I've Been Taken

I was just watching Taken, a surprise hit from a few years back that's turned into a franchise and made Liam Neeson an action star. On paper it's not much--a low-budget film about a father searching for his kidnaped daughter.  But the filmmakers work the cliches so brilliantly, especially in the first act where they set up Neeson's character and situation, that you're more involved in the plot than normal.



Watching it again, something struck me. Neeson plays an ex-CIA operative who's a master at his craft.  His daughter calls from where she's staying in Paris just before she's kidnaped.  He immediately goes into action and tells her to run from the bathroom to the nearest bedroom and go under the bed.  He then explains she will be taken.

Okay.  Let's recall he doesn't know the layout of her place, though he knows it's huge, since at the start of her call she's looking through a window into another room where her friend is being kidnaped.  I don't have a CIA background, but my advice would be, if at all possible, dash to the front door, get out in the hallway, and start running and screaming.  And while you're at it, you might want to hang up and call the cops (even though you may not know the number in Paris).

Instead, he guarantees she'll be kidnaped.  He even admits hiding under the bed won't protect her. He also says he has no money for ransom, though he knows his daughter's stepfather is loaded.  Is this some sort of sick way to have a shot at getting his kid and ex-wife back by creating a situation where he gets to play the hero?