‘Taken’

Rating: 8/10

(“Taken” is released tomorrow, however, writer Ben Burr saw the movie in Chile where it was released in September 2008).

Espionage and butt-kicking have become a young man’s game in recent years. Between Jason Bourne and Jack Bauer, most of the world’s evil-doers are taken care of by a brigade of strapping young bucks. Liam Neeson, nominated for an Oscar for “Schindler’s List” over 15 years ago and pushing 60 today, is not the man you might expect to headline a face-smashing crime thriller.

You’ll find a curious charm in seeing Neeson punching people where you’ve never seen people punched before. On their bodies, that is – he punches them all in France, birthplace of Luc Besson, the film’s producer and co-writer.

Besson had a pair of cult hits with “Le Femme Nikita” and “León” in the ‘90s, but hasn’t directed much since 1997’s “The Fifth Element.” He has since been involved with a number of second-string action flicks, producing and co-writing the Jet Li film “Unleashed” and “The Transporter” franchise.

B-rated as they are, there’s a reliable element to these releases. The acting is never groundbreaking and the plots are seldom spellbinding, but the action can be abundant and fresh.

“Taken” is a good example.

Neeson plays Bryan Mills, the usual ex-CIA “employee” who disarms knife-wielding assailants and alludes to time spent in the Middle East while never revealing the exact nature of his former job. The Irish-born actor’s American accent is hit-or-miss, and the supporting cast phones it in.

But when daughter Kim (Maggie Grace, formerly Shannon Rutherford of “LOST” fame) gets kidnaped during a Paris vacation, Mills starts breaking even Bauer’s rules. As mentioned above, no body part goes un-punched as Mills pursues the kidnappers. Neeson’s line delivery doesn’t quite match “Schindler’s” standards, but in lieu of dramatic precision, a few dozen minutes of action sequences make up the difference, and then some. Mills charges forward with smoldering desperation and stunningly escalating violence as he searches for his daughter.

To boot, director Pierre Morel uses wider and longer shots than are common in heavily-edited action films today, making the fights and chases easier to enjoy.

Outstanding even among big-budget American thrillers today, the espionage is distinctly low-tech: gone are the GPS trackers and satellite videos, which take the work and fun out of hunting villains. When not throwing punches, Mills uses a pocketful of clever spy tricks and conniving lies to outwit gangs and evade capture.

With all this working for it, “Taken” falls short of acting chops but exceeds thriller expectations in Neeson’s capable hands.