Wednesday, January 28, 2009

"Europhobe"? I'm in!


I'm taken with Taken already. The trailer gave my right leg the tingles, and now a cursory view of the snarky reviews up at RottenTomatoes has me really interested.

The movie follows Liam Neeson as a kick-arse former CIA operative who kick-arses his way though the seedy underbelly of Europe to rescue his daughter.

My favorite take, a crappily written review from MSNBC, decries:
"...So it’s off to Europe for Bryan, and in no time, he’s punching, kicking and shooting his way through friend and foe alike, picking off corrupt cops, Eastern European pimps, oily girl-auctioneers and bloated Saudi oil sheiks with a taste for young virgins.

... The script also tosses in some '24'-lite torture sequences that will no doubt gladden the heart of any Bushies who miss the glory days of Gitmo. Add to that the film’s 'save the white girl from the foreign infidels' plotline — a staple of American cinema going back to the bad old days of 'Birth of a Nation' — and there’s a queasily reactionary feel to the movie that detracts from its more incitement-to-riot qualities."

Detracts? I think he meant to say "enhances."

Anybody who happens to see this over the weekend, let us know what you think.

6 comments:

6gsjs5s4 said...

Oh Splash, you know this plot line is a complete fantasy. We all know "corrupt cops, Eastern European pimps, oily girl-auctioneers and bloated Saudi oil sheiks with a taste for young virgins" don't exist!

This is just another excuse to embarass Will Smith when he travels abroad; that is, when he not scoring with a broad who is not his wife because they have an open marriage. (Hey that sounds a lot like the Saudi oil shiek).

Anonymous said...

I expect to see a lot more films like this. Now that the Bushitler monster has been vanquished, the movie producers are once again free to pander for money from the bigoted racist consumerist masses.

In fact, isn't this movie similar to the plot of "Commando", but with a wimpier hero? The mid 80s were the heyday of the right wing action picture.

Splash said...

K,

IF this what I hope it is, I doubt it's part of the "America is good again" string of media we're sure to get. This was shot before they knew Obie would win. IF it's good, we may have the French (Luc Besson and friends) to thank for making this one happen. Part of the Sarkozy phenomenon perhaps?

But I think Liam Neeson looks plenty tough in the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvUxdQ4q-Lg

Anonymous said...

I'm so hoping this is what it's being touted as...including the MSNBC review.

Splash said...

True, Trae. If MSNBC doesn't approve, it must be good.

Anonymous said...

I doubt it's part of the "America is good again"

Yeah, that occurred to me just after I pushed "publish your comment".

Still, with Obama, anything is possible.