Review
Based on the book of the same name by Kendal Burt & James Leasor, this classic British motion picture remains true to the original story. This was one of the many excellent motion pictures - about World War 2 - made by British motion picture studios, during the 1950's era. A quality production, based on a true story. I remember seeing this motion picture in the 'Astoria' Cinema, West End Terrace/Bishop's Place, Ebbw Vale, Monmouthshire, South Wales, when I was 14 years of age. This brought back memories of the conflict of World War 2 to my father.
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The acting, by all the cast is real 'top notch'. Commencing its narrative, after Oberleutnant Franz von Werra's, is shot down - during the Battle Of Britain. He captured and sent to a Prisoner Of War Camp. Through guts and determination he manages to escape his captors twice but is recaptured. Transported to Canada he then makes this third, and at last successful escape - into the then neutral United States of America who did not actively enter the conflict of World War 11. Until after the tragic events at Pearl Harbour. Franz von Werra was the only German Prisoner Of War to successfully escape from Allied captivity during World War 11. And return to his homeland - Germany.
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Some Interesting Facts.
Wednesday 28th August 1940, my father Idris Gordon Nancarrow, a national serviceman 'called up' to serve in the R.A.F. during World War 11. celebrated his 20th birthday. On that day that Franz von Werra gained some notoriety when he returned, to Germany, from a mission over England and claimed he had shot down 9. R.A.F. Hurricane fighters over 'the garden of England' - Kent. Despite the fact there were no witnesses to his claim his success was officially recognised and the German propaganda machine made of his claimed feat. Later it appeared that 4 victories were confirmed and attributed to Franz von Werra's and thw 5th to the 9th credited as ground victories.
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Thursday 5th September 1940, Franz von Werra was part of a German bomber escort mission to and area somewhere south of London, United Kingdom. The formation encountered R.A.F. Spitfire fighters. In the subsequent aerial combat, von Werra's Bf 109 E-4 (W.Nr. 1480) received hits from 'friendly fire'. He attempted to fly home alone but was pursued by a Spitfire and forced down near Marden. Von Werra was captured and imprisoned in England, United Kingdom.
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He twice attempted to escape. First was on Monday 7th October 1940. His second attempt was on Friday 20th December 1940. He was recaptured both times. After his 2nd failed escape attempt Franz von Werra was sent to a prison camp in Canada. He managed to escape on Tuesday 21st January 1941. He made his way through the United States Of America, Mexico, South America then Spain and finally reached Germany Friday 18th April 1941. Just over 6 months later Franz Von Werra took off in Bf 109 F-4 on a practice flight, Saturday 25th October 1941. The areoplane suffered engine failure, crashed into the sea - north of Vlissingen - and was killed.
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Nazi airman, Oberleutnant Franz von Werra, is shot down during the Battle of Britain and was the only German prisoner of war taken in Britain during the Second World War. He believes that it his duty to escape and return to Germany. He manages to abscond from numerous British P.O.W camps and finally, after making two previous attempts, he succeeds in escaping from Canada.
French cinema offers up a Hollywood-style action smash up with this Liam Neeson vehicle, which carries the message "Paris is full of dangerous, girl-kidnapping men who desperately need to be smashed up, snapped and shot at". Whether you agree with this statement or not, after seeing Taken depends whether you like revenge movies. To be specific, Taken is not technically a revenge movie, it just happens to dole out vengeance in large chunks.
After retired government agent Bryan (Neeson) finishes choosing his 17 year old daughter's karaoke machine birthday present (which he wraps up with the same care as he would stitch up a wounded kitten), he finally realises he has taken a backseat in her life. To be fair, her kindly step dad is the kind of man who gives her ponies and posh parties for her birthday. However, her affection for her biological dad is clear, especially when she convinces him (through lying and manipulation) to let her go to Paris with her blasé tramp-like friend. His consenting to this dodgy expedition is clothed in conditions including calling as soon as she lands and not to go to grotty areas like Paris's red light district. Predictably, within their first few minutes of breathing fresh French air they are chatted up by a grinning 20-something creep and kidnapped by Albanians. It's a good thing that Daddy Neeson is prepared to indulge in excessive levels of killing to save his daughter from the sex traffickers, who plan to hook the girls on drugs, and then sell them for thousands.
