Movie Review: ***^Taken 3 (2014)

This is the third installment of the Taken series.  This time the plot is a bit different.  Instead of someone being taken like the first two films, in this it becomes personal as Bryan Mills' (Liam Neeson) ex-wife (Famke Janssen) is killed and Mills is framed.  In this movie there is much violence and vehicles crashing.  Much of the violence is aimed at the police.  Which makes the final result a bit confusing.  Liam must stay free in order to solve this crime, and the police of course want to bring him in as he is their prime suspect.
I was confused with one aspect of the plot.  His daughter (Maggie Grace) is kidnapped at the end, however I am not sure of the motivation; except that maybe the murderer kidnapper is working for someone.  Anyway, when everything gets resolved, Mills is given a walk.  There is no repercussion from the police after Mills caused multiple accidents, many involving police officers, and assaulted officers on several occasions.

Movie Review: ***Taken II

This is the sequel to Taken, and is just as tense and exciting.  In this movie, we have the father of one of those killed, and criminal boss of the Albanian mafia coming after Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) and his family.  They are on vacation in Turkey when they make their move, and they are successful in kidnapping Mills and his wife (Famke Janssen).  However the miss his daughter (Maggie Grace) who is left with the responsibility of rescuing her father, who rescued her in the first movie.  Mills had studied where they were taken, and is able to direct his daughter to bring him a gun.  And from there the hunted becomes the hunter.  He offers a truce to the father, in hopes that their can be peace between their families.
This movie has plenty of violence and death, but it is an exciting ride. 

Movie Review: ****Taken

This movie grabs you and takes you in.  Kim (Maggie Grace) is 17 and headed to Paris with a friend.  Her father, Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) has reservations, but signs off on letting her go, reluctantly.  She and her friend are kidnapped by Albanian sex trade criminals.  In the process of being kidnapped, she is on the phone with her father, who is an ex CIA man with a special set of skills.  After the daughter is taken, he talks to the man on the phone, "Bryan Mills: I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you're looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money but what I do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that will be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you and I will kill you."  This leads to a very violent search for his daughter.  He first meets the front man at the airport, who runs away and gets hit by a car.  He then goes to the sex scenes, the first where his daughter was, but is no longer there.  He leaves death destruction and mayhem.  He gets a clue that leads him to the next the next sight, where he finds Marko, the man on the phone.  he again leaves death and destruction.  He tortures Marko, and gets a name where they sold his daughter, to a special slave trade.  He gets more information from his Paris police friend, reluctantly (he has to shot his wife to get him to help--a flesh wound).  This leads him to an upper end auction, which he crashes, but gets caught.  He is cuffed to a pipe.  The boss says to kill him quietly.  He is able to break the pipe, turn the tables, more death and mayhem; and after shooting the boss, gets him to tell where the customer is who bought his daughter.  He then dispatches the boss.  He is next on the yacht, more destruction and mayhem and death, and he is reunited with his daughter.  This movie is a good ride.  It is violent, not appropriate for children.