# Taken (film)
**Taken** is a 2008 French action thriller directed by Pierre Morel, written by [Luc Besson](https://www.edgepedia.org/luc-besson) and [Robert Mark Kamen](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-mark-kamen), in which a former spy, Bryan Mills ([Liam Neeson](https://www.edgepedia.org/liam-neeson)), hunts the traffickers who have kidnapped his teenage daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) in Paris.[1](https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/taken) Produced by EuropaCorp, M6 Films, and Grive Productions on a budget of about $25 million, it earned $226,837,760 worldwide and reshaped its lead actor's career.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0936501)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Credits | Directed by Pierre Morel; written by Robert Mark Kamen and Luc Besson; produced by Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, Luc Besson, and India Osborne[1](https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/taken) |
| Production | 100% French production (production year 2007), shot on 35mm CinemaScope in English; French release 27 February 2008[3](https://en.unifrance.org/movie/28673/taken) |
| US release | 30 January 2009, rated PG-13, listed at 1h 30min[1](https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/taken) |
| Box office | $25,000,000 estimated budget; $145,000,989 in the US and Canada; $226,837,760 worldwide[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0936501) |
| Opening | $24,717,037 on the weekend of February 1, 2009, a record for a Super Bowl weekend[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0936501) • [4](https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/crime-in-the-media/taken/) |
| Ratings | French visa 117.480 with an under-12 restriction; BBFC classified it at 93m 33s; Danish age limit 15[3](https://en.unifrance.org/movie/28673/taken) • [5](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/taken-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc00mtq1ode) • [6](https://www.dfi.dk/viden-om-film/filmdatabasen/film/taken) |
| Reception split | French press score 1.8/5 from 11 reviews versus an audience rating of 3.8/5 from 44,713 notes[7](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm=126169.html) |
| Franchise | Taken 2 (2012), Taken 3 (2015), and an NBC prequel series premiering February 2017[4](https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/crime-in-the-media/taken/) |
## Spoilers
### Synopsis
When his estranged teenage daughter is kidnapped in Paris, a former spy sets out to find her at any cost.[1](https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/taken) The Crime Museum's account of the film records the premise as a daughter kidnapped and forced into human trafficking while on vacation in France.[4](https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/crime-in-the-media/taken/) The British Board of Film Classification described the film's central theme as young women being kidnapped, trafficked, and sold into the sex industry, alongside strong violence.[5](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/taken-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc00mtq1ode)
**The phone-call scene.** In the scene in which Mills speaks to the men holding his daughter, [Maggie Grace](https://www.edgepedia.org/maggie-grace) came to the set to perform all of her lines opposite Liam Neeson, answering him in real time, which allowed the scene to be shot as a single take up to the scream.[7](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm=126169.html)
### Franchise and legacy
The film's success produced two sequels, [Taken 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/taken-2) (2012) and [Taken 3](https://www.edgepedia.org/taken-3) (2015), and an NBC prequel television series depicting a young Bryan Mills, ordered in September 2015, premiering in February 2017, and renewed for a second season in May 2017.[4](https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/crime-in-the-media/taken/) For Neeson, the film created a new on-screen image as an action hero.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0936501)
One cultural footnote attaches to the film's origin story: in a 2011 fraud case, William G. Hillar falsely claimed that Taken was based on his own story and was convicted of wire fraud, ordered to pay $171,000 in restitution to organizations he had addressed under the guise of being a counter-terrorism expert.[4](https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/crime-in-the-media/taken/)
## Production and development
Pierre Morel was a cinematographer before becoming a director; his 2004 debut as director, Banlieue 13, led Luc Besson to entrust him with Taken.[7](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm=126169.html) The screenplay is credited to Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen, with production by EuropaCorp, M6 Films, and Grive Productions.[1](https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/taken) • [8](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/65871-TAKEN?cxt=filmography) Cineuropa credits the cinematography to Michel Abramowicz and the music to Nathaniel Méchaly.[9](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/82635/) Unifrance records the film as 100% French, shot on 35mm in [CinemaScope](https://www.edgepedia.org/cinemascope) with Dolby DTS sound, with English as the production language.[3](https://en.unifrance.org/movie/28673/taken) The AFI Catalog lists the film's languages as French, Albanian, Arabic, and English.[8](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/65871-TAKEN?cxt=filmography)
