruell,
who
plays
the
Russian
Gangster
Oleg
Malankov
are
the
new
entrants.
They
are
quite
noticeable
among
the
supporting
cast
as
there
is
not
much
complexity
in
the
character
development.
Visually,
the
plethora
of
impressive
day
and
night
aerial
shots,
gives
the
film
a
superior
feel.
But
overall,
with
jerky
camera
moments,
poor
lighting
to
capture
the
atmospheric
tension
cinematographer,
Eric
Kress's
work
is
shifty
and
jarring.
This,
combined
with
super
quick
jump-cuts,
mars
the
viewing
experience,
especially
during
the
dramatic
over-the-top
action
and
chase
scenes.
The
background
score
is
perfect
except
for
a
random
Hindi
song
in
one
of
the
scenes.
That
score
is
unwarranted
to
the
script
and
sounds
illogical
in
the
narrative.
With
the
inclusion
of
this
number,
it
is
but
obvious
that
director
Olivier
Megaton
along
with
his
producers,
is
trying
to
please
a
global
audience
and
in
the
bargain,
have
delivered
a
mediocre
kitsch.
Watch
"Taken
3"
if
you
have
nothing
better
to
do
this
weekend.