Movie Review: Made In Italy (2020)

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For Jack (Micheál Richardson), getting divorced means more than just changing residences. Having managed the swanky London art gallery owned by his in-laws for years, Jack is in for a rude awakening when his ex-wife-to-be Ruth (Yolanda Kettle) informs him that not only will he be out of a job as soon as the ink on the divorce decree dries but the art gallery he knows and loves is going on the market for sale.

Begging Ruth not to sell the gallery out from under him, Jack embarks on a quest to seek out the funds he needs to purchase the place from his estranged father Robert (Liam Neeson). Whereas Jack's a level-headed optimist, his carefree painter father's head is always the clouds. And their differences are magnified as they travel to the village of Monticello Amiata in the Grosseto province of Tuscany, Italy to check on and sell the palazzo they'd inherited from Jack's mother and Robert's late wife, Raffaella (Helena Antonio). Arriving in the dead of night, they discover not the pristine villa that Jack barely remembers from his youth but the ornate Tuscan equivalent of a falling down shack, complete with no electricity, and a weasel in the bathroom.

An obvious metaphor for the men's need to repair their relationship and deal with their repressed grief over the tragic loss of Raffaella when Jack was a young boy, as the two get to work fixing up the villa with the help of some locals, they begin to break down their own walls as well.

Meeting cute with the lovely chef and trattoria owner Natalia (Valeria Bilello), Jack strikes up a friendship with romantic potential that much like the villa, also pays off on his need to face the past, since she's a loving mother of a daughter who's only slightly older than Jack was when he lost his mom.

Although inevitably, some will call this the male version of the 2003 film “Under the Tuscan Sun” from director Audrey Wells (just like they did when Russell Crowe fixed up a relative's residence in France in the 2006 Ridley Scott movie “A Good Year”), this one hits a bit harder than the rest from an emotional standpoint overall.

Located roughly ninety-five minutes away from the gorgeous Villa Laura just outside the walls of Cortona in Tuscany where Diane Lane impulsively moved in “Under the Tuscan Sun,” the vibrant scenic views of Monticello Amiata in “Made in Italy” are undeniably eye-catching.

Yet more than just a romantic travelogue, since the tragedy at the core of “Italy” closely resembles the sudden shocking loss of Liam Neeson's wife and his onscreen (and offscreen) son Micheál Richardson's mother Natasha Richardson, when the two gifted actors angrily confront one another over a loved one's death and how to grieve, it cuts extremely close to the bone. And while Neeson and Richardson have revealed that they felt like sublimating and addressing their pain through art was cathartic, it's nonetheless heartbreaking to watch.

This plot point aside, however, writer-director James D'Arcy's film remains an otherwise pleasant, airy, lighthearted, perfect for the dog days of summer trifle, just like “Tuscan Sun” and “A Good Year.” Undeniably predictable, of course, it still warms the heart just like a bowl of risotto made with love.

Text ©2020, Film Intuition, LLC; All Rights Reserved. https://www.filmintuition.com  Unauthorized Reproduction or Publication Elsewhere is Strictly Prohibited and in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.  Also, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases made off my site through ad links. FTC Disclosure: Per standard professional practice, I may have received a review copy or screener link of this title to voluntarily decide to evaluate it for my readers, which had no impact whatsoever on whether or not it received a favorable or unfavorable critique. Cookies Notice: This site incorporates tools (including advertiser partners and widgets) that use cookies and may collect some personal information to display ads tailored to you etc. Please be advised that neither Film Intuition nor its site owner has any access to this data beyond general site statistics (geographical region etc.) as your privacy is our main concern.

Blu-ray Review: The Nut Job (2014)

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Photo Slideshow
   

What a difference a film’s length can make as we learn in director Peter Lepeniotis’s overlong (even at 86 minutes) feature length adaptation of his briskly paced 2005 roughly 10 minute animated short Surly Squirrel.

In The Nut Job Lepeniotis transfers the same unique premise which finds the aptly named, quick-thinking yet self-serving and quick to con squirrel Surly (Will Arnett) in the midst of a real live human bank robbery while planning the perfect heist in his eternal quest for food.

