Overview
A father's desperate quest to save his daughter from a ruthless criminal underworld unfolds in Paris.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Breakneck
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Brutal
- tense
- propulsive
- grim
- action movie night
- thriller marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film slick, breathlessly entertaining, and well served by Liam Neeson’s focused performance, while criticizing its implausible premise and thin script.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Bryan Mills travels to Paris and deploys his former intelligence skills after Kim is abducted.
Bryan’s background as a former CIA agent directly determines how he investigates, infiltrates, and confronts the traffickers.
The central conflict involves an Albanian gang kidnapping young travelers for prostitution and sex trafficking.
The Paris pursuit moves rapidly through investigations, confrontations, and rescue attempts with little pause.
Films like Taken, and why
The Bourne Identity
Shares a relentless professional protagonist, brisk urban action, international crime, and a rescue-driven thriller structure.
The Equalizer
Combines a highly capable older operative, globe-spanning criminal conspiracies, and propulsive close-quarters action.
Man on Fire
Shares vigilante justice, grim determination, organized crime, and a tightly focused revenge-thriller framework.
The November Man
Features an ex-intelligence operative using specialized skills to pursue criminals in a fast-paced action thriller.
Movie Details
- Director
- Pierre Morel
- Release Date
- 2008-02-18
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (12435)
Cast
- Liam Neeson
- Maggie Grace
- Famke Janssen
- Olivier Rabourdin
- Katie Cassidy
- Nicolas Giraud
- Leland Orser
- Jon Gries
- Holly Valance
- David Warshofsky
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Taken about?
- A retired CIA operative turns Paris upside down when his kidnapped daughter becomes the target of a ruthless trafficking network.
- What is Taken like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Taken as breakneck, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Taken violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Taken as brutal.
- What did critics think of Taken?
- Critics broadly found the film slick, breathlessly entertaining, and well served by Liam Neeson’s focused performance, while criticizing its implausible premise and thin script.
- Which films are like Taken?
- Films with a similar feel include The Bourne Identity, The Equalizer, Man on Fire, and The November Man.
- How long is Taken?
- Taken runs 94 minutes.
- Where can I watch Taken?
- In United States, Taken is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
