‹ All movies
Taken poster

Taken

year 2008decade 00sdirector Pierre Morelgenre Action thrillergenre Crimegenre Vigilante

93 minutes

IMDb
Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Liam Neeson Bryan Mills
Maggie Grace Kimberly "Kim" Mills, Bryan's daughter
Famke Janssen Lenore "Lenny" Mills-St John, Bryan's former wife
Leland Orser Sam Gilroy
Jon Gries Mark Casey
David Warshofsky Bernie Harris
Holly Valance Sheerah
Katie Cassidy Amanda, Kim's friend
Xander Berkeley Stuart St
Olivier Rabourdin Jean-Claude Pitrel
Gérard Watkins Patrice Saint-Clair
Arben Bajraktaraj Marko Hoxha, terrorist leader of a sex trafficking ring responsible for Kim's abduction
Camille Japy Isabelle
Goran Kostić Gregor

Taken | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Shea Serrano
Explore episodeClose episode

Producer credits not yet identified.

Most Rewatchable Scene

Split: Kim being taken; dinner at Jean-Claude’s house

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:23:42Read transcript
  • Kim being taken through the phone-call instructions is one preferred scene
  • The dinner at Jean-Claude’s house became the other preferred scene after repeated viewings
  • The apartment raid and the extended ending are also named among five top-tier scenes

What’s Aged the Best?

Liam Neeson’s action-star reinvention and the phone speech lead several praised elements

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:32:06Read transcript
  • The film knowing exactly what it is is praised
  • Liam Neeson’s filmography is said to have been reinterpreted after the role made him an action star
  • The phone speech is proposed as the best individual element but challenged because it was already perfect on release
  • Jean-Claude’s behind-a-desk decline is praised as a recurring thematic joke

What’s Aged the Worst?

Foreign-villain stereotyping and the U2 premise lead a larger set of objections

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 00:37:03Read transcript
  • The film’s portrayal of nearly every foreign character as murderous or complicit is the strongest objection
  • Teenagers following U2 around Europe in 2008 is criticized as implausible
  • Bryan’s drinks-with-his-buddies scene is criticized as awkward
  • Kim’s rapid recovery without visible trauma is criticized
  • Taken 3 is rejected while Taken 2 receives a qualified defense

The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

Marco, Jean-Claude, Jean-Claude’s wife, the club manager, the sheik, and Marco’s table are nominated

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:44:31Read transcript
  • Marco, Jean-Claude, Jean-Claude’s wife, the club manager, and the sheik are nominated
  • The men at Marco’s table are added for enthusiastically backing him

Half-Assed Internet Research

Jeff Bridges casting, Liam Neeson preparation, Famke Janssen advocacy, map continuity, travel warnings, Maggie Grace’s running, and body count

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 00:47:10Read transcript
  • Liam Neeson is reported to have expected a straight-to-video release and trained in Paris for four months
  • Famke Janssen is reported to have become a UN anti-corruption goodwill ambassador
  • The airport map is reported to show dissolved European states
  • Liam Neeson is reported to discourage parents from treating the film’s danger as realistic travel guidance
  • Maggie Grace is reportedly said to have trained with Alberto Salazar to run younger, though the hosts explicitly doubt the claim
  • Bryan is first said to kill 31 people, then corrected to 35

Apex Mountain

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:55:09Read transcript
  • Liam Neeson is treated as an unequivocal apex because the role made him an action star in his mid-fifties
  • Maggie Grace is judged permanently identified with the daughter role
  • The Albanian traffickers are jokingly assigned an apex as screen villains

Picking Nits

Apartment wealth, discarded phone, voice recognition, failed execution, baguette shorthand, and improvised phone-routing technology

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 00:58:30Read transcript
  • The unusually luxurious fifth-floor apartment is questioned
  • Leaving the destroyed phone behind and then locking the door is questioned
  • Recognizing Marco from a repeated two-word phrase is challenged
  • The captors’ failure to shoot their captive after questioning him is challenged
  • Jean-Claude’s wife’s survival and later life are questioned
  • Jean-Claude carrying an unwrapped baguette is mocked as generic French shorthand
  • The ease of buying a transmitter and sending a phone signal to another location is questioned

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Kim’s lesson, the auction’s realism, and Jean-Claude’s wife

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:02:54Read transcript
  • Whether Kim learned to trust her father is asked and answered by reference to the sequels
  • Whether the elaborate auction exists as portrayed is debated and rejected

Who Won the Movie?

An unnamed sole winner, credited with reviving action movies

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:06:15Read transcript
  • An unnamed sole winner is said to win the film and action movies while reviving the form

More from the conversation

The film is called the quintessential “five o’clocker”: simple, satisfying action that can be watched after work without much mental effort.
Approx. transcript time · 00:02:24Read transcript
The role is credited with reviving an action-star tradition after a weak 2000s stretch and launching Liam Neeson’s second career.
Approx. transcript time · 00:05:31Read transcript
A parenting anecdote recounts accidentally colliding two young sons while throwing one in the air, changing later risk decisions.
Approx. transcript time · 00:48:19Read transcript
A separate parenting anecdote recounts a toddler leaving through an open door while a basketball game held attention, ending safely after a driver stopped.
Approx. transcript time · 00:49:26Read transcript
Streaming services are predicted to revive straightforward action films and romantic comedies through audience-data-driven commissioning.
Approx. transcript time · 01:06:43Read transcript

Mentions across The Rewatchables

Recorded movie reference

Speed

The Rewatchables · aired August 18, 2026

Taken is listed in the sourced research for this episode. The precise discussion has not been linked yet.

Transcript time unavailableRead transcript
Source 1Source 2