Whereas the short film kept its sights small, the feature length Universal Picture borrows the oft-utilized caper set-up derived from the classic Italian comedy Big Deal on Madonna Street (that’s been repurposed in dozens of pictures since) as Surly plots to steal the inventory of a nut store without realizing that the shop is a cover for crooks trying to tunnel into the nearby bank.

Simultaneously casing the job while also recruiting new allies to his side such as the crooks’ tough-looking but softhearted Pit bull (voiced by Maya Rudolph) Arnett’s Surly even finds himself working alongside his old forest friends who’d banished him from the park after being burned one too many times by the selfish squirrel.

Desperate for food to feed the entire park, Katherine Heigl’s brainy Andie is cautious about her new partnership from the start but finds her alliance tested even more when Surly and his sources discover that the real reason the park is having a food shortage is due to a furry friend that Andie’s trusted her entire life.

While there are some dynamic action sequences that are brought vividly to life in the warm-toned visually stunning CG animation from former Toy Story 2 animator turned director Lepeniotis (including an inventive opener and an interesting chase that uses birds as parachutes), compared to the overwhelming dull stretches, the diversions are few and far between.

Bogged down by a hero you can’t really root for until he inevitably and rather abruptly sees the error of his ways by the end, you can’t help but wonder how much better the film would’ve been if say, Andie had been bumped to the lead role and Surly had been turned into a supporting player.

For while Surly was ideal in a 10 minute classic Looney Tunes inspired production, he isn’t the best main character to build an entire plotline around. However, to be fair, Nut’s pretty unbalanced in the way it seasons its cast of characters as far too often the film relies on bodily function sidekick humor for cheap laughs rather than serving up solid roles.

One bright light in this lackluster Job is unexpected MVP Brendan Fraser’s spirited vocal performance as a dimwitted wannabe hero Grayson whose knack for failing his missions is nearly equal to the size of his own ego.

Completely wasting the talented Arnett on a character who loses his spunky personality in favor of a redemptive formulaic paradigm that rings false by coming completely out of left field (as never once were we led to believe earlier on that Surly even wanted to change), The Nut Job is a missed opportunity on a number of levels.

All in all, it’s a vital reminder that there is still a worthwhile market for high caliber short films as perhaps Surly would’ve entertained us better as part of an anthology film that introduced us to all the characters in a series of shorts that were each as unique and inventive as the filmmaker’s 2005 introduction to the squirrel.

While younger children may be more forgiving than older ones despite lulls that may make them restless in the film’s running time that feels nearly double its length, hopefully by stepping back to watch this full-bodied roast side-by-side with the shorter serving, the filmmakers will be able to reevaluate exactly where they went right and wrong while whipping up this batch for the big screen.

Though admittedly blandly appetizing, here’s to hoping that the next Nut they make will follow a less familiar recipe in order to deliver something to the audience that’s not only much more flavorful but filled with greater opportunities for its talented cast to crack us up in Universal's upcoming sequel to this forgettable first Job. 

Text ©2014, Film Intuition, LLC; All Rights Reserved. http://www.filmintuition.com Unauthorized Reproduction or Publication Elsewhere is Strictly Prohibited and in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.  FTC Disclosure: Per standard professional practice, I may have received a review copy of this title in order to evaluate it for my readers, which had no impact whatsoever on whether or not it received a favorable or unfavorable critique.

Blu-ray Review: Khumba - 3D (2013)

Now Available to Own   



Photo Slideshow   

The second film produced by South Africa’s Triggerfish Animation Studios, this 3D amalgamation of The Lion King, Ice Age, Rio and Madagascar (which was ironically co-written by former Lion King screenwriter Jonathan Roberts), seems on the surface to target young, indiscriminating toddler-aged viewers fond of talking animal pictures.

