Taken, co-written by Luc Besson and starring Liam Neeson, is simply exhilarating. I never pictured Neeson as an action star, per se, but he is one bad MF. Neeson stars as Bryan Mills, a former spy who is now retired and pursuing a life with his estranged teenaged daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace). Of course, Bryan tries, but it's tough to compete with her wealthy new stepfather, Stuart (Xander Berkeley). When Bryan buys Kim a karaoke machine for her birthday, Stuart gets her a horse. Ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) isn't making things any easier, always reminding Bryan of how he screwed up when they were together.

When Kim gets invited to spend her vacation in Paris with her friend, Amanda (Katie Cassidy), she is thrilled, but Bryan is not. He insists it isn't safe, but eventually relents and signs the permission slip for Kim to leave the country, with the proviso that she calls him every day on the international phone he provides. When Kim and Amanda arrive, they meet a charming guy named Peter (Nicolas Giraud) who invites them to share his cab. Little do they know that Peter is a spotter for a slave trade gang. Within a short time, Amanda and Kim are taken, but since Kim was talking to her dad when the men broke in, Bryan was able to instruct her on how to give him clues to locate her.

Now, it will take all of Bryan's former skills as a hardcore spy, or "protector" as he once described himself to Kim, plus a number of friends from around the world, to save his daughter. As Bryan works his way across Paris getting to the bottom of the kidnapping, he racks up quite a body count. We found ourselves literally cheering him on as he wreaked havoc across the city because he was so damned effective in his methods. The final showdown is indeed intense and action-packed.

While I am normally not too hung up on special features, Taken contains one that was so cool, it actually caused us to re-watch the movie immediately after the first viewing (on a higher speed, mind you), with the special feature implemented. It is called Black Ops Field Manual and while watching the film, you are treated to tidbits of info about Black Ops agents, especially as they relate to the movie. But the coolest part is a heads-up display that lists a count of those Bryan has killed or injured, plus the time he has left to find his daughter and the miles he has traveled. Watching the injured count rise and then fall as Bryan finishes someone off was a bit too much fun. Also included is the theatrical release version, a digital copy of the film, several commentaries, a making-of featurette, a featurette on the film's premiere and side-by-side breakdowns of the action sequences.

This movie is just great. If you are a fan of action flicks, you owe it to yourself to check this movie out. I am a fan of Luc Besson from way back and this movie only solidifies my appreciation for his movies. The addition of the cool special features makes this movie definitely worth a re-watch. The visuals and crisp, clear and explosive and look absolutely gorgeous on Blu-ray. As glass breaks and bones are crushed, you'll hear it all in your surround sound. This is a great film to add to your action-flick collection and if you do, get it on Blu-ray for the ultimate experience.