"Tak3n" a.k.a. "Taken 3" is set to be released in January, and that's a long, hard wait for fans of the film franchise, especially now that the movie's first trailer has been released.
Of course, Liam Neeson returns to the big screen as Bryan Mills, the soft-spoken ex-government operative who is living his life in peace, mending and rebuilding his relationship with his ex-wife and trying to forget his past. But that quiet life is turned upside-down when the woman he loves is murdered. And he gets blamed for it. On the run from the cops, and on the hunt for the real perpetrator, he gets into action while trying to protect his daughter from harm.
"At 21, he joins the army," says Inspector Franck Dotzler (Forest Whitaker) as he briefs his team. "At 23, he joins the special forces. He's a trained sniper. He's an explosives expert. No service record, no discharge record, nothing. This guy right here, he knows how to disappear."
Mills can, in fact, disappear, but he won't. He has his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) to protect, the only person he has left, and one who is in grave danger.
Based on the trailer, "Tak3n" offers a thrilling ride, nothing less than what fans expect of the movie – and it has a pretty good following. The first two installments of the franchise both ranked number one on their respective opening weekends. The first film grossed over $226 million in worldwide sales for a production budget of $25 million, while the second film earned over $376 million worldwide for a budget of $45 million.
The third movie, sadly, is the final in the series. As Taken 3's official website states, this last installment will wrap up all the loose ends that were left by its predecessors. It will give the audience a satisfying conclusion to Bryan Mills' life. And, incidentally, in this movie, no one gets taken.
But before reaching that point in the story, Mills has to settle the score.
In the trailer, Inspector Dotzler tells the ex-operative over the phone, "You go down this road, the LAPD, the FBI, the CIA – they're all gonna come for you. They'll find you and they'll stop you."
Mills calmly replies, "Good luck."
"Tak3n" will hit theaters on Jan. 9, 2015.
