Taken 2 (2012)
- During the filming of Taken 2, Liam Neeson improvised one of the most famous lines in the movie.
- Olivier Megaton originally wanted a completely different ending for the film, but test audiences preferred the one we see today.
- Before Liam Neeson was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
Taken 2 is a 2012 French action thriller directed by Olivier Megaton, the sequel to the 2008 hit. Liam Neeson returns as Bryan Mills, whose vacation in Istanbul with his ex-wife Lenore, played by Famke Janssen, and daughter Kim, played by Maggie Grace, is disrupted when the father of one of the Albanian kidnappers Mills killed in the first film seeks revenge and kidnaps both Bryan and Lenore. Using a smuggled phone and his daughter as his eyes on the outside, Bryan must direct Kim through the streets of Istanbul using grenades as sonar to locate his position while fighting his way to freedom.
The film's PG-13 rating, a downgrade from the original's R, was controversial among fans who felt it blunted the franchise's visceral appeal. Taken 2 earned $376 million worldwide on a $45 million budget, a strong commercial result though the critical reception was significantly less favorable than the original.
