TakenMovie Reviews

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Avg. Critic Score: 50 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
15 Iffy for 15+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    I won't tell you Taken is great, but it's great fun. Read full review

  • 70
    Washington Post |

    A satisfying thriller as grimly professional as its efficient hero. Read full review

  • 63
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Taken shows Mills as a one-man rescue squad, a master of every skill, a laser-eyed, sharpshooting, pursuit-driving, pocket-picking, impersonating, knife-fighting, torturing, karate-fighting killing machine who can cleverly turn over a petrol tank with one pass in his car and strategically ignite it with another. Read full review

  • 63
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Taken does have a few things going for it. At the top of that short list is Liam Neeson in the starring role. Read full review

  • 60
    Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan

    A brisk and violent action programmer that can't help being unintentionally silly at times. Read full review

  • 60
    Variety | Derek Elley

    Neeson growls his way through the functional dialogue as an unstoppable killing machine in impressive, cold-eyed style. Read full review

  • 58
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    Propulsively outandish thriller. Read full review

  • 50
    The Hollywood Reporter |

    Might do good business at home and abroad among audiences unconcerned with the finer points of characterization or psychological insight. Read full review

  • 30
    The New York Times | Manohla Dargis

    Taken starts in low gear and almost immediately stalls out. Read full review

  • 25
    Boston Globe | Wesley Morris

    Taken? You bet. Read full review

View more reviews for Taken on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 15+ Violent, disturbing rescue/revenge thriller isn't for kids.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this "hard PG-13" thriller seems just a drop of blood or two away from an R rating. Not only is there a great deal of violence, but a disturbing subplot centers on young women being kidnapped into the seedy world of sex slavery. The themes of revenge, vigilantism, sex and drug trafficking, and international political corruption are too intense for young audiences. Language is moderate ("s--t," "a--hole"), but drug use is widespread (though not a lot of actual use is shown on camera), and characters also drink and smoke.
  • Families can talk about what makes this PG-13-rated movie different from R-rated films.
  • Is the violence less graphic or upsetting? Why or why not? What impact does seeing this kind of violence have on teens?
  • Families can also discuss the ethical and moral lines that characters cross in the movie. Are Bryan's actions justified because he finds his daughter? Are
  • Kim and her friend partially to blame for their perilous dilemma? What mistakes did they make?
  • How are Americans portrayed in the film (versus Europeans)?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: A father becomes a vigilante to save his endangered daughter. A young woman and her friend disregard common sense in search of a good time abroad. Vigilantism and revenge seem justified.
  • rolemodels true0 Positive role models: Brian's only redeeming quality is his absolute love for his daughter.This positive aspect of his character is ultimately diluted by the violent means he takes to save her.
What to watch for
  • violence false4 Violence: Although there's little blood, the violence is relentless for the majority of the movie, and there's a high body count overall. People are tortured, killed, and attacked with guns, knives, explosives, cars, and other weapons (belts, fire extinguishers, you name it). A character is willing to shoot innocent people if it will extract valuable information.
  • sex false3 Sex: Young women are depicted as pawns in a sex trafficking ring. Most are forced to be prostitutes, and some are sold to the highest bidders like slaves. Many women are half dressed but not nude. Shirtless men are shown going into rooms where drugged women are on the bed.
  • language false3 Language: Language includes words like "a--hole," "s--t," "dick," "goddamn," "hell," and "ass."
  • consumerism false2 Consumerism: Featured brands include Audi, Nissan, Sony, Mercedes Benz, and Kodak.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false4 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Adults drink at a cocktail party; some characters smoke; young women are high so that they won't resist being sex slaves/prostitutes.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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