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Review #6712 - Dated: 11th of October, 2012
Author: Tucker |
Having been utterly enthralled by the first movie, and knowing that sequels rarely live up to the same standard, I was expecting something full of action - it had Liam Neeson reprising his role after all - but somehow lacking. There are times I love being wrong. Sure, it was predictable in places, there's only so many ways a hostage drama can unfold, but what got me was the gritty reality of it. Nothing too over-the-top or James-Bond-to-the-Rescue... just a man with a particular set of skills, protecting himself, his wife and daughter in the face of a revenge vendetta, payback for the deaths of the thugs from the first movie.
The biggest highlight - the action and chase scenes for sure. The lowlight - the cheesy ending. But just ahead of the cheese came the opener for a possible third movie. When the hero faces off against the bad-boss, there's a discussion that sets the choice; end it now, or watch for the next in the series. I find myself wondering if this is going to be like the "Fast and Furious" franchise where #1 is great, #2 is so-so, but #3 comes back and reinvigorates the story, or if it's going to be more akin to the many other series franchises where #1 is good, #2 is so-so, #3 is trash... and they either give up there or continue to dig deeper hoping to strike gold before they collapse under the pressure. I am sincerely hoping it's the former case, because this franchise does have potential for another good story before it runs dry, and a third movie has apparently already been put in the works.
Overall, though it wasn't up to 100% of the original, it was a good movie to watch if you like action, crazy driving, lots of hand-to-hand combat and survival tactics. Little things like hiding a spare cellphone on you if you are in a foreign country, how to tell how far away you are from someone you're on the phone with, using only a hand-grenade (yes, really! Think lightning storms.) and how to keep your head and figure out where you were taken, in case you need to lead your rescuers to you, or return there later yourself. With less graphic violence than the first movie, this is a little tamer, which takes something away from the grittiness of it for me, but still, I found it pleasant viewing.
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