Who didn't love the scary Liam Neeson killing machine we saw in 2008's Taken? The "I will find you. I will kill you," rings out just as awesome every time I watch it. Needless to say, I was pretty excited to see the return of Brian Mills in Taken 2. However, as the movie drew to a close I found myself hoping that there would be more. Apparently my lust for violence was unsatisfied. Let me qualify just what that violence is. It is not just any violence, but the justified sort from a skilled killer who has been deeply wronged. This is what we saw in Taken. Brian Mills showed a remorseless display of precise brutality: throat punches, point-blank face shots, electrocution. He responded physically how we feel emotionally towards such barbarism and evil as human trafficking. And perhaps it may be unhealthy or even somewhat sadistic, but I enjoyed this seemingly righteous dispatch of bad guys. With Taken 2, one feels the same justified indignation towards the antagonists, who are the family members of the many men Brian killed previously. There is nothing honorable about them; they desire revenge against Brian and his whole family and are unapologetic towards the deeds of their kin. I grew giddy with anticipation of seeing them dealt with. However, the movie got off to a bit of a slow start: for a kidnapping that the trailer told us would be happening, it took a long time to occur. After it did, the pacing seemed to somewhat slow down again, as we watched a captured Brian giving his daughter instructions on how to rescue him via phone. Unlike the first movie, which seemed to build and build toward the climax of finding his daughter and the men who took her, this one seemed to peak and plateau in a cycle. This being said, some of those peaks were quite good, my favorite being one of the first where we get to watch Brian engage multiple foes in hand-to-hand combat (I had watched the "Krav Maga" episode of Human Weapon two nights before. This scene was reminscent). My least favorite was the car chase with the daughter driving, with the repetitive dialogue and the fact that this girl who failed her driver's test twice was driving like a stuntman. In its consequent culmination, I did not feel the climax; it was as if the final showdown happened prematurely. Sitting silently during the credits, I felt myself imagining a post-credit sequence with a bunch of ninjas attacking Liam unexpectedly or him making the trip to Albania to end these crazy human trafficking families. I feel bad in saying that I had a thirst for a certain type of violence, and worse in saying that Taken 2 did not quench it.
Showing posts with label Liam Neeson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Liam Neeson. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Movie Review: Taken 2 (2012)
Who didn't love the scary Liam Neeson killing machine we saw in 2008's Taken? The "I will find you. I will kill you," rings out just as awesome every time I watch it. Needless to say, I was pretty excited to see the return of Brian Mills in Taken 2. However, as the movie drew to a close I found myself hoping that there would be more. Apparently my lust for violence was unsatisfied. Let me qualify just what that violence is. It is not just any violence, but the justified sort from a skilled killer who has been deeply wronged. This is what we saw in Taken. Brian Mills showed a remorseless display of precise brutality: throat punches, point-blank face shots, electrocution. He responded physically how we feel emotionally towards such barbarism and evil as human trafficking. And perhaps it may be unhealthy or even somewhat sadistic, but I enjoyed this seemingly righteous dispatch of bad guys. With Taken 2, one feels the same justified indignation towards the antagonists, who are the family members of the many men Brian killed previously. There is nothing honorable about them; they desire revenge against Brian and his whole family and are unapologetic towards the deeds of their kin. I grew giddy with anticipation of seeing them dealt with. However, the movie got off to a bit of a slow start: for a kidnapping that the trailer told us would be happening, it took a long time to occur. After it did, the pacing seemed to somewhat slow down again, as we watched a captured Brian giving his daughter instructions on how to rescue him via phone. Unlike the first movie, which seemed to build and build toward the climax of finding his daughter and the men who took her, this one seemed to peak and plateau in a cycle. This being said, some of those peaks were quite good, my favorite being one of the first where we get to watch Brian engage multiple foes in hand-to-hand combat (I had watched the "Krav Maga" episode of Human Weapon two nights before. This scene was reminscent). My least favorite was the car chase with the daughter driving, with the repetitive dialogue and the fact that this girl who failed her driver's test twice was driving like a stuntman. In its consequent culmination, I did not feel the climax; it was as if the final showdown happened prematurely. Sitting silently during the credits, I felt myself imagining a post-credit sequence with a bunch of ninjas attacking Liam unexpectedly or him making the trip to Albania to end these crazy human trafficking families. I feel bad in saying that I had a thirst for a certain type of violence, and worse in saying that Taken 2 did not quench it.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Movie Review: The Grey (2011)
The Grey, starring Liam Neeson, depicts man's struggles to find his way home after an untracked corporate jet crashes an burns in the Alaskan tundra, populated only by lodgepole pines and grey wolves. You're in for some impressive winter nature scenes, though the film is lacking the awesome aerial shots the Alaskan wildlife and nature deserve. There is so much opportunity to entertain the audience with Alaskan wildlife, but the director and writer chose to script only CGI-enhanced greys.
The few survivors of the deadly and unreported crash are threatened by the minimal chance of survival. Winter conditions are harsh and the wolves are on the hunt. Ottway (Neeson) knows wolves better than most, for he is trained and hired to protect the crews from hunting packs. Wolves are a curious creature in that the packs are hierarchical in structure. They survive by preying on the week and old, often times significantly affecting preyed species populations. The impracticality of human survival in such conditions alerted the skeptic in me just after the plane crash and throughout the rest of the film. How can men outrun wolves in unpacked snow? How can one survive hypothermia in below freezing conditions after full submersion? Experts suggest death after just 15 minutes. National Geographic critiques the likelihood of Greys behaving so aggressively by featuring an article arguing for a greater chance of survival than depicted in the film.
I would recommend The Grey to any mountain man or woman. Comparable to Alive: Miracle of the Andes, The Grey appeals to those entertained by a man vs. nature theme.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Netflix Instant Movie Review: Seraphim Falls (2006)
As I browse through the available selection of Netflix Instant, I often find myself unable to find movies or shows that I had hoped would be available. However, there also seems to be a glut of options that I had never heard of before or had but seem to be pretty old. For those familiar with Code Redd Net, you know that we do not discriminate by age, and we enjoy things that are a few or even several years old. Consequently, I think a fitting service might be to sift through what is available on Netflix Instant and perhaps offer our readers some suggestions of worthy films.
More than anything else, what drew me to this movie were the leading actors (forgive the lack of sophistication of this approach). I saw it as a face-off between super-killer Bryan Mills of Taken and the second most recent 007. And what better setting for a showdown than the American West (especially for two Irishmen)? But the movie involves less of a "showdown" than of a chase. I really don't want to give away any more than that of the story and, if you do intend to see this film, would advise against watching the trailer. Part of the fun is being in the dark about the motivations of the characters. But regardless, westerns aren't particularly known for their complex plot lines, but for the aura of their elements: tough men (and women) in tough country doing tough things. And Seraphim Falls is just that. In fact, it seems for me to be redemption for Pierce's masculinity after seeing that joke called Mamma Mia! (which happened to be the first part of a drive-in double feature. Coincidentally, the second film was Taken). He pulls of some pretty B.A. things, which were themselves justifications for watching the movie. That being said, it can get pretty long in some stretches, and can be exhausting from the constant cat and mouse game. But for fans of westerns, especially of more modern ones, I would give Seraphim Falls the thumbs up, as well as for fans of both Neeson and Brosnan.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)