Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) is an ex-CIA operative. In the original Taken film, Mills’ daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) was kidnapped while abroad, by a group of men selling young women to rich men. Mills made his way across Europe like a one man army, stopping at nothing to get his daughter back.

In Taken 2, the father of one of the men Mills killed during his rescue of Kim is out for revenge. Mills is doing some security work in Istanbul when his daughter Kim and wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) show up for a surprise visit/vacation. However, while out with his wife, Mills soon realizes that someone is watching and following them, and this time, it is he and his wife who are the ones who are taken. Once captured, Mills manages to contact Kim to warn her, and enlist her help for his escape, and to end this once and for all.

 
While the first film is still my favorite of the franchise, I thought Taken 2 did a really good job capturing the feel and excitement of the original. One of my favorite scenes from the original film was when Mills explains to his daughter that she will be taken and prepares her for the events ahead. I got the same kind of chills watching this film as Mills started with “Listen to me Kim, your mother and I are going to be taken…”.

All the original cast is also back. Liam Neeson is the same great kick-ass character. Mills is tough when he needs to be, but also shows his softer side when he’s with his family. However, he doesn’t let his emotions get in the way when he has a mission to complete. As soon as he senses danger, his training kicks in and he’s all business and already plotting ten moves ahead. This time around, Maggie Grace and Famke Janssen also have larger roles. We get to see a lot more of Kim and Lenore and get much more character development. This films explores more sides to these women, and more of Bryan’s relationships with them. In the first film, we just got a glimpse of them at the start and end of the film, but in Taken 2, they are integrated throughout.

Taken 2 is loaded with all the action we have come to expect of the franchise. Bryan Mills once again doesn’t let anything get in his way—there are exciting car chases, fights, and other amazing stunt sequences. As with the original, this movie requires the viewer to not over-think things and just enjoy the ride. For example, the film opens with Kim having failed her driving test due to her inability to parallel park. Yet, just a couple days later she’s become an action hero—throwing grenades and stunt-driving a car through narrow market streets.

This blu-ray set contains both the theatrical cut and the unrated cut of the film. While the unrated cut is over six minutes longer, I didn’t really notice much of a difference between the two. I suspect those 6 minutes are primarily extended fight scenes that were cut down to achieve a PG-13 rating.

The original Taken was a pretty much self-contained film, and it could be argued that Taken 2 was an unnecessary sequel. However, I still found it entertaining and I think it’s definitely worth checking out for Neeson fans, or fans of the original. However, if given a choice, I would likely re-watch the original more often than this.

What’s Included:

Film
Blu-ray:

• Theatrical (1:32:07)
• Unrated (1:38:18)
• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD MA, English Descriptive Audio 5.1 (Theatrical only), Spanish DD 5.1, French DD 5.1, Chinese DD 5.1 (Theatrical only)
• English SDH, Spanish, Chinese subtitles

DVD:

• Theatrical (1:32:07)
• Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English DD 5.1, English Descriptive Audio 5.1, Spanish Surround DD 2.0, French Surround DD 2.0
• English SDH, Spanish subtitles

Digital Copy (Theatrical Cut):

• iTunes Digital Copy
• Ultraviolet Digital Copy (Vudu or Flixster)

Extras (Blu-ray):

• Deleted Scenes (6:56)
  A collection of five deleted scenes (“Airport”, “Lenore and Kim in Room”, “Bryan Finds Lenore”, “Murad on the Phone Near the Van” and “Foot Chase in Full”). There is nothing game-changing here—a few of these are from the Alternate Ending.
• Alternate Ending (25:00)
  This feature opens with a message from the director explaining how the film was restructured for the theatrical cut (which he prefers), and this was the original cut of the events before the ending of the film. While most of this is the same as what’s in the film, there is one key change around the peril faced by one character. This small difference for the theatrical version ends up giving Mills a lot more motivation for the events that transpire. It is really interesting to see how such a little change can alter the film so much.
• Black Ops Field Manual (1:38:18)
  This feature is only available on the Unrated version of the film. Throughout the film, trivia, character bios, maps and other information pop up on the screen, as well as a running total of Bryan’s distance traveled and his killed/injured count.
• Sam’s Tools of the Trade (3:32)
  Go through the various weapons and technology in Sam’s brief case. In interactive Mode, you can click on each item to hear Sam give a description while watching a 360 view of the item. However, for easier viewing, you can just select Play All to see everything—I wish more blu-rays would offer that type of option for these kinds of bonus features!
• FX Movie Channel Presents: In Character with Liam Neeson (5:01) Short interview with Liam Neeson where he talks about the premise of the film as well as the stunts, fights and action sequences. The interview is intercut with clips and behind the scenes footage.
• Theatrical Trailer (2:24)
• Sneak Peek
  Trailers for “Broken City”, The Blu-ray Experience, 3D Comes Home, “Chasing Mavericks”, “The Following”, Bond 50th Anniversary, “Skyfall”, “Red Dawn”, “Lawless”, and “Killing Them Softly”
• Live Extras
  Access additional extras via BD-Live, including an exclusive Making-Of featurette. I wish this almost 8 minute behind-the-scenes featurette had been included on the disc itself as it is easily better than any of the extras that were! It gives a great behind-the-scenes look at the filming of the car chase, fights and other stunts, with pop-up commentary by stars Liam Neeson and Maggie Grace, as well as the stunt coordinator.

Final Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this second entry in the Taken franchise. I was a big fan of the original, and was both excited and scared when I heard they were making a sequel. However, this film is entertaining and recaptures the spirit and excitement of the first film. The picture and sound on this Blu-ray are great—perhaps the only complaint is that there is a bit of graininess to the look.

I was a little disappointed by the selection of bonus features included on the blu-ray. The most interesting Making-Of featurette wasn’t even included on the disc itself—the viewer must access it via BD Live. However, the blu-ray does include two cuts of the film, a few deleted scenes, a trivia track, a short behind-the-scenes featurette, and an interesting look at the alternate ending, as well as a digital copy in two different formats.

That said, this is an easy recommendation for fans of the original, Liam Neeson fans, or anyone looking for a good popcorn action film.