Upcoming Movies
Now Playing
Action & Adventure Movies
Animated Movies
Classic Movies
Comedies
Crime Movies
Cult Films
Dramas
Family Films
Fantasy Films
Film-Noir
Foreign Films
Horror Movies
Musicals
Mysteries
Romances
Science Fiction Movies
Thrillers
War Movies
Western Movies
3D Movie Posters
Giant Movie Posters
Limited Editions
Vintage Movie Posters
Movie Poster Sets
Grand Collection
|
 |
Starring: Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, Maggie Grace, Goran Kostic, Katie Cassidy
Directed by: Pierre Morel
Screenplay by: Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen
Release Date: January 23rd, 2009
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for for intense sequences of violence, disturbing thematic material, sexual content, some drug references and language.
Studio: 20th Century Fox
|
 |
||||||||
Movie Database
|
|||||||||||
What could be worse for a father than to sit helplessly on the end of a cellphone connection as his daughter is abducted? That's the nightmare that becomes reality for Bryan, a former secret agent, who has a only few hours to grab Kim back from a fearsome gang that specializes in selling young women. The first problem Bryan has to solve is that he's in Los Angeles and Kim was taken in Paris...
An Interview With Pierre Morel
Before you started shooting Taken, what lessons did you bear in mind from your directorial debut, Banlieue 13?
If there's one thing both films - which are driven in radically different ways - have in common, it's the rhythm of the action. Banlieue 13 was based purely on action, which had to be extremely efficient. Even if the narrative in Taken required a more sensitive approach, the action scenes also had to work as efficiently as possible, so that the audience gets breathlessly swept up in Bryan's hunt.
Is it on the set or in the editing suite that you ensure the movie constantly gathers pace?
Even though a lot hinges on the editing, the rhythm has to be there when you're shooting. If it's not, there's no second chance. I always ask the actors keep up a high tempo and to be as realistic as possible. And personally, I'm really charged up in the way I shoot, so I think a lot of the movie's energy comes from that. If you take your time over things, when you start to edit, you have to trim it back down and so you lose the rhythm.
Taken constantly flirts with the codes of the genre, starting with the lead character - Bryan is more has-been than James Bond.
Sure, what's interesting about the character is that he's fragile, a bit out of the loop. Despite his past as a secret services operative - that we learn about quite late in the movie - he's not sure how to act as a father, and that flaw is particularly important for the movie's development. Bryan seems a bit off the pace, but when he gets going, he becomes a fighting machine. But never James Bond. He fights with the capabilities of a man his age.
What did that mean for the action scenes?
A huge amount of rehearsals for Liam Neeson, because I wanted him to do as much as he possibly could without resorting to stunt doubles. Of course, he doesn't jump off the bridge or throw himself in front of cars, but he did all the fight scenes after spending hours rehearsing each routine. It was particularly demanding for him because I didn't want to speed up the action too much in the camera. Liam really did learn to fight strong.
We become aware of the change in his mindset during the terrifying torture scene. How far did you want to take that scene?
Visually, the scene truly is very violent, but it comes at a very specific moment in the movie, after Bryan has just found his daughter's best friend, who has died pumped full of drugs. That transforms him. The dark side takes over within him, his paternal instinct sweeps away any other consideration, any restraint. So, I wanted the scene to be shocking, while not really pushing the envelope.
The kidnapping that Bryan witnesses over the phone is when the action takes off. How did you prepare for that scene?
We started in Los Angeles by shooting Liam Neeson's reaction in a sequence shot, as if he was listening to events live. Maggie Grace came on the set and said all her lines up to the scream when she's kidnapped standing by the camera, which enabled Liam to react in real time. It was magical. The timing that was laid down gave me much greater freedom in Paris. I could adapt the physical action of the kidnapping, but I needed to have Liam's emotions in a single shot, that he gave me in barely two takes.
Liam Neeson is known for his commitment and focus. Was that your experience?
Liam is totally focused. Once we've blocked the scene with him - he doesn't like to be hampered by "mechanical" movements - Liam works in very subtle touches. He gets into the zone in very few takes. We couldn't envision anyone else playing the part. Liam is the perfect fit for the character, with a huge physical presence - he's 1.95 meters tall - and at the same time genuine sensitivity. When you see him, you don't see a fighting machine, but you sense the potential under the surface.
Does Maggie Grace's experience on TV shows shine through in her approach on the set?
Maggie is extraordinarily professional. Her TV experience means that she's used to working hard and fast, nailing everything first time. She knows all there is to know about acting and how things work on the set. She's already a seasoned veteran.
And does your experience as a director of photography emerge when you're shooting?
You'd have to ask Michel Abramowicz, the movie's "other" DP! It obviously has some impact because I can never quite give it up. I still operate the camera when I'm directing - I just can't delegate that part of the job, it's a reflex for me. But if I was DP as well, it would become a bit unmanageable. I had total faith in Michel to bring his own wealth of experience into play, and we had long discussions about the look I wanted to achieve.
Which was?
I didn't want it to be stylized or to have a "cosmetic" version of Paris. I wanted Paris to look the way it really is. The idea was to be as realistic as possible, to achieve a kind of unlit look.
That can't have been easy with all the night scenes?
It was complicated to light the movie in an unobtrusive way. For a lot of the night scenes, we used a digital camera, which is more sensitive, but that wasn't always possible. The construction site chase scene is shot on 35mm, for example, because the digital camera doesn't adapt well to rough conditions, and we were really bouncing around!
Would you say that Michael Mann's Collateral blazed a trail in using digital at night?
Definitely. His movie has undeniably raised the bar in terms of filming urban scenes at night.
