In this blog post, we analyze why ‘Taken II’ wasn’t as intense as its predecessor, examining the film’s flow with a focus on the limitations and disappointments of sequels.
First, to understand ‘Taken II’, you need some knowledge of the first film, ‘Taken’. Watching the sequel without understanding the original can leave the protagonist’s motivations and emotional arc unclear. Let’s briefly review the plot of the first film. Brian Mills, a former special agent, has a daughter, Kim, from his divorced ex-wife. Brian, who showers his daughter with an almost excessive amount of attention and love, gives in to her pleas and allows her to travel to Paris. However, shortly after arriving in Paris, Kim is kidnapped by human traffickers. Brian, realizing this during a phone call, flies to Paris himself and single-handedly infiltrates the villains’ lair to rescue his daughter.
The structure of the previous film, ‘Taken 1’, was quite satisfying. The premise alone—a former special agent father setting out to rescue his daughter kidnapped by human traffickers—is undeniably compelling material sure to grab the audience’s interest. While this classic action-thriller plot is compelling on its own, what makes it truly gripping is the depth of the character Bryan and the extreme resolve he displays to rescue his daughter. Furthermore, the relentless action and rapid scene transitions from the very beginning—when his daughter is abducted—all the way to the climactic rescue at the end keep the audience on the edge of their seats. This sustained tension is undoubtedly a major factor in the film’s critical acclaim. Liam Neeson, playing the 56-year-old Brian Mills, delivered flawless action performances that also contributed to the film’s flow and box office success. Neeson went beyond being a simple action star, adding depth and humanity to a character that could easily have been flat.
The original film didn’t seem to lag behind any other popular action movie, not just in its plot structure and the lead actor’s performance, but also in its scene composition. The elevated highway in front of Paris’s crowded airport, a midnight intersection where prostitutes solicit customers, a construction site where kidnapped women, drugged, are forced into prostitution, and more. Despite its short 93-minute runtime compared to other action films, the setting of numerous locations within the story greatly helped maintain a relentless pace and rapid scene transitions right up until the end credits rolled. This scene composition further heightened audience immersion, ultimately earning the film its critical acclaim. Moreover, these scenes transcended mere backdrops, serving to amplify the film’s atmosphere. The stark contrast between the construction site’s grim ambiance and Paris’s glamorous facade intensified the visual impact and heightened the narrative tension surrounding Brian’s desperate struggle. Even though I watched it on my home TV, for those 93 minutes, I truly felt as if I existed within the film itself. It was such a masterfully crafted movie that I even regretted not seeing this masterpiece in theaters before enlisting in May 2008.
This should give you an idea of how high my expectations were going into ‘Taken II’. But as the film progressed, I felt it wasn’t delivering what I had hoped for. This movie begins with a scene from the previous film, where the leader of the human traffickers vows revenge for the many henchmen killed by Bryan. This scene recalls the climax of the first film and hints that Bryan has invited greater danger upon himself, beyond a simple victory. After completing a job, Bryan invites his ex-wife and daughter Kim to Istanbul, Turkey. But shortly after enjoying some happy time together, he realizes the villains are hunting him and his family in the city. However, he and his ex-wife are kidnapped by the villains. He narrowly escapes with the help of his incredible memory, quick wit, and his daughter. The complexity and exotic atmosphere of the unfamiliar city of Istanbul heighten the tension during this escape, yet it also leaves a sense of disappointment that the city’s setting wasn’t fully utilized as the film’s backdrop.
My first thought after watching the film was, “Isn’t the central theme too simple?” The villains’ goal is to kidnap and kill Brian, who is traveling to Turkey on business. This core premise made me worry the narrative might unfold too simplistically. Well, focusing solely on the central theme, many films opt for scenarios where the villain is defeated and a happy ending is achieved, so I’ll concede my question is highly subjective. However, beyond personal opinion, the film’s overall simplistic plot failed to provide fresh stimulation for the audience, leaving an unshakable impression that it was merely coasting on the glory of its predecessor.
Yet, it was true that the entire narrative flow felt somewhat hollow and flimsy. Unlike the previous film, this time it’s not Brian but his daughter who takes on the role of the key to solving the problems in the story. Scenes like her unfolding a map to find locations, detonating a grenade to help Brian calculate positions, and driving through Istanbul’s narrow residential alleys without even having a license – her role in the film seemed quite significant. Maggie Grace, who plays Kim, did a good job with her role. However, what I focused on was the plausibility of the film’s content. Even though fiction is fundamental to a movie’s plot, I believe a minimum level of plausibility is necessary to connect with the audience, to earn their empathy. In terms of plausibility, ‘Taken II’ diminished my immersion in the film and hindered the sustained tension. This lack of plausibility was also evident in the scene where Brian, kidnapped and being transported, meticulously recalls every sound outside the car in chronological order. While his former profession was as a special agent, the scene depicting him as if he were an omnipotent god capable of distinguishing every minute sound was so absurd it made me chuckle involuntarily. This undermined the film’s realism for the audience and blurred the human aspects of Brian’s character.
Beyond the content, there were also several disappointing aspects in the scene composition itself. The highlight of the ‘Taken’ series is undoubtedly the action scenes featuring the protagonist, Bryan. In the previous film, his action sequences poured out relentlessly from the very beginning. However, in the sequel, the focus is undeniably shifted to his daughter rather than him. Consequently, despite being an action genre film, it failed to meet the expectations of many viewers who anticipated such dynamic scenes. And above all, the most disappointing aspect was the time setting. The first film set the timeframe over several days as Brian rescued his daughter, progressing the story across various locations. This setup, combined with his dynamic action scenes, naturally shifted the focus between different settings. However, this film set the entire timeframe from the moment his daughter and ex-wife were kidnapped until the end within just one day. I don’t know if the decision to pack everything into 24 hours was simply to shorten the runtime, but for someone like me who expected the story to unfold across diverse locations, the progression felt overly simplistic. For instance, if various Istanbul landmarks had served as backdrops, they could have added visual enjoyment for the audience on their own. Istanbul’s intricate alleys, vast bazaars, and the Bosphorus Strait crossing the city could have provided stunning backdrops perfectly harmonizing with action sequences.
Of course, it wasn’t all disappointing. The film’s production values were undeniably high, and scenes brimming with tension remained throughout. However, having anticipated the shock and emotional impact of the first film, I was somewhat disappointed that this sequel didn’t leave the same lingering resonance. Still, I believe the reason this film succeeded under the title ‘Taken II’ ultimately lies in the powerful imagery from the first film and the memories it evoked, compelling audiences to watch it again. Considering this, we learn that the success of a sequel depends not merely on being an extension of the first film, but on how much novelty it can offer. This provides an important insight for all directors and producers preparing sequels.