Unfortunately and despite Triggerfish’s at times absolutely breathtaking, authentic African magic hour-set animation, given the ferocious half-blind lion voiced by Liam Neeson who talks of ripping into the flesh of Disney star Jake T. Austin’s youthful eponymous zebra hero to claim his beating heart, Khumba is far too intense to be appropriate for cinema's youngest audience members.

Yet at the same time, when you factor in the predictable nature of the overly-familiar storyline which in true Disney fashion kills off the mother and sends the young outsider on a multi-layered journey towards self-acceptance, it’s hard to imagine that older, somewhat discerning grade school aged children will find it interesting enough to tune into for its entire running time. Needless to say, it's hard to imagine just who Khumba is not only right for but also, who would like to watch it.

Centering the action on our titular hero who’s been ostracized as a zebra who was born with stripes that cover only half his body, after Khumba’s dying mother tells him a soothing fairytale about a magical waterhole that is said to grant stripes, he sets out on a quest to become more like the rest.

Bidding farewell to his superstitious tribe of zebras who blame their lack of water on Khumba’s “unnatural” appearance -- Khumba may head out on his own but quickly amasses a new tribe of fellow outsiders who tag along on the journey and help liven up the stale proceedings.

While a bit too on the nose in its moral lessons, moreover there’s a lot the audience is asked to forgive in Khumba that goes beyond its stale plotting. Specifically, it’s far too fond of stereotypical characterizations from casting Loretta Devine to voice the obligatory “wise black woman,” signing up Steve Buscemi to play a fast-talking east-coast sounding Italian American, and likewise relying on similar outdated devices in making Neeson’s villain disabled. While one could argue that Neeson's lion is blind because he "can't see" things for the way they are, the treatment of his character and the arc he takes doesn't play into that analysis as anything that's particularly that deep.

Though of course it’s doubtful that children will read anything into these decisions made by the scientist turned writer/director Anthony Silverston and his fellow writers Raffaella Delle Donne as well as Jonathan Roberts as these same elements occur frequently in animated movies, because Khumba is so flawed in its lazy plotting, there aren’t many places for all of Khumba’s problems to hide.

Despite this, it’s evident from the moment Khumba begins that as a studio, Triggerfish is definitely one to watch in the future given some of the superlative animation and striking use of 3D on display throughout the film.

Unfortunately for Khumba and first-time feature filmmaker Silverston, the magic of those multi-dimensional black glasses and the gloriously crisp images that come to life before our eyes on Khumba's Blu-ray aren’t able to salvage it in any way that would make the film worthy of a recommendation.

   

Text ©2014, Film Intuition, LLC; All Rights Reserved. http://www.filmintuition.com Unauthorized Reproduction or Publication Elsewhere is Strictly Prohibited and in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.  FTC Disclosure: Per standard professional practice, I may have received a review copy of this title in order to evaluate it for my readers, which had no impact whatsoever on whether or not it received a favorable or unfavorable critique.

Blu-ray Review: Chloe (2010)

Now Available to Own



Photo Slideshow

With a compelling and provocative screenplay from Secretary scribe Erin Cressida Wilson inspired by Coco Before Chanel and The Girl From Monaco director Anne Fontaine's 2003 work Nathalie, Canadian auteur Atom Egoyan debuts his first directorial effort for which he did not also complete the script via Chloe.

And much like Egoyan and Wilson, we quickly discover that our eponymous lead portrayed by Amanda Seyfried who was cast before her breakout smash hit Mamma Mia! also has quite a way with words as a high class escort who looks like she's stepped out of an old Veronica Lake film, perched on barstools at Toronto hotels to catch her next cash-only paycheck.

Yet while Chloe is traditionally chatted up by men and sometimes couples, it's rare indeed when a woman she'd had a brief encounter with as polite strangers conversing in a restroom shows up shortly thereafter not only willing to buy Chloe a glass of Chardonnay but also hire her to attempt to seduce her husband, whom the woman suspects has been cheating on her.

