So many things have been taken from ex-government operative Bryan Mills. In the first “Taken” movie, he had to track down his daughter after she was kidnapped by human traffickers and sold into sexual slavery while traveling in France. In “Taken 2” it was payback. The father of a kidnapper Mills killed while rescuing his daughter took Mills and his wife hostage. In “Taken 3” (also known as "Tak3n") Liam Neeson returns as Mills, but no, it’s not what’s left of his dignity that’s taken this time. This time he’s out for revenge. Kidding. This time, he’s framed for a murder he didn’t commit (much more original, no?)
Produced and written by Luc Besson, the filmmaker has always used his protégés to helm his action thrillers. Pierre Morel launched his career with the first one and Olivier Megaton (who directed "Colombiana" with Zoe Saldana) helmed the second. The latter is back for “Taken 3,” which once again stars Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen and, new to the fold, Forest Whitaker. Co-written with Robert Mark Kamen, who co-penned all the “Taken” films so far, the third installment looks like more of the same, even if the plot mechanics are different this time.
In the third outing, as Mills is pursued by a savvy police inspector (Whitaker), he employs his "particular set of skills" to track the real killer and exact his unique brand of justice. The movie also co-stars Jon Gries, Leland Orser and Jonny Weston. 20th Century Fox will release the film on January 9, 2015, make of that date what you will. Watch the new trailer below.