Throughout the killing, killing and more killing you admire Neeson's skill in giving his flawed character (bullets magically seem to miss him, but his shots hit home first go) a sense of credibility. The whole film is ridiculous enjoyable nonsense that lacks the poignancy needed between the action for us to actually feel worried for the girls in peril, but keeps adrenalin levels pumping high with the aid of a number of surprising moments. The ending is a tad unsatisfactory (the one last big bang turns into an arms folded "I've done what I came to do" moment) but doesn't jar too alarmingly to knock the film off its hinges. The moral of the story: listen to the Irish accented American hero, and believe him when he tells you that Europe is a bad, bad place, Paris is the worst and it's best to stay home in cosy, crime free California.
Kristen Scott-Thomas has been known for criticising English-language cinema for not supplying good roles to their female actors. If this is true, from watching this French film you can see why she heads for Europe when she's in need of a lead part that has bite, emotion and depth. Philippe Claudel's understated drama "I've Loved You So Long" deals with themes of guilt, loss and sibling-relationships, mostly all played out in one form or another on the face of the superb Ms Scott-Thomas. All these skills are required when it comes to playing Juliette, a mid-forties ex-medic who is taken in by her sister when she is released from a 15-year stay in Prison. Throughout these painful years, neither Juliette nor her sister Lea has spoken to one another, which proves awkward when Juliette moves into Lea's sunny, welcoming home. Their house in Eastern France is a sanctuary for Juliette, who takes time adapting to being back in the real world. A lot has happened while she's been away - her sister has married and her English mother now has dementia. Although not specifically focused upon, her mother's dementia allows for a subtle, yet touching scene when Juliette visits her in the nursing home towards the end of the film. However, not concentrating on the parental side of things does this film a favour rather than a disservice. This is about the lives of the two sisters, and avoiding a story about the eroding minds of elderly parents saves the gentle drama from straying to near the fence of soap-opera. Life after prison is a subject wrought with melodramatic possibilities, but Claudel saves us from too many door-slamming shouting matches, and opts for a more elegiac tone which helps capture the mournful restraint a film of this nature deserves. This is also well exercised in the revealing of why Juliette was in prison and the circumstances of her crime. Although she does recount the bare facts of her crime with aim to shock (usually in Job interviews when confronted with a less-than-tactful interviewer)she tries not to speak of it, which gives way to a slightly predictable, but well handled twist in the final act. Achingly melancholic and authentically executed, this is deeply involving human drama of the highest order.
"Three Colours Blue" is a superb film. It is very French, which is a tribute to the Polish director. Juliette Binoche gives a tour de force as the widow of an acclaimed composer. She shrinks into a shell and drops out of the society she has known. During this period she befriends and helps a neighbouring tenant who is being hounded out of the apartment block because of her whorish behaviour. Binoche is constantly haunted by her husband's music and it is the music that brings her back into mainstream life when she collaborates in finishing the composition for Europe. This piece of music is particularly inspiring.
"Three Colours White" is a revenge film with a twist. The main character, Karol, Zbigniew Zamachowski, is not only dumped by his wife, Julie Delpy, but also taken for every penny and accused of arson and breaking and entering. Wanted by the police he befriends a fellow Pole who smuggles him back to Poland in a suitcase. Once there he works for a money lender whom he double-crosses in order to make a killing in land speculation. From here he sets up business, makes much money and then fakes his own death. His wife is drawn back to Poland because of the large bequest, only to be arrested and imprisoned for his murder. The final scene where Karol gazes at his wife in her high prison cell is reminiscent of Rapunzel.
The final film, "Three Colours Red", depicts a series of loosley related events that lead to various characters lives intermingling. The two main characters are a retired judge (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and a young and beautiful model (Irène Jacob), brought together because of an injured dog. These two spend time in philosophical discussions and grow ever fonder of each other. Simultaneously a young man aiming to be a judge, a mirror image of the retired judge, wrestles between studying and pleasing his slightly older girlfriend. Once he qualifies, she leaves him for another, just as the older judge's wife had done. The conclusion comes with Jacob sailing to England to meet her lover. The ferry sinks and Trintignant pores over the news to see who is saved. There are seven including Binoche and her collaborator, Karol, the new young judge and Jacob, whom it turns out is Swiss. Thus the films are cleverly linked.
