... is that, long before Neeson became Hollywood's most late-blooming action hero, he was an actor.
A-C-T-O-R
And a pretty good one at that.
And that is what makes this film a lot better than the other reviews would have you believe.
Yes, I confess, a guilty pleasure, I loved TAKEN. But movies like TAKEN are a crapshoot, a gamble, a party trick where you are constantly trying to find something new and different to resonate with the audience, to make up for the fact that there is little substance to the project. (As was proved by TAKEN 2, one of the worst movies I have ever seen, with some of the most glaring editing mistakes).
Here we go old school. Written by one of the best writers of the last century and directed by Scott Frank, a man who certainly knows how to frame a scene for mood and impact. (At the half way point, a girl in a red hood crosses the street in front of the villains. The scene should not have memorable, but Frank makes it so).
An "old school" classic. Three quarters of a century ago, even Bogey would have taken this part. And been the better for it.
Young "Astro" who plays the ghetto-smart TJ steals all his scenes and, for those with a good ear, even channels the speech patterns of Will Smith, from any movie Smith ever appeared in. This kid has a future.