**Casting against type.** Liam Neeson, then known for dramatic roles, expected the film to bomb but signed on in order to spend four months in Paris and learn karate. The film's success created a new on-screen image for him as an action hero.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0936501) The cast also included [Famke Janssen](https://www.edgepedia.org/famke-janssen), Olivier Rabourdin, Xander Berkeley, Katie Cassidy, Leland Orser, Jon Gries, David Warshofsky, and [Holly Valance](https://www.edgepedia.org/holly-valance).[1](https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/taken)
## Release and ratings
The film was produced in 2007 and released in France on 27 February 2008, running 1 h 34 min on the French release, with visa number 117.480 issued on 14 February 2008 and a restriction barring viewers under 12.[3](https://en.unifrance.org/movie/28673/taken) The Bibliothèque nationale de France records the same French release date and the rating "Interdit aux moins de 12 ans".[10](https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb170174720) In the United States, 20th Century Studios lists a release date of January 30, 2009, rated PG-13 with a 1h 30min runtime, and the AFI Catalog records Los Angeles and New York openings on 30 January 2009.[1](https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/taken) • [8](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/65871-TAKEN?cxt=filmography) The Danish premiere followed on 27 March 2009 with an age limit of 15.[6](https://www.dfi.dk/viden-om-film/filmdatabasen/film/taken)
**The PG-13 cut.** To secure the US PG-13 rating, some shootouts, the torture scene, and some fisticuffs were shortened; the runtime difference to the international version is about three minutes.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0936501) The rating was given for intense sequences of violence, disturbing thematic material, language, sexual content, and some drug references.[11](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/taken) The BBFC classified the film at 93m 33s, and a shorter 89m 31s version also exists in its records.[5](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/taken-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc00mtq1ode)
## Reception
Critics and audiences diverged sharply. The Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus calls Taken "undeniably fun with slick action, but is largely a brainless exercise".[11](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/taken) In France, AlloCiné records a press score of 1.8/5 from 11 reviews against an audience rating of 3.8/5 from 44,713 notes, noting that the press received the film poorly while spectators received it positively.[7](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm=126169.html) One contemporary critic compared Neeson's role to a spy archetype: "It's fun for about 15 minutes seeing Neeson do James Bond as Daddy Dangerous. But the surprise wears off quickly."[11](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/taken)
## By the numbers
The economics of the film are its clearest story. Against an estimated budget of $25,000,000, Taken grossed $145,000,989 in the US and Canada and $226,837,760 worldwide, roughly nine times its production cost.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0936501) Its opening weekend of $24,717,037 (weekend of February 1, 2009) made history as the most successful opening weekend during [Super Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl) weekend.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0936501) • [4](https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/crime-in-the-media/taken/) In France, the film sold 960,305 admissions.[7](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm=126169.html)
## Themes and controversy
The film's trafficking premise drew objections. Aggregator commentary on Rotten Tomatoes cites anti-trafficking professionals' objections to its unrealistic portrayal of sex trafficking, and a critic review by Candice Frederick of Reel Talk Online described the plot as "the most clichéed, improbable and xenophobic kind".[11](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/taken) IMDb's critical commentary describes the film as exploiting "the desire to see the wicked punished", with Mills mercilessly torturing his victims for information and killing without a moment's hesitation.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0936501)
## Filming
IMDb lists the Jardins du Louvre, Paris 1, among the filming locations.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0936501) The film was shot on 35mm in CinemaScope.[3](https://en.unifrance.org/movie/28673/taken)
## References
1. [Taken | 20th Century Studios](https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/taken)
2. [Taken (2008) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0936501)
3. [Taken de Pierre Morel (2007) - Unifrance](https://en.unifrance.org/movie/28673/taken)
4. [Taken - Crime Museum](https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/crime-in-the-media/taken/)
5. [Taken | BBFC](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/taken-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc00mtq1ode)
6. [Taken | Det Danske Filminstitut](https://www.dfi.dk/viden-om-film/filmdatabasen/film/taken)
7. [Taken - Film 2008 - AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm=126169.html)
8. [Taken | AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/65871-TAKEN?cxt=filmography)
9. [Taken - Cineuropa](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/82635/)
10. [Notice de titre conventionnel "Taken (film)" | BnF](https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb170174720)
11. [Taken | Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/taken)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Action, thriller, and crime series film entries › Entries released in the 2000s › Released 2005 to 2009*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license