Taken 2 2012

     Former CIA agent Bryan Mills is trying to work with his ex-wife Lenore and his daughter Kim to get her ready to pass her driver’s test.  She’s not home when he goes to pick her up so what does he do?  He activates the GPS on her phone and goes right to her boyfriend’s house.  He promises not to do a complete background check on the boyfriend.  Bryan invites Lenore and Kim to go to Istanbul, he will be working for three days and then he can spend time with them if they would like to meet him there.  They don’t get very much quality time before a group kidnaps Bryan and Lenore.  They are seeking revenge because Bryan killed the son of an important crime boss even though he was an evil and corrupt man.  This time Kim is not taken but she will have to help rescue her mother and father.

     The first Taken was very good and Bryan Mills took names and killed everyone involved in kidnapping his daughter.  This time everything seems like warmed over leftovers.  It is interesting to see how Bryan counts and pays attention to the sounds as he is taken in a van to a different location.  He has Kim plot his possible course on a map and then set off grenades that he can hear for her to be able to locate them.

Note:  Blockbuster 3*, imdb 6.2 out of 10, 21% critic 55% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Special Note:  If you were kidnapped once before in Paris, would you travel to Istanbul for any reason?