2/5 stars

Liam Neeson returns as superhuman Bryan Mills in the tamer and more absurd sequel to 2008s surprise hit, Taken. Predominantly filmed in Istanbul, where the fragmented family take a much-needed holiday, Taken 2 unnecessarily picks up where it’s predecessor ends. The films’ opening features the funeral of the victims whom Mills had killed on his brutal search for his kidnapped daughter in Paris. It is clear from the ceremony that the angry relatives will instigate their revenge in the same manner Mills had done in the original.

Taken was a fairly straightforward film with a resolved ending. It didn’t warrant a sequel due to the limited scope for development; however as for the case for any sequel the dollar signs must have looked impressive. The dramatic sense of peril that plagued the original is not present here; appearing as a cheap and banal duplication, the film deservingly falls flat, maintaining to standard action film conventions.

The tired film also borders on the ludicrous, as the naive and vulnerable Kim (Maggie Grace) of the predecessor now functions as an aide to her father. Kim sets off multiple grenades, jumps over rooftops, and pushes 80mph in a stolen taxi around the cobbled streets of the city while her father shoots at the Albanian criminals. Eventually crashing into the US Embassy her father is able to walk free to the rescue of his ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen). This far-fetched premise needed far more attention for the audience to suspend disbelief.

The disappointing script doesn’t allow Neeson to develop his callous persona and as result the ferocity of the original cannot be matched. Fans of Mills’ first run in with the Albanians will no doubt avidly seek out this film, however this vacant addition doesn’t give justice to such a spectacular first effort.

Tomas Badger