Taken (Blu-ray)

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Video:

"Taken" is presented in its theatrical wide aspect ratio of 2.40:1 on Blu-ray with an AVC MPEG-4 mastering. The film looks very good in high definition and is of quality that is to be expected with a recent film. The level of detail is typically very good and coloring is quite brilliant. My only knock on the film is that the filmmakers didn´t spend much time on the beautiful Parisian locations and the gritty underworld of the Albanian mafia doesn´t lend itself to stunning sets. Colors were good and looked very natural in skin hues. The film possesses a strong high definition presence and is aided by good black levels and detail never dips in the darker moments. The print used to master the Blu-ray had zero flaws, which is to be expected. While I didn´t feel that "Taken" leaped from the television screen as the absolute top Blu-ray transfers, I was very pleased with how the film looked.

Audio:

The sound design of "Taken" took every opportunity it could to allow the English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix to use the .1 LFE channel. This was an exemplary sounding mix that used all channels rather nicely and featured very good low bass presence as well as striking sounds in the upper ranges. Gunfire, car chases and the musical score all sounded very good and "Taken" was far more aggressive than I had anticipated. Movement between channels was very good as sounds cleanly moved from one channel to the next and all five main speakers were given something to do. The action scenes had sound coming from every direction. The score by Nathaniel Mechaly was another character at times in the film and helped to build tension and emphasize that when the musical tempo picked up, so did the action. Dialogue was perfectly clear. French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes are also included as well as subtitles in Spanish and English SDH.

Extras:

"Taken" is billed as a "2-Disc Extended Cut" and when the primary platter boots up you are quickly reminded that it contains a Digital Copy of Taken for Portable Media Players. This is the extended cut of the film only and is contained on a second platter that is a DVD. Oddly, the commercial that plays never mentions this is available on Blu-ray as well. Marketing oversight I suppose. Trailers are included during initial startup for "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," the much better looking "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li" film, and the new John Cena film "12 Rounds." I certainly hope this is better than the horrid "The Marine." After the promotional clips, you can select from either the Theatrical Version (1:30:55) of the film or the Unrated Version (1:33:25). The film´s torture scene is far more brutal in the longer cut as well as some of the action scenes.

Watching the Unrated Version of the film provides access to the commentaries and one other supplement that is not viewable while watching the theatrical version. The first Commentary by Director Pierre Morel, Cinematographer Michel Abramowicz and Michel Julienne is unique as it is in French and requires the viewer to read subtitles. I can´t recall having a subtitled commentary track at any point in the past, but it places the film into French as well while you listen to the commentary. It is informative and the Frenchmen have plenty to say, but I can only imagine those who really love the film to sit through a French commentary track. The second Commentary by Writer Robert Mark Kamen is in English and Kamen does a decent job in his solo effort. He has a lot of experience and shares his knowledge in this track. The Black Ops Field Manual is a BonusView feature that places fun facts about the film in pop up windows. This includes information on locations as well as details about how Bryan Mills kills his foes and why they die. The real-time kill count is fun!

A few smaller features are available through selecting either version of the film. Le Making Of (18:24) is your run-of-the-mill electronic press kit style documentary with talking heads interviews with Liam Neeson, Pierre Morel and others. The featurette moves between French and English language and is subtitled for French parts. There was some really nice making-of moments found in here. Avant Premiere (4:48) is a brief clip for the premiere of the film showing interviews with Neeson, Besson and Morel touting their picture. A few moments showing Neeson with his late wife Natasha Richardson are included in this vignette. The Inside Action: Side by Side Comparisons (11:05) shows six of the film´s action sequences being made in comparison to the finished shot. I enjoyed these brief clips and especially appreciated the very brief comparison shots. There are also a trailer for "Notorious" under Trailers. Not sure why the plural form of ´trailer´ is used here.

Closing:

"Taken" won´t be remembered for being anything more than a hard-nosed ass-kicking action film. It is a film that doesn´t care to be anything more and is perfectly happy bringing the thrills and excitement with giving little attention to story and plot. "Taken" knows its role and it does well in sticking to it. Liam Neeson is very good as the action hero and while you will never be impressed with the writing or the lack of detail to the film, it is hard not to root for Bryan Mills as he tries to save his daughter. This movie is a lot of fun; just don´t try to take it seriously. The Blu-ray possesses above average sight and sound and is a good release for the Blu-ray format. The Profile 1.1 BonusView decides to have a little fun and keeps a running body count, which shows how much fun the filmmakers had with this project. The rest of the supplements are decent. If you need a good action film for your Blu-ray player, then "Taken" might be a good call.

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