Taken 3

*
UK Release Date: January 8th 2015

Ex-government operative Bryan Mills is accused of a ruthless murder he never committed or witnessed. As he is tracked and pursued, Mills brings out his particular set of skills to find the true killer and clear his name.

Director: Olivier Megaton (Transporter 3, Colombiana, Taken 2)

Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Forest Whitaker, Dougray Scott 

There was always a good chance that there would be a 3rd Taken after Taken 2 did shockingly well at the box office ($376m) considering its standard plot and lower age-rating. Surely it couldn't get any worse? Lo and behold, Taken 3 is an appalling ending to a pointless trilogy. Where to begin? The setup is slightly better than the second film; Bryan Mills (Neeson) is framed for a murder he did not commit. In fact, just like The Hangover 3 where there is no hangover, no one gets taken. Instead, Mills is on the run from the authorities for nearly 109 minutes. Suffocating under this complete nonsense is not what we bargained for. Let's put it into perspective: Taken has an 18 certificate, plenty of blood, violence and off-the-edge-of-your-seat action. Totally gripping from start to finish. Taken 2 was toned down with a 15 certificate and the action was still decent enough to watch. With Taken 3, we have a 12A certificate, almost a 'family friendly' film, with no blood and terrible action. Not once do you feel like Mills or his daughter Kim (Grace) are in any real danger. Taken was chock full of genius ideas, now we're watching Mills spike his own daughter's yogurt so they can talk in a toilet. Neeson may do all his own fighting scenes, but you can tell by the look on his face that he's too old for this shit. Steer clear of this as it will taint your viewing of the first film. At least Whitaker is here to keep small sections entertaining.

1/5