And the killing goes on

Film review: Taken 2 (15)
Running time 92 minutes Rating:**
Ever since retired CIA operative Bryan Mills rescued his daughter Kim from the clutches of Albanian Mafia dirt-bags in Taken, he has been paranoid about the safety of his nearest and dearest.
Inevitably, in Taken 2, a clever film producer/ writer has come up with the sequel by which this time it’s not Kim that ‘enjoys’ the compulsory caravan holiday in sunny Albania, but Bryan himself (Liam Neeson).
Godfather of the villainous tribe is Murad Krasniqi (Rade Serbedzija), upset that, in Taken, Bryan Mills targeted virtually his entire family with barely a by-your-leave. So, after scattering some dirt on their coffins, he vows – with an orchestra playing threatening music towards the back of the cemetery – to make Mills pay.
Perhaps unwisely, Mills chooses Istanbul – a city not too far from Albania – in which to meet up with his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) and ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen, Jean Grey in X-Men). From this backdrop the plot develops with car chases, captures, escaping and much bloody mayhem, as Mills becomes more and more frustrated at having to return to his old life and waste so much of his expensive ammunition on low-lives with no assassination skills of their own.
Entertaining as version 1 was, it had just about enough shooting, stabbing, twisting and breaking of bones for me the first time round. Seeing it all again did not make it twice as entertaining.
Neeson’s portrayal is as grim-faced as ever, and the two women seem unable to extract much from their roles, apart from varying degrees of ‘scared stiff’. Even Mr Serbedzija is short on menace – it needs more than a dirty overcoat, flappy trousers and general peasant farmer look to capitalise on the character, but director Olivier Megaton (ex-grafitti artist Olivier Fontana) tries to maintain momentum with action scenes throughout.
The setting for Taken 2 is lovely, the car chases great and the little insight on how to remember where you are being taken when blindfolded might come in handy one day.
That apart, there is little to commend Taken 2 to the wider audience, unless you are entertained by the prospect of mindless killing and maiming.
I would suggest that if mayhem is your game, Sweeney’s the name for you.