Fan Rant: The Power of Interesting Casting
Filed under: Action, Horror, Casting, New Releases
Saw some movies last weekend. Some trailers, too. One was for a kidnapping thriller called Taken. A young woman is kidnapped, presumably for ransom, but little do the criminals know that their captive's father is some sort of secret agent badass who will stop at nothing to get his daughter back. Distressingly standard-issue stuff. Even worse, arguably, was The Uninvited -- just the title is so trite it practically begs you to forget it. I mean, this is at least the twelfth movie called The Uninvited. (For the record, there have only been seven Takens.) The plot concerns a teenager who returns home following the death of her mother to find that dad has shacked up with a new girlfriend who, it would appear, is a serial murderess. Also, there are ghosts, J-horror style.
This is not promising. Ordinarily I'd drag myself to these movies out of a sense of obligation, or skip them altogether. (Well, Luc Besson's involvement in Taken would probably ensure a viewing.) But wait -- who are those actors? What is Liam Neeson doing lending his gravitas to a Jason Bourne-style figure with a personal vendetta? And is that Elizabeth Banks, taking time out from being charming and hilarious to play an evil step mother/serial killer who threatens to choke Emily Browning with a pearl necklace?
You get the idea. The movies don't look all that interesting -- but add their improbable stars, and I'm merrily shelling out 10 bucks apiece (because in all probability neither film will screen for critics). I've felt this way before; to name a random example, I didn't have to be clubbed and dragged to see Rocknrolla in Toronto because I knew Tom Wilkinson would be playing one of Guy Ritchie's execrable gangsters. (Though in retrospect the character was rather similar to Carmine Falcone.) Even Ben Kingsley's presence in Bloodrayne cheered me up. The easy response is always that they're in it for the easy paycheck, and that may well be the case, but I'm glad for it: world-class acting always spices up schlocky genre films. I'll never understand people who complain about actors taking these roles. It's even better when, as in the case of these two films, the actors are playing against type.
You can see the Taken trailer here, and the Uninvited trailer here. Am I wrong that the speech Neeson delivers wouldn't sound half as awesome coming out of the mouth of, oh, I dunno, Thomas Jane? Or that Elizabeth Banks's sunny disposition might be remarkably creepy in a horror villainness? Thank God for creative casting.
Jeremy Renner Wants To Be An Avenger
Directors We Love: Jim Jarmusch
Indie Roundup: 'Sweetgrass,' 'Clarkworld,' 'Broken Embraces'
Shelf Life: Fight Club_thumbnail.jpg)
Watch: Famous 'Matrix' Scene Re-Created with LEGOs
_thumbnail.jpg)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-21-2008 @ 1:02PM
chris said...
I kinda liked Taken. Sure the plot was pretty basic, but it was well done, and the last few scenes were kinda scary ([deleted by EN -- no spoilers for yet-to-be-released films please]).
Reply
10-21-2008 @ 2:20PM
rockyOnasis said...
I agree about Taken, the plot is pretty pedestrian, but when I heard Neisen talking to the kidnapper in the trailer I was hooked. This is what makes great actors great, the ability to take a tired premise and create an interesting performance and film.
Reply
10-21-2008 @ 2:52PM
John D said...
Taken definitely has its share of gaping plot holes, but the pacing is tight and Neeson as a trained, merciless killer is a lot of fun to watch.
Reply
10-21-2008 @ 3:18PM
Saint Leonidas said...
I think Taken looks pretty good, I mean its nothing special plot wise, but man did Liam Neeson seem great in it, when he starts talking to the kidnapper I was sold.
Reply
10-21-2008 @ 3:44PM
cough said...
Taken is a lot of fun. I genuinelly hated the bad guys. That hasn't happened since ... well. Not a while.
Reply
10-21-2008 @ 4:04PM
Gary said...
Taken is the biggest piece of garbage I have seen so far this year.
There are no plot holes, I think people get confused at the difference between plot holes and crap writing, in order to have a plot hole one needs to first have a plot. Taken fails, badly.
It is racist, typically American view of the world where everyone who is not American must be evil and needs killing. Full of cliched characters, nonsensical story lines and bad dialogue.
I am amazed you dare even use the word Bourne in association with this movie.
Crap.
Reply
10-22-2008 @ 9:11AM
John D said...
"It is racist, typically American view of the world where everyone who is not American must be evil and needs killing. Full of cliched characters, nonsensical story lines and bad dialogue."
What? Taken is a French/British production. Not only that, Neeson's character clearly kills an American towards the end of the film. Methinks you doth protest too much.
"There are no plot holes, I think people get confused at the difference between plot holes and crap writing, in order to have a plot hole one needs to first have a plot. Taken fails, badly."
Uh, I think you're mistaking plot with story, because Taken does have a plot albeit a basic one. Plot is a literary convention (what happens) and story is a force of nature (why it happens). Where Taken fails is the latter not the former, hence why I mentioned the films numerous plot holes, because a lot of what occurs on screen never gets explained.
As for your opinion of the film, I won't argue with you. I have my complaints about Taken, but I personally enjoyed it in spite of its faults. It's obviously no Bourne, but it's no Bangkok Dangerous either (easily a much worse film).
10-21-2008 @ 11:25PM
Dan said...
I agree. Liam Neeson is random as all hell in this role, but he looks awfully damn good. And even though the plot IS overdone, it still looks awesome!
Reply
10-22-2008 @ 6:57AM
Grave Dohl said...
Taken is generic Luc Besson stuff, as we're used to expect from him... but apart from the basic plot and some very questionable casting (what's with that "teenage" daughter??) it's also a really badass film. Liam Neeson IS the movie and he is taking NO S**T!!!
Reply
11-09-2008 @ 11:50AM
Don said...
Liam Neeson is the shit in the movie!
Reply
11-15-2008 @ 8:40PM
michagorov said...
Mr Novikov, I must say I'm very disappointed with your rant about "Taken".
You begin describing the plot outline of "Taken" with the words "A young woman is kidnapped, presumably for ransom..."; This leads me to believe that at the time this article was written, your only idea of what actually happens in this movie came from a 1:52 minute trailer somebody posted on youtube.
Because if you bothered to, say, check in IMDb, then there's a pretty eye catching plot outline that says: "A former spy relies on his old skills to save his estranged daughter, who has been forced into the slave trade".
I would daresay that if this article is of any indication, your approach to movie critique is somewhat prone to criticism of its own, if you get my drift. I mean, it's cool that you held low expectations of this movie and it's OK to rant, but aren't you supposed to learn something about the movie and only then rant on it?
That aside, I don't find find this movie to be "Distressingly standard-issue stuff" (and I actually detest the condescending tone suggesting the anatomic origin of this phrase to be somewhere in the lower intestine). It's actually a remarkably well made film with a powerful (even if not all that original) plot, convincing acting and great editing that keeps the audience focused and concentrated.
As for the choice of cast, I understand why you consider it to be a gimmick to attract attention to an otherwise mundane and repetitive work. I beg to differ. The casting is indeed unusual and cliche breaking, but that's only because it's actually *better* for the goal. Heck, I'm not Pierre Morel, but I don't think they chose Liam Neeson over Matt Damon (or Willis, or Stallone, or Van-Damm for that matter) because of the cognitive dissonance. He *does* actually fit great for this role and proves it by doing an excellent job on screen.
In short, Zhenia, in your mother tongue they'd say: Хорошь выкобениваться.
Reply