TAKEN 3

(2014) 109 Minutes, Rated PG-13

Mike's Review: With the first Taken movie they really had something and it did so well it surprised everyone. Then they put together a decent sequel, but it wasn't as good as the first, but was still fun to watch.  Now with Taken 3 they were really scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas.  First they have a different actor from the first Taken movie in the "bad guy" husband role and then they kill off Famke Janssen just to get a story line that would warrant Liam Neeson going on a spree of kicking butts and taking names.  They either should have left this line of movies at two, or found a better plot before trying to milk more money out of a trilogy that was never supposed to be a trilogy. Its sad to say but this string of sequels has finally played out for me.  The first Taken is still the best.   

Best Scene:  The fight scenes are pretty good.

Mike's Rating: Matinee. 

Bean's Review: Action packed and entertaining enough, but not as good as the first or second movies.  As I have written before, if you are making a sequel, it should be as good as the first movie or better.  If not, why bother?  

As Liam Neeson’s character is accused of murdering his ex-wife and Forest Whitaker’s character is the LAPD’s Inspector,  I did enjoy the “cat and mouse” interplay between Liam Neeson’s character and Forest Whitaker’s character.  

In trying to track down Neeson’s character, the police “bug” Maggie Grace’s character.  The scene in the ladies room with Neeson, Grace and then the police was intriguing.

However, it was fairly evident that Famke Janssen’s husband was involved in her death.  As an aside, it seems that Janssen’s character’s die in movies (i.e. X-Men).

Best scene: The car chases and pushing Neeson’s character over the cliff

Bean’s rating: DVD