In Taken, you show contrasting aspects of Paris - well-known areas and more anonymous neighborhoods. What were you looking for when you were scouting?
A kind of faux picture-postcard view of Paris, avoiding the usual clichés of a character posing in front of the Eiffel Tower or Trocadéro, but ensuring that it was immediately obvious that the action was set in Paris. So, we looked for typically Parisian locations while avoiding the tourist traps. That meant we ended up filming on the Champs Elysées the day after the presidential elections, with half the streets blocked because the new president decided to parade down the avenue. We filmed the scene surrounded by riot police.
What is your approach to a mandatory part of an action movie like the chase scene that brings to mind the standout chase in The Bourne Identity?
Of course, everybody remembers that chase through one-way traffic. We thought we'd complicate things slightly by shooting at night and by not smashing anything up. Actually, we smashed up quite a lot, but not on camera. In the sense that he's not shaking off pursuers, but chasing after a boat, crashes weren't important. It's his speed and skill that count.
What was most difficult in the final scene on the boat?
The final combat scene required a lot of takes because it had to be extremely precise, and also for safety reasons. For the scene to work, we need to see dangerous blows, knives whistling past faces. Even though the blades weren't very sharp, it took a lot of rehearsals to block the scene in quite a cramped space.
Do you work from storyboards?
I shoot using storyboards... that I never stick to! For me, the storyboard is a tool, a basis for discussion with all the other departments, but it's no more than a snapshot. On the set, you have to adapt to what you're presented with. And as this movie didn't involve anything very complicated in post-production - all the explosions were filmed live, for example - I was able to stay pretty flexible.
An Interview with Liam Neeson
In a manner that's quite original for a thriller, your character is initially defined by his love for his daughter rather than his past as a secret agent. Is that what attracted you to the role of Bryan, who is more anti-hero than James Bond?
Yes, I liked the idea of making a thriller that had good pace and aimed high on an emotional level. Above all, we see Bryan as a father who idolizes his daughter. But then, even though it's never been a fantasy of mine to play James Bond, one gets a real kick out of shooting real movie baddies and driving like a racing car driver. I had also wanted to work on a film produced by Luc Besson, whom I admire greatly.
Most of the characters you have played in your career possess both physical presence and great humanity. Could we say that's your trademark?
I don't have any perspective on that. I act with what nature gave me and, to be honest, I never talked with Pierre about why he chose me for the role. But I tend to be attracted to characters who are genuinely human, meaning they have a complex range of feelings, which is true of Bryan in this movie.
You have worked with A-list directors, such as Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Ridley Scott. Were you particularly excited to be working with a "younger" director?
Believe me, Pierre Morel is hardly a novice! He's had the movies in his blood for a long time and is hugely experienced, especially as a director of photography. I particularly liked the originality of Banlieue 13, which showed he had a director's eye, an incredible sense of rhythm and energy, which was vital on the set of Taken.
Was it difficult emotionally to put yourself in the shoes of a father whose daughter has been kidnapped?
As a father, you can't imagine anything worse. Of course, you wonder what your own reaction would be in that situation. You picture what you'd do to her kidnappers and you soon come to the conclusion that you'd do anything in your power to save your child. I found this particularly interesting territory, because I'm traditionally against violence, especially the kind of violence Bryan resorts to in the movie. But it's a case of "them or me" and Bryan takes that situation to its logical conclusion.
Is it credible for your character to be separated from a beautiful woman like Famke Janssen?
She is indeed a beautiful woman, but the script is careful to point out that she left me!
What physical preparation did the film require?
A lot! I keep pretty fit, but I had to crank up the level and intensity of my training. Action scenes are particularly tricky. You have to pay close attention to how you move, your body position, and never take your eyes off your scene partner. It requires a lot of energy, besides the safety issues. Each time, it's a real challenge.
Was the hand-to-hand combat particularly enjoyable?
Yes, the little boy in you comes out. With good stuntmen, especially, the fight becomes a dance that you perform with great pleasure.
This is the first time you've worked with a French crew. Was it very different than your previous experiences?
One good point is the greater female presence in the crew. I'm very sensitive to the energy men and women combine to create on the set, but British or American crews are almost always overwhelmingly male. I was also grateful for French working hours, which are very civilized. Between fight scene rehearsals and filming, my days were pretty exhausting, but we had a whole night to recover. Not to mention the pleasure of the quality of life in Paris...
Maggie Grace - Kim
Aged 25, Maggie Grace already has seven years' experience in front of the camera, mostly for TV. Before making her name worldwide as Shannon Rutherford in the hit series Lost, the young actress featured in other TV shows, such as CSI and Cold Case.
Maggie landed her first movie lead in 1995 in the remake of The Fog, directed by Rupert Wainwright. More recently, she has starred in The Jane Austen Book Club and Suburban Girl, alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alec Baldwin.
Famke Janssen - Lenore
Dutch model Famke Janssen moved to America and into the movies, making her screen debut in Fathers and Sons (1992). After a number of TV starring roles, she became James Bond's enemy in Goldeneye (1995).
Best known for her work in genre movies, such as The Faculty, House on Haunted Hill and Hide and Seek, Famke's credits also include collaborations with Robert Altman (The Gingerbread Man) and Woody Allen (Celebrity).
Famke has become a household name in recent years as Jean Grey in the X-Men trilogy and thanks to her performances on TV's Nip /T uck.
 Production notes provided by 20th Century Fox. |
|||||||||||
Travel Destinations
|
Travel Destinations United States Alaska Arizona Chicago Florida Hawaii Las Vegas Los Angeles New Orleans New York
|
RSS Feed XML Sitemap HTML Sitemap Privacy Policy
Taken