The mysterious client in question is the successful gynecologist Dr. Catherine Stewart (Julianne Moore in a role Wilson wrote with the actress in mind) who finds a trail of suspicious breadcrumbs surrounding her opera professor husband David (Liam Neeson). The evidence Catherine uncovers includes a purposely missed flight, a cell phone camera snapshot with one of his adoring coeds, his inclination to be friendly with female strangers to the level of flirtation and of course the way he'll suddenly close a chat box window on his computer whenever Catherine walks into his home office.

While she's had trouble in her relationship with her son who flaunts his sexuality and desire for freedom in front of her due to a disappointingly dropped subplot that you only discover in the Sony Blu-ray's deleted scenes, the threat that perhaps the other man in her life may be distancing himself from her as well sends Catherine reeling.

Accepting the good doctor's offer, Chloe “presents” herself to David in a series of encounters she shares in explicit detail with Catherine at local coffee houses or bars in the Toronto neighborhood. Although at first she shies away from certain aspects of Chloe's show-and-tell soon we realize that she may be finding some unique thrill in the arrangement whether it's in the manipulation, the eroticism of words and the images they call up, or in learning something completely new about a man whom she felt she understood better than anyone.

And admittedly Egoyan's film does begin to require a little more suspension of disbelief than perhaps we'd had in mind as a series of escalating plot twists are introduced including the dubious, voyeuristic first which is revealed in the spoiler-heavy trailer that may lose some of the audience for its slight leap in logic that seems designed to titillate more than make perfect narrative sense. However, if you're willing to meander along with the fledgling middle act, the payoff is well worth the patience that at times both the character of Chloe and the film requires.

Likewise it's destined to make you ruminate over everything you've just seen for at least the next twenty-four hours and perhaps cause you to share the movie with an unsuspecting friend or lover to see if they're just as taken in by the complicated web Wilson and Egoyan weave throughout.

Chloe, which looks breathtakingly luscious in this first rate Blu-ray transfer, takes the carnal love triangles cherished by Adrian Lyne and Paul Verhoeven into far more mature and intellectually demanding territory. Featuring a first rate turn by Seyfried who, up to this point I'd basically underrated given the roles that are usually sent her way, Chloe is similarly a work you don't want to pigeonhole as simply an erotic thriller going in from square one.

While again it won't probably sink in until long after the credits roll, Chloe has a lot to say about gender dynamics, trust, and the way that storytelling or more specifically words themselves can have as much of a profoundly stirring effect on an individual as the right clip in long hair left down to attract a woman's next client... or spouse.


Text ©2010, Film Intuition, LLC; All Rights Reserved. http://www.filmintuition.com Unauthorized Reproduction or Publication Elsewhere is Strictly Prohibited and in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
FTC Disclosure: Per standard professional practice, I received a review copy of this title in order to evaluate it for my readers, which had no impact whatsoever on whether or not it received a favorable or unfavorable critique.

Blu-ray Review: Taken (2009) -- Extended Cut 2 Discs Includes Digital Copy

Now Available on DVD & Blu-ray

An Introduction

While it's quite rare to find an action movie with such emotional depth-- it only takes a few moments of witnessing Liam Neeson's pitch-perfect, understated performance to realize that it's his take on the Taken character that has made director Pierre Morel's film one of the most surprising and strongest works so far in 2009.

Admittedly, seeing Neeson's extraordinary turn as a man desperately trying to reconnect with his daughter and then find her when she's taken-- since he'd sacrifice anything for a loved one-- makes the film all the more emotionally heartrending on DVD and Blu-ray. For when the movie debuted, Neeson became an overnight thinking man's action hero to theatre goers around the globe but now, his pain throughout the movie is quite searing as it's augmented in the minds of viewers who are still shaken by Neeson's real-life, devastating tragedy in the recent loss of his beautiful, talented wife and mother to his children-- Ms. Natasha Richardson.

Of course, it's an important critical aspect to separate the work from an actor's personal life but I admit it's quite hard given the subject matter of Taken yet above all Neeson's humanity and integrity shines through. And in the film, he hits us on a level we didn't quite expect in a work in which I was shocked to discover the actor did a majority of his own stunts but before I analyze the Blu-ray's extras and features, I'll start it off by posting my original theatrical review below for your convenience (so you don't have to jump from screen to screen).

