Taken (also titled 96 Hours and The Hostage) is an English thriller and action film written by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen and directed by Pierre Morel. It stars Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Katie Cassidy, Leland Orser and Holly Valance.
Neeson plays Bryan Mills, a former CIA agent who sets out to track down his teenage daughter Kim (Grace) and his best friend Amanda (Cassidy) after the two girls are kidnapped by Albanian human traffickers while traveling in France on a vacation.
Taken premiered in France on February 27, 2008 by EuropaCorp, and later in the United States on January 30, 2009 by 20th Century Fox. The film grossed over $226 million. Despite mixed criticism from critics, numerous media outlets cited the film as a turning point in Neeson’s career that redefined him and transformed him into an action film star. The first film of the Taken franchise, the film was followed by two sequels, Taken 2 and Taken 3, released in 2012 and 2014, respectively.
A television series premiered in 2017 on NBC, starring Clive Standen playing a younger Bryan Mills. Former green beetle and CIA officer Bryan Mills tries to build a closer relationship with his 17-year-old daughter, Kim, who lives with his mother (his ex-wife) Lenore, and his rich stepdad, Stuart. While supervising security at a pop star Sheerah concert, Bryan saves her from an attacker armed with a knife.
In appreciation, Sheerah offers to have Kim evaluated as a singer, which she first declined when Bryan mentioned Kim’s ambition. Before Bryan can tell her about the offer, Kim asks for permission to travel to Paris with her best friend, Amanda. Initially, he refuses, concerned for his safety, but eventually gives in. At the airport, Bryan finds out Kim lied; the girls actually plan to follow U2 during their European tour.
