The story is simple. Seventeen year old Kim (Maggie Grace) begs her dad, Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson), to let her go to Paris with a friend. Kim and her pal, Amanda (Katie Cassidy) make the mistake of talking to a Parisian stranger which leads to both girls getting abducted. Luckily, Kim is able to call her dad before she’s nabbed. Kim is even more fortunate that her daddy is a retired CIA agent. When Bryan’s little girl is threatened dad hightails it to the City of Lights to get his daughter back before she vanishes forever.

Usually, the hero is given some insanely short amount of time to get the job done. In this story, Bryan Mills is given a healthier timeframe of ninety-six hours instead of the usual forty-eight or twenty-four hour crunch. More time did not necessarily mean a reduction in the tension. All through the city, Bryan wreaked havoc in car chases, public brawls and shootouts in secret brothels. Neither the police nor the Albanian underground managed to put the brakes on the "Mills Express".

It was hard not to compare Bryan Mills to Bond or Bourne due to the various secret agent tricks he pulled. Mr. Mills’ years of experience on the force allowed him to pull off incredible feats such as solely infiltrating a house full of crooks with a bluff and driving against the flow of traffic on more than one occasion.

The movie isn’t just about the abduction and the urgent rescue mission. Bryan and Lenore Mills (Famke Janssen) split up mostly due to the strains of Bryan’s life threatening occupation. After the divorce, Lenore hooked up with a man named Stuart (Xander Berkeley) and the wealthy step-dad lavished his riches on mum and daughter. We meet Bryan at a point in his life where he’s trying to make up for all the quality time he missed with his darling Kim. Kim acknowledges her father’s efforts while Lenore prefers to bear a grudge. That’s basically what Taken is: the traditional story of a parent’s effort to reconcile with his child taken to the extreme with an international kidnapping plot. Kinda like having a peanut butter, jelly and jalapeno sandwich.

Maggie Grace, who plays "Kim", has one of those faces I’ve probably seen in a million shows but never took full notice of. The only film I saw her in was that 2005 remake of The Fog but don’t ask me what role she played. I’m just relieved she has more credits on her resume other than that waste of celluloid. Holly Valance kicked butt in DOA: Dead or Alive (2006) but takes a smaller yet vital role in Taken. Ms. Valance portrays pop superstar “Sheerah”. I was so ticked that it took me thirty minutes to recognize her but y’all know that I rarely forget the face of a strong heroine. And while on the subject of strong heroines ain’t no way I’m not going to mention Famke Janssen. "Lenore" is a soft role for the accomplished Bond Girl and X-Man but who cares. It’s Famke! She could just flip her hair and I’d nominate her for a Golden Globe.

I cried when Qui Gonn died. George Lucas has done some nutty things over the years and I have found the strength to overlook many of those mistakes. Killing the coolest, sexiest, and most “Forceful” Jedi since Sir Alec Guinness’ “Obi Wan Kenobi” was an unforgivable sin. Anyway, Liam Neeson rocks with his towering frame, Euro model looks and quiet anger. There are so many precious moments when the baddies think they have the upper hand on the silly American dad. And I must admit that it never failed to amaze me when Neeson would take advantage of his opponent’s arrogance and dispatch him quicker than an American Idol results show.

Oh, wait. Even a paraplegic snail is faster than an American Idol results show. Never mind.

Taken is a thrilling yet brief actioner charged with the emotional fervor of a dad racing against the clock to save his only child. It could also be seen as an exaggerated cautionary tale about the dangers of traveling abroad. The performances are strong, the action is riveting and if you ever doubted Neeson’s “leading man” skills then Taken will make you a believer.