Summary
Liam Neesonis now best known as an action star thanks to theTakenmovie series, but we should have seen this transition coming long beforeTakenpremiered 16 years ago. Liam Neeson has been part of movies from a variety of genres throughout his acting career. Neeson received critical acclaim for his role as Oskar Schindler in Steven Spielberg’sSchindler’s List, which served as his breakout role. Neeson continued a streak of success with movies likeRob Roy,Michael Collins, andLes Misérables.
In the late 1990s and 2000s, Neeson expanded to blockbusters, beginning withStar Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Neeson was part of big productions likeBatman BeginsandThe Chronicles of Narniatrilogy, as well as rom-coms likeLove Actuallyand dramas like Martin Scorsese’sGangs of New York.In the late 2000s, Neeson began to establish himself as an action starthanks to the action thrillerTaken, which spawned a franchise. However, we should have seen this coming years before in two key roles that showcased Neeson’s talent in action movies.
Liam Neeson’s 10 Best Action Movies, Ranked
Liam Neeson has carved out his own subgenre of modern action movies after the success of Taken, becoming an iconic and profitable figure in the field.
The Phantom Menace & Batman Begins Showed Liam Neeson Was Ready To Be An Action Star
Before Bryan Mills, There Were Qui-Gon Jinn & Ra’s al Ghul
Liam Neeson’s jump to blockbusters gave him his first chance at action movies, though not as heavy astheTakenmovie series. No one can forget how, in 1999, young millennials like myself were excited to learn newStar Warsmovies were coming our way, beginning withStar Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Surely, looking back,The Phantom Menacewas a disappointment (though whether it has a nostalgic place in the hearts of a generation or not is another story), but it had some pretty cool elements, among them Neeson’s character Qui-Gon Jinn.
Qui-Gon Jinn was killed by Darth Maul in a lightsaber duel, and it was that scene that showed how great Neeson would be as an action star.
Qui-Gon Jinn was a Jedi Master and mentor to Obi-Wan Kenobi. It was he who found a young Anakin Skywalker in Tatooine and believed he was the “Chosen One”. Unfortunately, Qui-Gon Jinn was killed by Darth Maul in a lightsaber duel, and it was that scene that showed how great Neeson would be as an action star. You can ask anyStar Warsfan which were the best duels in the prequels and “Duel of the Fates” will be among the Top 3 (and the music is just fantastic), and Neeson carried that scene beautifully along with Ray Park (Darth Maul).
The scenes of Bruce Wayne’s training with Henri Ducard and Batman’s final fight with Ra’s al Ghul on the train showed a different type of action.
Neeson took it a step further in 2005 when he played Henri Ducard/Ra’s al Ghulin Christopher Nolan’sBatman Begins. The scenes of Bruce Wayne’s training with Henri Ducard and Batman’s final fight with Ra’s al Ghul on the train showed a different type of action from the one inThe Phantom Menace, showing yet another side of Neeson never seen before.Takenestablished Neeson as an action star, but he had already given a tease of that action star potential in these movies.
How Taken Was Different From Liam Neeson’s Previous Action Roles
Taken Was A Lot More Action Packed
Taken’s action scenes are faster and more brutal than those in Neeson’s previous action roles.
UnlikeThe Phantom MenaceandBatman Begins, which have their action scenes here and there,Takenwas a full-on action thriller.Takenfollows ex-CIA officer Bryan Mills, who sets out to find his daughter and her best friend after being kidnapped by Albanian human trafficking terrorists while on vacation in France. As such,Taken’s action scenes are faster and more brutal than those in Neeson’s previous action roles.
Taken: A Very Particular Set Of 15 Memorable Quotes
Taken, the film starring Liam Neeson, is chock-full of memorable quotes, and these are the best ones from the entire franchise.
The duel inThe Phantom Menacewas perfectly choreographed and the fight scenes inBatman Beginskept a grounded style to fit the movie’s tone, butthe action scenes inTakenare made to show off the actors’ training and skills. It’s also important to remember that Neeson’s character inTakenis a former CIA officer, so he was trained in different types of combat and knows how to use weapons to defend himself and attack, and that’s exactly what the movie showed in its action scenes.
How Liam Neeson Cemented Himself As An Action Star After Taken
Taken Marked A Transition In Liam Neeson’s Career
Neeson reprised his role as Bryan Mills in all three movies, thus keeping his new status as an action star.
AlthoughTakenwasn’t a critical success, critics praised its action and how entertaining it was, even if the story wasn’t the best. However,Takenwas a huge box-office success, making way for a franchise that now has three movies and one TV show. Neeson reprised his role as Bryan Mills in all three movies, thus keeping his new status as an action star.
Why Taken 4 With Liam Neeson Never Happened
Liam Neeson starred in three Taken movies as Bryan Mills, and with the actor’s popularity, why didn’t Taken 4 happen?
Neeson has also appeared in other action movies post-Taken, such asClash of the Titans,Wrath of the Titans,Unknown,The Marksman, and more.Takenmight not get another movie any time soon or at all, but thanks to it,Liam Neesonearned his place in film history as an action star.
Taken
Taken stars Liam Neeson as ex-Green Beret and ex-CIA operative Bryan Mills, who retired from his life of fighting in order to be there for his family. When his teenage daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) travels to Paris and is kidnapped by human traffickers, Mills launches into action, mounting a one-man rescue mission that sees him tear through gangs of European criminals with extreme prejudice in hopes of finding and rescuing Kim before it’s too late.
