Taken 2 (2012)
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A retired CIA officer must navigate a dangerous kidnapping in Istanbul to save his family from a vengeful mafia head.
The story
Retired CIA officer Bryan Mills finds himself in Istanbul with his ex-wife, Lenore, and daughter, Kim. While out for lunch, they are targeted by the men of Murad Hoxha, an Albanian mafia head seeking revenge for his son's death. Bryan is captured, and Lenore is taken by the kidnappers. Realizing Kim is also a target, Bryan manages to coordinate with her from his captivity. The film follows Bryan's desperate efforts to navigate the city, use his tactical skills, and rescue his family from the ruthless group of terrorists.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Albanian mafia head Murad Hoxha seeks revenge on Bryan Mills for the death of his son, Marko. After failing to find information from a corrupt officer, Murad deduces Bryan is in Istanbul. While Bryan is on a security job, his ex-wife Lenore and daughter Kim arrive. They are spotted and kidnapped by Murad's men. Bryan is tied up in a basement, while Kim hides and helps him triangulate his location using grenades. The terrorists begin to torture Lenore. Bryan frees himself and Lenore, and Kim helps him locate the guards. After a high-speed chase involving a taxi and an SUV, Bryan lures the SUV into a train. He leaves Kim at the embassy and tracks Murad to a bathhouse. He rescues Lenore and kills the remaining terrorists. Bryan confronts Murad, offering him a chance to leave, but Murad attacks. Bryan reveals his weapon is unloaded and kills Murad by impaling him on a towel hook. The film ends with the family celebrating in Los Angeles.
- First release year
- 2012
- Runtime (minutes)
- 91
- Production countries
- France
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Olivier Megaton
- Writers
- Luc Besson · writer; Robert Mark Kamen · writer
- Cast and characters
- Liam Neeson · Bryan Mills; Maggie Grace · Kimberly "Kim" Mills; Famke Janssen · Lenore "Lennie" Mills-St. John; Rade Šerbedžija · Murad Hoxha; Leland Orser · Sam Gilroy; Jon Gries · Mark Casey; D. B. Sweeney · Bernie Harris; Luke Grimes · Jamie Conrad
- Genres
- action; thriller
- Themes
- revenge; family; vigilantism
- Tone and mood
- action-packed; tense; clichéd
- Setting
- Istanbul, Turkey; Paris, France; Los Angeles, USA; and Tropojë, Albania.
- Premise and plot tags
- kidnapping; revenge; action-thriller; sequel
- Franchise connections
- Taken
- Reception
- The film received negative reviews from critics, with many noting it lacked the thrills of the original and relied on clichés, though it was a significant box office success.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 22% · review count: 174; Metacritic · score: 45 · scale: 100 · review count: 35; CinemaScore · score: B+
- Production trivia
- The film grossed over $376 million, making it the highest-grossing installment of the trilogy.; The film was released under several different titles in international markets, including 'Takip: İstanbul' in Turkey.; Liam Neeson and Maggie Grace shot their scenes in Los Angeles in January 2012.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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