These films are thought-provoking, beautifully filmed and contain high quality performances from all involved. Watch out for Kieslowski's recurring motif of an old person struggling to put a bottle into a bottle bank!
The Three Colours Trilogy, directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski, are films loosely connected to the French "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity". Each colour is part of the French flag and the stories depict these dual motifs.
It was not as good as the first Saw film but the ending was good. The story was really boring, it's just an hour and a half of people coughing in a house - but still good
As you unpeel the plastic wrapping and eagerly wait to re-watch the television masterpiece that gripped your imagination for the first time on the 24th September 2004, you feel a certain buzz. For four years now we have been gripped to the phenomenal show that has left us guessing, speculating and theorising in what could be the most discussed show in history.
It is no surprise then that the DVD has long been anticipated by "Losties" all over the world. Hardcore fans will not be displeased with the insightful commentaries and special features that fill each disk. One to point out is "Lost on Location", a series of making of documentaries that document makings of such episodes such as "The Pilot", the classic Hurley episode "Dave", and the extremely intelligent time travelling hour of "The Constant". As well as a fan made conspiracy documentary about the Oceanic Six. "Lost in a Day" gives us a tantalizing insight into the whole of lost as a production from the early stages of pre-production, the shooting and finally the post-production stages such as music and sound-mixing.
Fans will be rewarded for their vigilance by continuity corrections being made such as Sonya Walger being replaced in the photo of "Man of Science, Man of Faith". Cast and crew interviews give us an insight of what we can expect from the elusive fifth and sixth season and we gain an intriguing insight into the early stages of conception, writing and casting for the first season.
In conclusion this is essential viewing for all lovers of Lost. You can relive every single episode whenever you wish as well as getting and insight into how lost is made and the mythology of the show through interviews with Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse.
Survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 remain on a mysterious island in the South Pacific. They soon find that the Island is not what, at first, seemed.
I am an avid fan of all the HSM films, even though I'm 19 ha ha. Anyway, in terms of the songs and definitely acting ability, this is the best film of the franchise. All the character stories are wrapped up nicely leaving no questions, and while they have introduced new blood (Tiara, Donny and 'rocketman') there isn't any real any need to make anymore (unless Disney just wants to milk more money out of it).
It's probably best to bear in mind however that, just like the last 2 DVD's, there will probably be a 2-disc edition with tons of added extras released near Christmas. Personally, I'm going to rent it now, and wait for the possible 2-disc edition.
However it is a fabulous film, and I recommend it to everyone, even the sceptics and 'cool kids'!
Review:
"The Day The Earth Stood Still"
(20th Century Fox - USA - 1951)
Starring:
Michael Rennie - Patricia Neal
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Black & White
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Running Time: 1 Hour 32 Minutes
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A True Classic Motion Picture from 20th Century Fox.
Forget about the latest remake of this motion picture as it is overblown, full of computer generated imagery, and the acting leaves a great deal to be required - the actors and actresses in this latest version are still struggling to get out of their paper bags.
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Original Version the Best
If you want to view an example of inventive motion picture making from the studios of 20th Century Fox then I strongly suggest you see the original version of this motion picture, released to cinemas in 1951. The storyline was adapted from Harry Bates' work, "Farewell to the Master". The screenplay was written by Edmund North with direction by Robert Wise.
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Superb Performances
Superb performances were presented by all the production team, technicians and cast combined with a restrained direction by Robert Wise. The magnificent moody music score was provided by Bernard Herrmann and the message contained in the storyline is just as relevant today as it was in 1951.
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Landmark Science Fiction Drama
This was, and still remains, a landmark science fiction drama about a dignified alien, Klaatu (Michael Rennie) who visits the Earth to deliver an anti nuclear warning, then stays to learn that his peaceful views are shared by most, but not all, human beings.. Brilliantly acted, its message is more timely than ever. Remember, Klaatu barada nikto!
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Do not miss this classic motion picture!
A fantastic show, it"s both humorous and heart-warming. Ted Danson's talent is on show again, he manages to make you forget about Cheers & Sam Malone instantly. He's able to carry this character incredibly well.
Unfortunately, the DVD is really not up-to-par. The audio on this DVD is out-of-sync with the video. It makes watching the show very hard. I'd recommend that you don"t buy this.