Original Theatrical Review

In 2004 when David Mamet tackled female human trafficking with the underrated Val Kilmer thriller Spartan (which benefited zero from the forgettable title as for years I've had to remind others, "yes, you really did see that movie"), he did so with his trademark "all talk" and very little action.
However, when you give the same premise to the gang responsible for turning Jason Statham into a critic proof walking video game character in The Transporter, anyone-- even soft-spoken Liam Neeson from Nell and Kinsey-- can go all Schwarzenegger on everybody's ass quicker than you can say "action."

The film's premise is as straightforward as its effective Death Wish era Charles Bronson-esque poster and chilling trailer. Or, for the uninitiated-- here's the Cliff's Notes-- retired CIA operative Brian Mills (Liam Neeson) who had quit his gig to make up for lost time in his daughter's life finds himself blending the two in unimaginable ways after the seventeen year old girl and her best friend disappear from Paris, shortly after their arrival when abducted by a group of Albanian sex-traffickers.
In a horrifying scene played with intense calm, Brian morphs from concerned and overprotective father to black-ops agent right before our eyes when-- while chatting on the cell phone with Kim (Maggie Grace)-- intruders invade the apartment and he instructs her to hide, asking detailed questions until he must give her the news that ultimately she will be taken.

When a different voice breathes into the phone, Mills delivers a cool warning that he will hunt him down to exact murderous revenge unless his daughter is released, to which the then unseen captor chides, "Good luck."

Realizing he has ninety-six hours to get to Paris and find her before she falls through the cracks of the international human smuggling black market, Neeson's Mills goes into stealth mode, willing to hot-wire vehicles, torture, shoot civilians to get information, until he gains enough tips for an ultimate showdown.

Perpetually missing Kim by moments in an underworld maze filled with inhumane horrors, we're led into the seedy underbelly of the City of Lights in this action-packed and fast paced thriller that doesn't bother with subplot or added complexity, just succeeding in the same Transporter-like "man on a mission" formula by strapping us in and not letting go.
Sharply edited by Frederic Thoraval who had chopped together the film's producer and co-writer Luc Besson's Angel-A and lensed by cinematographer Michel Abramowicz--Professional and La Femme Nikita writer/director Luc Besson collaborated once again with his Professional, The Fifth Element, Transporter, Kiss of the Dragon Hollywood scripter Robert Mark Kamen (who also penned A Walk in the Clouds, Lethal Weapon 3, and The Devil's Own). And in bringing everyone together once again, they graduated the cinematographer of Besson's previous Jet Li film Unleashed-- Pierre Morel-- to direct.
While it excels as an air-tight if predictable thriller thanks to a transformative turn by Neeson who will never be mistaken for a foreign art-house actor again (and definitely makes up for his involvement in the horrific new Star Wars films), Taken is also ratcheted up countless notches by its first-rate behind-the-scenes talent-- most notably the score composed by Nathaniel Mechaly which has you tapping your feet and nodding your head, elevating your blood pressure along with Neeson's as he storms through the Parisian streets to track down his daughter. Just don't attempt to get in his way... unless your name is Jason Statham.

The Blu-ray

True to form for Fox Blu-ray-- the quality of Taken's transfer is superlative. Much like Disney, Fox has managed to perfect the art of Blu-ray in a way that not only presents the absolute best reproduction of the film in the 1080 high definition digital pixels but also somehow manages to ensure that viewers will receive the most satisfying display and sound, regardless of their screen size or speaker set-up.

In a refreshing change in a world of some hurried Blu-rays where my volume lunges near 65 to make out the dialogue before explosions and music nearly blast me out of the chair-- the mixes from Fox have been consistently first rate. In fact, when I first made the switch to Blu-ray and was testing out the player simply on my computer, I was less than impressed by the muddied colors and artifacting I witnessed in a competitive studio's new release (which shall go nameless) and-- wanting to make sure the upgrade was worth it-- I went out and rented a plethora of discs and as soon as I checked out Fox's Transporter 2, I knew I'd become a Blu-ray convert.

