Taken 3

What audiences are looking for when they watch the third and final chapter of the "Taken" franchise, "Taken 3," is a few escapist thrills, and this movie delivers them in an astoundingly pat, paint-by-numbers, formula. Forget everything you know about the law, physics and the realities of human interaction, but don't expect anything stylish or remarkable either.

Former covert operative, Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson), has a sticky relationship with his ex-wife, Lenore (Famke Janssen). They share both a daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace), and some lingering feelings for each other. But Lenore's current husband, Stuart (Dougray Scott), asks Bryan to back off so that he can attempt to make his marriage work.

Bryan chooses not to stay away from Lenore, and winds up hovering over her dead body with a knife in his hands just when the police enter. Rather than protest his innocence, he eludes the police and goes on the run. From here the movie pretty much follows "The Fugitive" plot line while endowing its hero with superhuman strength, a bevy of James Bond spy-gadgets and a cadre of secret agent friends.

In spite of an attempt to fill this movie with every trick in the book (including a homicidal Russian crime-lord in a hot tub with bikini clad babes which results in a half-naked shootout/ass-kicking sequence), "Taken 3" is a disappointing conclusion to the "Taken" series and a waste of talented actors like Forest Whitaker.

This Blu-ray includes two versions of the film: the original release (which was rated PG-13) and a slightly more violent version (which would have been rated R but is technically unrated by the MPAA). As far as features go, "Sam's Bunker AKA The Rabbit Hole" is an animated introduction to Bryan's spy gadgets while "Taken to L.A." and "A Taken Legacy" are short featurettes where the director and actors talk a little bit about making the movie. There is also a gallery with a handful of stills in it.

"Taken 3"
Blu-ray
Rated PG-13 with an Unrated option / 109 min.
www.taken3movie.com