‘Taken 2′ International Trailer: This Time, Liam Neeson’s Wife Is Taken

The Luc Besson-backed thriller Taken was a surprise hit back in 2008, which cemented Liam Neeson’s second-wind career run as a badass of the big screen. Four years later, and Taken 2 is (not surprisingly) on the verge of being released in theaters.

Taken 2 catches up with (sorta) retired CIA operative Bryan Mills (Neeson) as he spends some time with his ex-wife (Famke Janssen) and daughter (Maggie Grace) overseas in Istanbul. What was meant as a relaxing vacation for Mills’ loved ones turns into a nightmare real fast, after the father of one of the Albanian kidnappers (Rade Sherbedgia) – who Mills killed during his rampage across Europe in the first film, enacts his planned revenge against the patriarch of the (broken) Mills family.

In a previous interview, Neeson seemingly confirmed that Mills will actually be the one “taken” in this sequel. However, the new international trailer for the film focuses more on our hero’s attempts to rescue his wife (who is taken hostage) by working together with his daughter. Assuming this preview isn’t an example of misdirection – which could be the case – it seems that Mills will only be a hostage himself for a limited portion of Taken 2.

For the remainder of the film’s running time, Mills will undoubtedly be doing what he does best: snapping necks, firing guns, and smashing any baddie who threatens the safety of his family (quite the kick-ass dad, that guy).

Early footage from Taken 2 suggests that director Olivier Megaton (Transporter 3, Colombiana) should once again deliver on the action side of things – with Neeson also bringing his customary depth to Mills, while still convincing as an unstoppable force of nature in human form. As is to be expected, though, the plot beats and character moments that make up the sequel’s “down time” look like little more than a standard rehash of the first movie, simply sufficing as filler until Neeson starts pummeling the bad guys once again.

Still, co-writers Besson and Robert Mark Kamen have pretty much mastered the art of keeping the proceedings lively – and the pacing crackling – with their special brand of Europe-set action/thrillers. So, all things considered, Taken 2 could give moviegoers their fix of thrills and Neeson killing stuff, even if the film fails to reach the heights of its predecessor.

Taken 2 hits theaters around the U.S. on October 5th, 2012.

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Source: Yahoo! The Hype