That would be an interesting film especially since human trafficking, forced labour and sexual exploitation do also occur throughout the US. This was depicted in Frozen River, where the subject was more a plot device than an issue adequately explored but I agree that we won’t see a big budget mainstream film any day soon.

Your comments about the white-man-saves-the-day films are spot on and something I raised in my review of Avatar, which I nevertheless still really enjoyed. By no means would I defend such an attitude but I do think that it is a slightly different sort of mentality that stems from old colonist views about the nature of what is and isn’t civilised. It’s more a condescending view than the actively aggressive and hateful views advocated in Taken. By no means am I saying this old colonist attitude is OK and should go by unchallenged but I find the more immediate trend of demonising contemporary cultures more alarming and, right now, more destructive.

Thanks for taking the time to write such a thoughtful response. On the issue of the film’s action I guess it simply comes down to person taste. As for the representation of human trafficking I do maintain that Taken does not handle it well at all. The scenario depicted in the film is certainly possible and I’m sure incidents such as the one depicted have sadly occurred. However, overall it is a grossly unrepresentative and sensationalist depiction of the way human trafficking operates worldwide on a daily basis. Finally, I suspect that your evaluation of why the film had such an appeal in the USA is correct (although, again we have plenty of people in Australia who usually respond to such things) but don’t you find it depressing that such xenophobic portrayals of non-American cultures is so popular?

Cheers
Thomas

My comment about me being surprised that Australians didn’t take much notice of Taken was a reflection on the fact that I know Australians are just as capable of embracing badly made trash-cinema full of xenophobic stereotypes as Americans are (just as I know that there are plenty of educated and intelligent Australians and Americans who reject such hateful and ignorant representations).

I don’t think Taken had much to do with 9/11 since the villains in the film are sex traffickers and not terrorists.

Cheers
Thomas

I guess a big problem I had was that I couldn’t get into it even simply as an action film. I just found it all a bit clumsy and limp. Also, I like my bad-ass vigilante characters to have more style and charisma than what Liam Neeson’s character had. I found him to be annoyingly pompous and I also couldn’t have cared less for his idiot daughter who behaved like a spoilt 8-year-old.

Spoiler warning

As for the scene you mentioned, yes, it was a nice moment of sheer audacity and kickassness. But, I also couldn’t help thinking, “You’ve got to be kidding. Even the French police are bad guys? Who apart from Americans are not villains in this film?”

Spoiler finished

Anyway, it seems like an obvious thing to say, but it all comes down to personal taste. Taken came and went in Australia with not many people paying much attention to it but it seems to be a hit in the USA. Go figure.

Just for the record, I think Eastern Promises was far more sensitive in the way it used the theme of forced prostitution to tell a broader story. And as for films that actually deal with the horrible issue of sexual trafficking directly, I highly recommend the Swedish film Lilja 4-ever and the Australian film The Jammed.

**** Spoiler Alert ******

Didn’t you sit up and say, “Holy #$%*! Did he just do that?” after he shot the French agent’s wife at the dinner table? Just like booze and cigarettes are bad, this film is bad, but a guilty pleasure.

You are most welcome to elaborate.