Taken is a 2008 thriller/action film starring Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, and Maggie Grace. It is directed by Pierre Morel and written & produced by Luc Besson.

Taken movie poster

The film follows an ex-CIA agent faced with recovering his daughter after she is kidnapped by sex-traffickers in Paris, France.

Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) is a divorced, former paramilitary officer from the CIA’s famed Special Activities Division. His 17-year-old daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) lives with his ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) and her new wealthy husband Stuart (Xander Berkeley). The nature and dispositions of the major characters are established early in the film: Kim is a happy, affectionate girl who loves horses and has aspirations of being a singer, while her mother maintains a frosty, somewhat antagonistic demeanour towards her ex-husband. Bryan’s skill and quick-thinking are demonstrated when he agrees to escort pop diva Sheerah (Holly Valance); the diva is attacked, but Bryan efficiently disables a knife-wielding assailant and gets her safely out of danger. Thankful, Sheerah expresses some interest in Bryan’s daughter and furnishes him with some contacts to get Kim’s career started. Read More