I am an ardent fan of the cinematic arts. Although I have certain genre preferences, I don’t let that stifle my curiosity and close myself to different flavors of entertainment. That said...I am a huge fan of science fiction, super hero and action movies! Please visit my other blog The Boxed Office for reviews, exclusively, on these types of movies.
The Cast:
I’ll say right away that Femke Janssen and Maggie Grace played excellent roles. But if we’re going to discuss this film...it must be acknowledged that this is quite clearly a Liam Neeson movie. Neeson returns as Bryan Mills, with all the butt-kicking skill and focus that he had in the first film. Neeson delivers (of course) and has you thinking through the whole film “Why does anybody even mess with this guy?”
The Plot: Bryan Mills is always on time for his appointments...especially those that are most important to him, like taking his daughter for driving lessons. After having here kidnapped before, and barley getting her back in time, he cherishes every moment. The problem is...he killed many people to get his daughter back, and the relatives of those people aren’t very happy with Mills.
Offering to take his daughter and ex-wife away for a vacation at the end of his business trip, Mills has no idea that forces are in motion to exact revenge against him...and that revenge must take the form of nothing less than the murder of his family, before his own death.
Once events begin to happen, there is no stopping the collision between the resolve of those that want Mills and his family dead...and his resolve to keep his family alive. Just as in the first film, somebody must get “taken”...and Mills must use every skill he has to get them back...even when he himself is among those taken.
The Verdict:
If you are a fan of the first film, you’ll be a fan of this one. The difference I saw is that this film spent a little more time with the development of the character relationships...and I thought it added to the tension of the film when it later showed these people is serious danger.
The expression of Neeson at finding out his daughter has a boyfriend is absolutely priceless. Seeing him bound and helpless while his wife is hung upside down bleeding out from a partially slit throat...was heartbreakingly disturbing. This movie goes places the first film didn’t and the ride is indeed very wild.
There is very little humor in this film, although there is some at the beginning. Once the movie gets going, it’s intense and gripping drama with mega doses of action to keep your eyes glued to the screen. I found myself wondering why anyone would continue to feed bodies into the meat grinder that is Neeson...but glad they did. It was enough to dip three and a half (3 1/2) cinnamon sticks, out of five, in this extremely tasty cup of tea.
How about the security expert dad teaching his daughter self-defence and street smarts from childhood? It could have been interesting. Instead, the best advice Bryan could give Kim was to hide under a bed and wait for her inevitable abduction. She would then have to wait some more for help to come. It is her punishment for daring to venture out in the first place. Kim is not an individual, rather a piece of property that merely changes hands throughout the film.vexmovies, m4ufree movies,
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