A fantastic show, the best to come out of the US in recent years.
The DVD is well worth a purchase, you get all 17 episodes of the first season (it was a strike shortened season) and they look great. The sound is more than adequate.
There is also a bonus feature of some interviews with the cast & crew, however, it would have been better with more features.
Whether a faithful fan of the surreal happenings on a mystical island following the crash of Oceanic Flight 815, or just about to 'get lost' Season Four is a promising start. With an exciting twist from the offset, the survivors appear to have found rescue: a freighter offshore. In short, the season endeavours to provide satisfactory answers to some of the burning questions raised previously, whilst at the same time move the show forward into new and exciting plot-lines such as the flash-forward sequences and the divided agendas of the Freighter folk. This leads to the addition of new cast members who are explored and add a new dimension of interest to the show. As traditional of 'Lost', conflict and tension build throughout the season for an 'explosive' finale. Though Season Four is a shorter season due to the writers" strike, it remains entertaining, action-packed and outstanding.
'Lost' is a great action/Sci-Fi series to watch, even the second or third time round - allowing you to pick up on clues that you may have missed the first time and prophetic hints as to what's coming. It is also helpful in making more sense of some aspects of a show like 'Lost' that can move quickly and slowly at the same time whilst entwining jumps to flashback and flash-forward sequences. Overall, I recommend it as a good series and worth a watch whatever your pre-conceptions if you're just beginning. For the loyal followers it offers a revealing continuation of the ongoing legend that is 'Lost'.
Pretty Woman is one of the best films that you can watch over and over! Everyone should own a copy!
Season Five of Buffy can be viewed individually and not lose any of its impact. Buffy explores the history and nature of her Slayer abilities. Xander begins to find a place for himself in the world by graduating beyond his high school persona. Willow continues to progress with her magical abilities though it is unclear whether this is for the best. Giles finds new purpose by taking over ownership of The Magic Box and renewing his role as Buffy's Watcher when she needs him the most. There is a visit from the council to contend with, a former enemy who has now fallen obsessively in love with the Slayer and a hellgod intent on returning to her dimension and not afraid to take ours with her. On top of this real world problems start to hamper down our Slayer as her mother becomes sick. And there is a mysterious new member to the Summers family that long-term viewers won't recognise but all the characters seem to. This season of the show has a story and character arc that begins in the first episode and ends in the last, but it also fits in with the seasons that come before and afterwards. The final episode (the show's 100th) is stunning and heartbreaking but isn't the season's only standout moment with the utter terror, realism and heartbreak of 'The Body', the backstory in 'Fool For Love' and the humour in episodes such as 'The Replacement' and 'Intervention'. All of this together spells out the best season in Buffy's history - a mix of humour, intense emotion and deep thoughts combined with action, character development and zippy outfits... and that's in every single episode! This DVD boxset also contains commentaries (the one on 'The Body' by Joss Whedon is particularly good), outtakes, featurettes and more.
Everyone involved in the making of 'Se7en' should be very proud. I would be. I am also quite jealous of the writer's talent. However, his is far from the only talent shown in this film.
The main cast is one of a blockbuster, yet the outcome is a cult classic. This indicates to me that their lust to make quality cinema surpassed their greed for just getting a gluttonous pay cheque.
Despite its two hour timespan, the plot is never lazy. The film is driven by the infamous dogma of seven deadly sins, hence its title, though it is not always the focus. Unlike many thrillers, the overall evil is not forced to be prominent at all times, as each of the main characters have their own plight to deal with and this often drives the film as much as the ingenious and possibly disturbing murders, which makes for a much deeper cinematic experience.
'Se7en' is truly a cinematic treat for any fan of psychological thrillers but this is much more than just a psychological thriller. It has layers that will allow watch after watch but to tell more about them would be to incur the reader's wrath by spoiling such a sinister but beautiful film. Seven stars: definitely in my top 7 of all time.
