Fox and EuropaCorp have kept a tight lid on plot details of the third Taken movie up until now, but the just-released trailer makes it clear that the franchise is shifting gears.
Liam Neeson still plays former CIA agent Bryan Mills just as tough as ever, but this time nobody gets taken. And he doesn't jet off to any exotic European cities. So is it still a neo-Eurospy movie? Well it's still from Luc Besson's largely European team (which unfortunately includes Olivier Megaton, director of Taken 2, rather than Taken's Pierre Morel), so it's sure to still have his decidedly Euro sensibilities... so if Intrigue in Los Angeles counts as Eurospy, I'd say Taken 3 (or TAK3N, as they seem to be calling it) counts as well. Because the setting this time out is LA. And the inspiration is clearly The Fugitive. Forrest Whitaker plays the Lt. Gerard role, and he and Neeson riff on the famous Ford/Jones "I didn't kill my wife!/I don't care!" conversation. There's even a dripping circular sewer. But originality has never been a prerequisite for a good neo-Eurospy movie, and all in all, this trailer looks pretty damn good! I like the new direction, and it already looks better than the last one. I will, however, be sorry to see the last of Famke Janssen in this series. Taken 3 opens January 9. While the poster slogan certainly carries an air of finality, Neeson wasn't so final in recent interviews, saying that while he didn't want to outstay his welcome, if audiences still want him he'd be open to playing the role again. Before that ever happens, though, we'll get a send-up of the series in the parody Tooken, starring Lee Tergesen (The Americans) and Lauren Stamile (Burn Notice).
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