BEFORE: Already a common theme is developing in my spy-film chain - the pursuit of some precious commodity, whether it's diamonds or a mysterious suitcase. Tonight an ex-spy goes in pursuit of a precious commodity, his kidnapped daughter.
THE PLOT: A former spy relies on his old skills to save his estranged daughter, who has been forced into the slave trade.
AFTER: In "Marathon Man", it was tough to watch Dustin Hoffman undergo unwanted (and quite unnecessary) dental surgery as a form of torture - and tonight it was just as tough to watch as Liam Neeson's character had to listen via cell phone as his daughter was kidnapped. And in a neat bit of symmetry, he travels to Paris, finds some of the men responsible, straps one to a chair and performs a bit of torture himself. Tonight, however, I was rooting for the torturer!
Neeson's character becomes a one-man vigilante army, working his way up (and down) the European underworld power structure, which seems to be full of Albanians, and he makes a royal mess of things while searching for his daughter. He's got moves here that would put James Bond to shame. There's another car chase through the streets of Paris (a city making its third appearance in a row tonight, quite by accident) and he even pursues a suspect by driving the wrong way down a highway, just like they did in "Ronin".
Of course, as a father, he was against his 17-year-old daughter traveling on her own, because of his background as a spy, he knew what a dangerous world it is. Many people do disappear every year and are never found, after all. Now I'm not disputing how much a man would do to save his daughter, but it's a lot of effort just to be able to say "I told you so!" to his ex-wife.
Also starring Famke Janssen (last seen in "Made"), Maggie Grace, Xander Berkeley (last seen in "Heat"), and Leland Orser (last seen in "Alien: Resurrection")
RATING: 7 out of 10 bulldozers
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