"James Bond Will Return" they promised, and return he does; though it"s not so much an accelerated sequel to 'Eon's' acclaimed franchise reboot, as it is a brisk walk from the end credits of Daniel Craig's auspicious debut as 007 in 'Casino Royale', to the harsh, sand blasted vista that is 'Quantum Of Solace'. A sparse, strangely muted but well-written and competently acted film, directed with some style by Marc Foster ('The Kite Runner'). Craig looks more at ease with his role this time around, whilst Bond's unwieldy nemesis; an effectively sinister consortium of megalomaniac ne'er-do-wells called 'Quantum' is similar in style and methodology to real world villains like 'The Round Table Network' or 'Illuminati'. Now pay attention ladies & gentlemen: if you're even contemplating on seeing Bond 22, my only advice would be to re-watch 'Casino Royale' the night before, or better still; on the same day you see this, for the two are so closely linked that anyone who doesn't have total recall of every plot twist and character in 'CR' will find themselves scratching their heads through most of 'QOS' lean, 97 minute running time. In fact, I often wondered if they couldn't have just have combined both films together as an epic, Bond double bill. Now realism is always good, but here, 'Eon' have employed realism to the point of inflicting blunt force trauma injuries to the much loved Bond ideal of yesteryear; gone are the gadgets, femme fatales and wry innuendoes, for who'd have imagined that there'd come a day when we'd miss terrible double entendres like: "one rises to meet a challenge" ('Goldeneye') or long for a time when our tuxedoed anti-hero could get a good seeing to by the likes of Holly Goodhead or Xenia Ontatop? Obviously the loss of innuendo in Bond films is a hard thing to grasp, an issue that penetrates deep into every bureaucratic orifice in the British film industry, and ought to spark some kind of mass debate to get it up on screen again. All in all; 'QOS' is premium Bond that delivers the goods when it comes to action; but doesn't quite work as a standalone picture: some misjudged scenes include an unconvincing epilogue with Vesper's boyfriend, which feels tacked on as an afterthought to give 'QOS' something akin to a proper ending. And though the nod to 'Goldfinger' (now with black gold) was a clever touch, it momentarily distracts us into recalling Sean Connery's Bond, and though Daniel hasn't embarrassed himself as franchise custodian, he doesn't come close to Connery; and reminding an audience of that era only puts their new man at a distinct disadvantage. Definitely worth seeing, though not on a par with my favourite Bond picture: 'Goldeneye', it"s still a worthy, if instantly familiar, addition to the 007 cannon: As Craig's predecessor once told us in the teaser for 'Tomorrow Never Dies': "Bond...you know the rest".
Enthralling, highly original, hyper-real comedy drama which features one of the most unlikely comebacks in cinema history: Yes, the rumours are true; Jean-Claude Van Damme is a great actor, that's right: "a great actor". And as hard as that may be to fathom for anyone who's ever seen one of films; 'The Muscles From Brussels' defies expectation to turn in a superb, revelatory performance as an exaggerated version of himself. 'JCVD' sees the burnt out action star caught up in an energy sapping quagmire of custody hearings, tax problems and losing B-movie roles to Steven Segal: "He promised to cut off his ponytail". To make matters worse, the down-on-his-luck Belgian finds himself in the middle of a heist gone wrong at a local post office, which soon attracts a media circus and pushes the already stressed out star to the brink of a nervous breakdown. Young auteur Mabrouk El Mechri does an excellent job in balancing wry humour with pathos; we get a pair of amiable Arab film buffs in the video store commenting on Hollywood bias in action movies, before exalting Van Damme for having "never hit Arabs", moments before the man himself rolls up outside in a surreal scene better suited to Godard's 'Pierrot le fou' or 'Bande à part'. 'JCVD' is 'Dog Day Afternoon' (one of the robbers even resembles the late / great John Cazale) meets 'The Wrestler' with a little 'Being John Malkovich' surrealist satire thrown in for good measure. Bénudis & El Mechri's screenplay is taut and entertaining with Van Damme's triumphant, one take monologue at its centre (set up within an impressive inverted crane shot). His powerful, heartfelt speech breaks the forth wall for six minutes and lingers in the memory long after. If you hate Van Damme; watch 'JCVD', if you love Van Damme; watch 'JCVD', if you're indifferent to Van Damme, still; watch 'JCVD': the best thing to come out of Belgium since Waffles.