Taken's Blu-ray offers two versions of the film-- the theatrical release and the unrated extended version but being that the extended version only extends the story for roughly three minutes, there's nothing overly significant about the newer cut.

Taking a cue from video games and perhaps understandably realizing a good majority of its target audience would be teenage boys playing the Blu-ray on their equipped Playstations-- the Blu-ray offers one of the coolest video game/internet style pop-ups around throughout the disc as you're able to select watching the film in Black Ops Field Manual mode.

Complete with a clock that begins running down the 96 hours Neeson has to find his daughter as well as a distance traveled meter and the number of individuals killed or injured-- it also manages to work in GPS Google Maps like images to show us exactly where a scene is taking place-- making the viewer feel as though they're on the Commando style mission with Neeson.

Stunt junkies can get their fix on the Inside Action side-by-side segments (or actually a top and bottom screen) that shows the difference between what ends up cut together and polished in the movie and how it was all shot in reality, noting the changes in light and darkness as perhaps a filter was used to make the film appear grayer.

Also included on the disc are the typically format-friendly features including premiere footage and two separate commentary tracks in two different languages as the filmmakers all speak French and the co-writer Robert Mark Kamen speaks English. However, while most making-of-the-film featurettes are largely ho-hum, Taken's was an exception as I was fascinated by the rapid pacing and decision making of Morel (who speaks in French throughout) as those involved discuss the challenges and style of the movie.

It also offers some interesting pieces of information about the actors' process for example by informing viewers how Neeson manged to nail that initial phone call wherein his daughter (played by Lost's Maggie Grace) is taken as it's revealed that the actress flew out to film her side of the conversation unseen in a room next door, screaming for real so that his reaction was far more intense.

Additionally, as a fan of cinematography, I also discovered some cool aspects about the film I'd missed the first time around. With former Luc Besson camera man Morel doing both his own photography as well as directing, he knew exactly what he wanted at all times. Speaking of his take on the look of the movie, he says that the camera translates the action from the start as it's illustrated in the scenes that occur in America the camera doesn't move since things are in balance in Neeson's life. However, once he arrives in Paris, our hero has declared war on the kidnappers and the camera's quick speed and movement helps heighten the tension considerably.

Laughing that since Bourne Supremacy's excellent car chase, they knew they had their work cut out for them in trying to top it, Morel decided that in Taken, he would make the car chase scene even faster, double the danger by setting it at night, and ensure there were no crashes (well, onscreen at least).

Also boasting a digital copy of the unrated extended version of the film you can quickly download onto your compatible portable decices (that works on both Apple and PC)-- while it's hard to imagine wanting to view the film in anything less than high definition, it's a wonderful bonus for fans who find themselves taken with Taken and want to bring it along with them.

Visually dynamic throughout with extreme clarity running from left to right in each frame-- which is saying something since a majority of the picture takes place at night-- Fox's 2-Disc edition of Taken is further proof that they have this format down solid and are now beginning to expand on it even more by offering those cool bonus features like Black Ops (which also includes pop up facts about the situations and technical issues involved in the pursuit logistics-wise).

A must-add to your Blu-ray library and a refreshingly smart, emotionally arresting action movie (and one of the standouts of '09)-- this Blu-ray is proof that every once in awhile it's okay to let yourself get Taken... by the film that is.

New on DVD & Blu-ray for the Week of 5/10/09

Jen’s Pick of the Week:

Taken

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Alexander Corda’s Private Lives
(Criterion Collection)



Best of Europe



Big [Blu-ray]



Case Closed: Season Five



C.S.I. Season 1 [Blu-ray]



Curious George Goes Green



The Dana Carvey Show



Disney Animated Collection



Fargo [Blu-ray]

Galaxy Quest: Deluxe Edition

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly [Blu-ray]



The Grudge [Blu-ray]

The Grudge 3

Hatching Pete & Dadnapped



In Tranzit



Jeff Foxworthy Show: Season 2



The King and Four Queens



LeapFrog




License to Kill [Blu-ray]



Lovejoy: The Complete Season 5



The Man With the Golden Gun [Blu-ray]



Major League [Blu-ray]



Northwest Frontier



Passengers



Penn & Teller Bulls**t: Season 6



Personal Effects



Pie in the Sky: Series 1

S. Darko: A Donnie Darko Tale



Seth MacFarlane's
Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy:
Uncensored!



