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Feb 04, 2014akirakato rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
This is a 2012 action thriller---the sequel to the 2008 film "Taken." It is much faster-paced and tenser than its predecessor in terms of action and suspense. The starting secen is the Arbanian funeral of the Albanian mobsters killed by Bryan Mills (Neeson) in the prior film. Murad (Šerbedžija), the leader of the gang and father of Marko, vows to capture Bryan, bring him to the graves and avenge their loved ones. Bryan's daughter Kim and her mother Lenore surprise Bryan by joining him in Istanbul, Turkey, where he has just finished a three-day security job. The next day, Lenore and Bryan go out for lunch. Bryan realizes they are being followed. After a chase, the men capture Lenore, forcing Bryan to surrender, but before he does, he calls Kim and warns her. Her would-be abductors shoot another hotel guest and two security guards, but fail to find her and are forced to flee. Bryan wakes with his hands tied to a pole in a dark room. Using a phone that he had hidden in his sock, Bryan calls Kim, instructing her to go to the US Embassy and tell them what happened, but she begs for a chance to help him and her mother. Under Bryan's guidance, Kim opens his suitcase, containing weapons, and throws a grenade onto a deserted rooftop parking lot. Bryan uses the time it takes for the sound of the explosion to reach him to help locate where he is. I think this is impossible in the real world. Miraculously and unbelievably, however, Kim locates her father. Extraordinary is the escaping and car-chasing scene, in which Kim drives a stolen taxi while Bryan shoots Turkish policemen and soldiers in Istanbul. Unbelievably and shockingly Amazing! How could Kim possibly drive the car in such a dangerous situation? Kim hasn't passed the driver's test yet. In the final scene, Kim passes the driver's test with full marks while Bryan watches her anxiously. Indeed, this is a fictional thriller after all.