Liam Neeson’s 91-Minute Non-Stop Action Thriller Officially Becomes a Massive Hit on Streaming

Following a brief detour into the realm of sci-fi horror with Cold Storage earlier this year, Liam Neeson is all set to return to the action genre this week with his new movie, The Fix. The Irish ace has been a regular staple in the field ever since the release of Taken in 2008, starring in all manner of thrillers from Non-Stop to The Commuter. However, it’s his 2012 follow-up that’s enjoying newfound success on streaming thanks to HBO Max.

Liam Neeson Is a One-Man-Army With a Useful Set of Skills

Hitting theaters on Oct. 5, 2012, Taken 2 once again stars Neeson as Bryan Mills, a former CIA operative with a particular set of skills that comes in handy when the movie flips the script and sees him the one abducted. Directed by Olivier Megaton (Transporter 3, Colombiana) from a screenplay co-written by Luc Besson (The Fifth Element, La Femme Nikita), Taken 2 also sees the return of Maggie Grace as Mills’ daughter, Kim, and Famke Janssen as his ex-wife, Lenore.

Clocking in at a brisk 91 minutes, Taken 2 kicks off with a bang when Mills and Lenore are abducted by Murad Hoxha, the father of Marko Hoxha, whom Mills left for dead in the first movie. Desperate to get his pound of flesh, the freelance terrorist has nothing but evil intentions in mind for the duo, but like most bad guys in Neeson’s films, he seriously underestimated his target. With the help of Kim, Mills escapes with his wife, but wouldn’t you know it, Lenore gets recaptured.

Leaving Kim at the American embassy, Mills taps into his intelligence and brutal fighting skills, becoming a one-man-army as he does everything in his power to rescue Lenore. Along the way, he takes down Marko’s men in grand fashion, delivering a high-octane action thriller that’s as fast-paced as it is violent.

Raking in $376 million at the box office against a budget of just $45 million, Taken 2 was a commercial success that, sadly, missed the mark with critics. Where the first film received a 60% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the sequel only managed 22%. Audiences were also more critical of the second movie, as they gave it a failing grade of 52% compared to Taken’s 85% rating.

‘Taken 2’ Surges on Streaming

Still, despite Taken 2 being called a movie that “fails in every way to live up to its predecessor” by Brian Eggert of Deep Focus Reviews, Taken 2 has managed to defy the odds on streaming, where it’s once again become a hit thanks to HBO Max. The action thriller sequel found its way onto the platform in the United States on Sept. 1, and since then, it’s reentered the Top 10, proving that no matter what, Neeson still has what it takes to draw in viewers.

Per Flix Patrol, Taken 2 currently sits as the sixth most popular movie on HBO Max, sandwiched in between Leonardo DiCaprio’s The Revenant in fifth, and Sandra Bullock’s Miss Congeniality in seventh. Taking the top spot is the new action thriller, Fuze, which hit streaming on Sept. 4.

As mentioned, Neeson will star next in The Fix, playing a member of a group of former CIA operators who enter Tehran to take down a life-changing score, and pull off a daring rescue. Directed by Guy Moshe and also starring Zachari Levi, it opens nationwide this Friday, Sept. 11.

Release Date

October 5, 2012

Runtime

91 minutes

Director

Olivier Megaton