Speed Racer:
The Next Generation--
Comet Run



Star Trek



Taken

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:
Season 7

There’s Something About Mary
[Blu-ray]



Time Limit



Two and a Half Men: Season 5

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans



A Village Affair

Wayne’s World [Blu-ray]



Wayne’s World 2 [Blu-ray]



We Shall Remain





Wise Blood (Criterion Collection)



Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! Wubbzy’s Big Movie

Taken (2009)

View the Trailer



Read the In-Depth Blu-ray Review

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From Star Wars' Qui-Gon Jinn to The Transporter?

In 2004 when David Mamet tackled female human trafficking with the underrated Val Kilmer thriller Spartan (which benefited zero from the forgettable title as for years I've had to remind others, "yes, you really did see that movie"), he did so with his trademark "all talk" and very little action.

However, when you give the same premise to the gang responsible for turning Jason Statham into a critic proof walking video game character in The Transporter, anyone-- even soft-spoken Liam Neeson from Nell and Kinsey-- can go all Schwarzenegger on everybody's ass quicker than you can say "action."

The film's premise is as straightforward as its effective Death Wish era Charles Bronson-esque poster and chilling trailer. Or, for the uninitiated-- here's the Cliff's Notes-- retired CIA operative Brian Mills (Liam Neeson) who had quit his gig to make up for lost time in his daughter's life finds himself blending the two in unimaginable ways after the seventeen year old girl and her best friend disappear from Paris, shortly after their arrival when abducted by a group of Albanian sex-traffickers.

In a horrifying scene played with intense calm, Brian morphs from concerned and overprotective father to black-ops agent right before our eyes when-- while chatting on the cell phone with Kim (Maggie Grace)-- intruders invade the apartment and he instructs her to hide, asking detailed questions until he must give her the news that ultimately she will be taken.

When a different voice breathes into the phone, Mills delivers a cool warning that he will hunt him down to exact murderous revenge unless his daughter is released, to which the then unseen captor chides, "Good luck."

Realizing he has ninety-six hours to get to Paris and find her before she falls through the cracks of the international human smuggling black market, Neeson's Mills goes into stealth mode, willing to hot-wire vehicles, torture, shoot civilians to get information, until he gains enough tips for an ultimate showdown.

Perpetually missing Kim by moments in an underworld maze filled with inhumane horrors, we're led into the seedy underbelly of the City of Lights in this action-packed and fast paced thriller that doesn't bother with subplot or added complexity, just succeeding in the same Transporter-like "man on a mission" formula by strapping us in and not letting go.

Sharply edited by Frederic Thoraval who had chopped together the film's producer and co-writer Luc Besson's Angel-A and lensed by cinematographer Michel Abramowicz--Professional and La Femme Nikita writer/director Luc Besson collaborated once again with his Professional, The Fifth Element, Transporter, Kiss of the Dragon Hollywood scripter Robert Mark Kamen (who also penned A Walk in the Clouds, Lethal Weapon 3, and The Devil's Own). And in bringing everyone together once again, they graduated the cinematographer of Besson's previous Jet Li film Unleashed-- Pierre Morel-- to direct.

While it excels as an air-tight if predictable thriller thanks to a transformative turn by Neeson who will never be mistaken for a foreign art-house actor again (and definitely makes up for his involvement in the horrific new Star Wars films), Taken is also ratcheted up countless notches by its first-rate behind-the-scenes talent-- most notably the score composed by Nathaniel Mechaly which has you tapping your feet and nodding your head, elevating your blood pressure along with Neeson's as he storms through the Parisian streets to track down his daughter. Just don't attempt to get in his way... unless your name is Jason Statham.