If you have a teenaged daughter, be prepared to come away from this movie afraid to let her travel outside the backyard without some major kung fu skillz. You may also feel the need to invest in spy-training so that, in case she is kidnapped and sold into sexual slavery, you can kill every person you encounter on the way to rescuing her from the slimey rich guy who just paid a shitload of cash for the rights to deflower her. Resist. These paranoid delusions will pass and you will be left feeling that perhaps it wasn't such a bad movie after all, if a little violent.
Also, Liam Neesom can really kick ass.
reflections of it
I remember watching this movie last summer at some point. I remember generally liking the idea of the movie but not the execution of it. It was engaging enough and stuff, but the entire time I couldn't help but feel like it was the most unlikely of scenarios brought onto the big screen and visualized in such a way as to make it appear to be a common occurrence, expressly to discourage teenage and early-adult freedom - specifically women's freedom. It is designed to make parents fear the world and it is designed to make women fear strangers. It came across very preachy and just wholly unbelievable. "Unless you're an ex-spy, don't even think of letting your daughter go travelling with her friends without adult males around." I think they could have done it so much better if they'd left the patriarchy out.
what pissed me off
he gave her all these scary warnings about strange places and rules about calling home every minute and never once gave her some concrete advice on how to travel safely.
oh yeah
Yeah I forgot that... that's right, that really drove me nuts. If I recall too, the actual instigating event was somewhat based entirely on the lack of a phonecall or some such thing? Something like that twigging an irritation about a really bad MacGuffin.
well, no
he just gets all paranoid because she hasn't called and nothing is actually wrong, but while she's on the phone with him, the bad guys show up.
ohhh yes
Oh yeah okay I remember that scene now. I wonder what i'm remembering being the big annoying Macguffin...
?
i can't think of anything that would fit the description.
"couldn't help but feel like
"couldn't help but feel like it was the most unlikely of scenarios brought onto the big screen and visualized in such a way as to make it appear to be a common occurrence, expressly to discourage teenage and early-adult freedom - specifically women's freedom."
That seems a little excessive, I personally didn't get that from it, I didn't see a political statement in it.
As for women fearing strangers and what not, trafficking in women certainly does happen. It's not all that uncommon in Canada though usually involves local native girls or Asian or Eastern Europeans brought in. The plot in this case does seem far-fetched (the sale to the Arab sheik?) but as a father, I wouldn't allow my young son or daughter (what were they, 17?) to be running around anywhere on their own, from Edmonton to a foreign country. Let alone cruising around Europe following a rock concert!
Even if they were older, I would certainly be concerned. Concerned bordering on paranoid. I don't think that Neeson's attitude seemed all that out of line or unusual. A few basic precautions (checking in by phone) weren't too onerous. I'm 32 years old and my Mom still worried about me when travelling!
I always check in, I give everyone an itinerary, and all that - it makes good sense.
excess
I don't really think it's excessive at all. It's the underlying assumption of the entire movie. If it didn't assume this, then the movie no longer makes contextual sense.
As for women fearing strangers and what not, trafficking in women certainly does happen. It's not all that uncommon in Canada though usually involves local native girls or Asian or Eastern Europeans brought in.
If by "not all that uncommon" you mean "less than one in 100,000" then I'll agree. By my reckoning, 1 in 100,000 is a pretty damn rare event. And the demographic is important. White upper-class American getting snagged in Europe? No, uh uh, just not going to happen. Not in this world at any rate. I'd be surprised if it has ever happened. Even once.
I wouldn't allow my young son or daughter (what were they, 17?) to be running around anywhere on their own, from Edmonton to a foreign country. Let alone cruising around Europe following a rock concert!
Maybe, but that is you. Many parents do, provided they're kid is going with friends where at least a couple of whom are 18 or older. There are tens of thousands of people from around the world who hit europe sans parents as soon as they graduate high school. I met many while I travelled Europe. In fact, most of the people I met were 17-20. It was a giant months-long party, with almost zero risk of anything besides having your wallet nicked (and perhaps picking up and STD or two).
A century ago, a person of 20 years was expected to have their shit together and their career well under way. 300 years ago, a 20 year old might be qualified enough to lead a military unit into battle. Today, a 20 year old is frequently viewed by many "adults" as nothing but a child wrapped in a grown-up body.
Nothing has changed except our perception and our expectations. So if they aren't responsible? Well, we only have their parents to blame, for being so scared of letting them grow up that they refuse to invest in them the very responsibilities that make them grow up.
Loved the movie
A very enjoyable action romp, some well choreographed fight scenes, a good use of (I think) Kali and/or some sort of Silat in the knife fighting.
What worked for me in the movie was the fast pace of the action and the pure kick-assedness of Neeson. He is a fine actor who brings a lot to each role. He does a lot of varied work and this is definitely one of my top fav action movies. I also really liked him in Kinsey.
As for the sheer ridiculousness of the plot:
This usually ruins movies for me. Watching people shot 50 yards with snub nosed .38's, rolling around with guns while while shooting people off rooftops, charging through dozens of people firing automatic weapons untouched etc - all very pointless and annoying. This ruined Mr. and Mrs. Smith for me, for example. It was a very cool, sexy movie that finished with a completely RIDICULOUS gun scene. Garbage.
OK, back on topic. Two of many things that were silly:
- The ease of locating the kidnappers. Thank goodness his CIA/NSA buddies were able to match the voice of a shitty recording to the eastern european criminal database and get a match. In about 15 mins.
- When he goes into the kidnappers home base (the payoff scene) he presents himself as the big cheese in a French security agency - but is speaking ENGLISH! And not even with a French accent!
And yet, I didn't care! I didn't even think much of them (except the French thing) until after the movie was over, I enjoyed it too much.
The all time classic scene was shooting his friend's wife in the arm. In the words of a friend of mine, "that was so bad-ass"
Was reminiscent of The Professional, also by Luc Besson and another movie I highly recommend. Stars Jean Reno and a very young Natalie Portman. La Femme Nikita (also Besson) is another movie worth looking at. Was remade as Point of No Return with Bridget Fonda.
Hmm
I really liked The Professional, so I guess I will give this movie a try... I will report back after I have seen it.