Release: 2012-09-27
Runtime: 1h 31m (91 minutes)
In Istanbul, retired CIA operative Bryan Mills and his wife are taken hostage by the father of a kidnapper Mills killed while rescuing his daughter.
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Genres: Action, Thriller, Crime
Cast: Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, Maggie Grace, more
Liam Neeson
as Bryan Mills
Famke Janssen
as Lenore St. John
Maggie Grace
as Kim Mills
Luke Grimes
as Jamie
Rade Šerbedžija
as Murad Krasniqi
Jon Gries
as Mark Casey
Olivier Rabourdin
as Jean-Claude Pitrel
Cengiz Bozkurt
as Border Guard #1
Kevork Malikyan
as Inspector Durmaz
D. B. Sweeney
as Bernie Harris
Leland Orser
as Sam Gilroy
Luenell
as Driving Instructor
In Istanbul, retired CIA operative Bryan Mills and his wife are taken hostage by the father of a kidnapper Mills killed while rescuing his daughter.
First they took his daughter. Now they're coming for him.
Taken 2 is a French action-thriller film that was released in 2012, directed by Olivier Megaton. The movie features Liam Neeson reprising his role as Bryan Mills, alongside Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, and Rade Šerbedžija. This film is the sequel to the original Taken, which was released in 2008, and marks the second entry in the Taken trilogy.
The story unfolds with Bryan Mills, a retired CIA officer, who finds himself in Istanbul with his family. While there, he is kidnapped along with his ex-wife by the father of a man he killed while saving his daughter two years earlier. Released in France on 3 October 2012 and in the United States on 5 October 2012, Taken 2 grossed over $376 million worldwide on a budget of $45 million.
The plot kicks off during the funeral of Murad Hoxha's son, who was killed by Mills in the previous film. Seeking revenge, Murad tracks down Mills in Istanbul, where an unexpected reunion with his family leads to chaos. During a lunch outing with his ex-wife, Lenore, Mills spots Murad's men following them. After a tense chase, he is captured, and Lenore is taken hostage as well. Meanwhile, their daughter, Kim, manages to evade capture and communicates with her father to assist in their rescue.
Using his skills, Bryan finds ways to escape from captivity and strategically orchestrates their rescue with Kim's help. The film culminates in a gripping confrontation between Bryan and Murad at a bathhouse, where Bryan must make difficult choices to protect his family.
Despite its commercial success, Taken 2 received mostly negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an approval rating of 22%, indicating a generally unfavorable reception. Critics pointed out that the film lacked the excitement and surprises that made the original so popular. However, some reviewers acknowledged Neeson's compelling performance as a strong point.
In the aftermath of the events, the film ends on a lighter note, showing the Mills family celebrating Kim's driving test success in a diner, hinting at a sense of normalcy after the chaos.
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As a follow-up, Taken 3 was later released on 9 January 2015, continuing the story of Bryan Mills and his family.