One of the best Aussie series I've seen - you must buy this DVD set! It introduces you to all the doctors and nurses of the RFDS (Royal Flying Doctor Series). Episode one also introduces Dr Chris Randall, who the town think is a male doctor and when they find out she is female, they won"t let her treat them. This was a really good series and ran for nine seasons. I hope that Fremantle bring out the rest of the series as well. If you love hospital and rescue drama set in the Australian outback then this is for you.
Luc Besson famously stated that he would only direct ten movies, which as an admirer of his cinematic vision was a bit of a disappointment. However, with Angela as his official tenth, and a sci-fi trilogy currently in the works, it appears increasingly likely that his grand proclamation will never come to pass. But with the thoroughly enjoyable, if vapid, Taxi and Banlieue 13 series to his writing and producing credit, Besson had already proved that he was just as comfortable limiting himself to the roles of script writer and producer. And that was before he delivered Taken.
Dispensing with his usual energetic flair for the amusingly ridiculous, Taken proves to be a master class in raw knuckle action as ex-government agent, Bryan (Liam Neeson), heads to Paris in a desperate bid to find his kidnapped daughter, and punish those responsible for her disappearance. And you can't help but wonder whether it was the 'punishing' aspect of this synopsis that drew Neeson to the role in the first place. Although he retains a degree of brooding, sympathetic weakness that has characterised some of his previous mainstream roles, Bryan is a man who dispenses violence with mesmerising ease. After an initial, peaceful establishing act, the film aggressively changes gear, and Bryan single-handedly attempts to burn Paris to the ground. Liam has demonstrated his action chops before (Gangs of New York, Kingdom of Heaven, Batman Begins) but you've never seen him like this. Unrelentingly brutal, with little regard for human life, Bryan could be mistake for the criminal fraternity he proceeds to incinerate. Neeson shoots, punches, kicks and stabs his way through an army of amoral underworld cadavers, and yet somehow manages to embody this apocalyptic character with enough compassion that you forgive him almost anything.
And forgive you must, for this is not a film without flaws. Strained accents, a short running time, Holly Valance (!), leaps of reason and leaps from bridges all threaten to derail the project. Likewise the abundant violence will not be to everyone's taste. Thankfully the purity of the director's vision, coupled with Besson's bare bones storytelling, should keep even the most jaded of viewers glued to the screen.
It is a rare treat to discover a genuinely gripping action thriller. It is rarer still to find one helmed by an Oscar, Bafta and Golden Globe nominated actor. If you missed this in the cinema, purchase instantly!
As Bourne gave birth to a new career for Damon, so Taken should reinvent Neeson.
High School Musical 3 has had an obvious increase in budget in comparison to the other films. There are excellent songs and fantastic sets, especially when Sharpay and Ryan sing 'I Want It All' in the school cafeteria. It"s an excellent ending with the senior year musical. It"s an altogether fantastic feel good film, with laughter and music.
Taken is without doubt one of the most farfetched action films I've seen in a long time, but it still manages to be thoroughly enjoyable. Liam Neeson plays a bodyguard who used to have some kind of career in the military, which is never fully explained but is an excuse for him to have the kind of Bond-meets-Bauer-meets-Bourne skill set required of any modern action hero. His daughter wants to go to Paris with a gal-pal, but he's worried that she won't be safe. Of course she won't. It's no secret that her trip won't go according to plan, indeed the film's very title tells us what happens next. Fortunately, after a brief phone call with his daughter, he manages to use shards of evidence to find a lead and hightails it to France in hot pursuit.
The ensuing plot, flirting with themes of prostitution and human trafficking, could be quite dank and gritty, but the whole affair feels comparatively light, thanks in large part to a number of wildly over-the-top action sequences which mostly result in the deaths of dozens of henchmen. The film is violent - alarmingly so, but to a degree that it's almost cartoonish. Watching in the cinema, a few scenes were met with laughter when they probably shouldn't have been.
A special mention has to go to Neeson's American accent, which falls into the 'Nice try, better luck next time' category. One particularly entertaining scene involves him lecturing a roomful of Frenchmen about being 'foreign' while sounding very Irish himself.
To be fair, the film covers no new ground. It's predictable stuff and there are a number of reasons why it shouldn't work, but it just does. It's solid, thoroughly entertaining popcorn fodder from start to finish. It succeeds because it has no pretences about what it is: a balls-out action thriller. I'd choose this over Quantum of Solace any day.
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