Taken
The film did great business and turned Liam Neeson into an old guy action hero, and he's solid here as a CIA operative who has retired, attempting to forge a better relationship with his daughter. He's a tough hombre, as shown by his brief stint as security for a singer (Katie Cassidy).
When his daughter, Maggie Grace, wants to go to Paris with a friend, Neeson is against it, citing the world is a dangerous place, as he would know. He finally relents, and turns out he was right--Grace is kidnapped by Albanian gangsters before she even has time to unpack. Neeson, luckily, is on the phone with her at the time, and snaps into action. Turns out she is going to be sold into prostitution, and he has four days to find her before she disappears forever.
Neeson then leaves a body trail throughout Paris. He's superhuman, an expert in martial arts, firearms, driving, and surveillance. He's able to elude the French authorities, but finds his daughter's kidnappers easily enough. When he's shot at, the bad guys miss, but he always hits his mark. In perhaps the most ridiculous scene, he drives away from his pursuers, who are shooting at him with machine guns. Why they don't think of shooting out the tires is a good question.
It's not hard to see why this movie was a success. It's extremely well-paced (it's only 93 minutes in the unrated version) and emotionally satisfying. This is what we would want to do if our loved one were defiled, with no ethical or moral considerations. Neeson even shoots the innocent wife of an old friend who is hiding something. At least he apologizes.
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