Review: 'Taken 3' starring Liam Neeson and Forest Whitaker

Well, after two formulaic  Taken flicks of grizzled old Liam Neeson kicking ass like a spry young chicken, those looking for something new have finally got their wish. Taken 3 breaks the mold for nigh indestructible badass ex-CIA agent Bryan Mills; there's nobody "taken' for once and instead of punching guys in the neck he actually has to work out the pieces of a mystery, one that has cost him something dear. Be careful what you wish for because watching Bryan follow clues is pretty lame when all anybody wants to see is him dispatching bad guys.

The first Taken worked because, hey, this is gentle soul Liam Neeson breaking a bunch of dudes in half to save his daughter. That's just cool to the ultimate degree. It should have ended there, though, and the sequel showed just how brittle the whole premise really was. Another family member gets swiped and tough guy Bryan is looking like the least protective parent ever. The only upside was the ending, which seemed like the perfect setup for an explosive wrap-up to the trilogy. It concluded with a vow that a vanquished foe's sons would continue the vendetta forever. So surely that's where Taken 3 goes, right? Nope. Instead it has practically zero continuity with the prior flicks...except that Bryan seems to have a knack for beating up anybody of questionable nationality. Instead much of the focus is on the personal connections between Bryan and his family, although these bonds hardly resonate because we know that in the end none of it matters; punching things does.

This time around Bryan is playing the good father to Kim (Maggie Grace) and the hovering ex-husband to Lenore (Famke Janssen), a fact which doesn't make her new husband Stuart (Dougray Scott) happy. The two former lovebirds can't stay away from one another, but when Bryan comes home to find her murdered, he becomes suspect numero uno and the target of top cop, Detective Dotzler (Forest Whitaker). Dotzler's a smart cookie; we know this because he plays with a rubber band and carries a chess piece. Seriously. The cops love doughnuts, too. This is a Luc Besson flick and subtlety is not one of his strengths.

So it's up to Bryan to clear his name, find the real culprit, and hit them in the nose really really hard.  The path to getting there is incredibly dull, though, with the action taking a serious backseat to Bryan's clue finding and personal issues. Kim is not only dealing with grief but also a sudden pregnancy, and Bryan is wondering how time flew by so fast. Awwww. Meanwhile the cops bumble around, including Dotzler, always one step behind Bryan and never really impeding his search. Is this not sounding like a Taken film to you? Try watching it. There are brief spells of action that allow the awesomely-named director Olivier Megaton to blow stuff up and flip cars, but they feel strangely disconnected from the rest of the film. Maybe it's the boring California locale. Bryan Mills and his "particular set of skills" were made for the grimy Slavic underbelly, not the sunbaked beaches of Cali. It's hard to figure exactly what Besson and co-writer Robert Mark Kamen were thinking. Surely they had to know this wouldn't be a satisfying payoff. But maybe that was the point? The die-hard fans will surely demand there be a Taken 4 to give Bryan a proper send-off with a proper body count.

 Rating: 2 out of 5

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Liam Neeson Celebrates the 12 Skills of Christmas in New 'Taken 3' Promo

If there is a Taken 4 it should involve Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) deciding to stay on his couch and watch TV because every time he leaves the house someone gets kidnapped, he gets kidnapped, or some criminal plots revenge. Having that much drama must make it hard to celebrate the holidays, or at least it would if he didn't have a particular set of skills to command.

20th Century Fox's latest promo for Taken 3 is a bit awkward, showing off Mills' "12 Skills of Christmas" to the tune of "12 Days of Christmas". Eh. I guess this is something the marketing department thought would be clever for the holiday but it's just kind of silly. Better is a clip that features co-star Forest Whittaker as a CIA agent tracking Mills down over a crime he didn't commit.

Also starring Maggie Grace and Famke Janssen with Olivier Megaton as director, Taken 3 opens January 9th.

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Liam Neeson is a Wanted Fugitive in First Trailer for 'Taken 3'...er, 'Tak3n'

At the end of Taken 2, badass ex-CIA dude Bryan Mills was targeted by the father of a man he killed in the first movie. Before Mills could get his ultimate revenge, the father promised that his other sons would be seeking payback. The endless cycle of violence continues now in Taken 3 (or Tak3n), but instead of the usual "I will find you" nonsense we're used to, Mills will find himself on the run from the law.

The first trailer for Taken 3 has arrived and it actually looks like they're trying to do something a bit differently for once. Neeson is back as Bryan Mills and, after what appears to be a rekindled romance with his wife, is forced to go on the run when he's framed for murder. Forest Whitaker is a new addition to the cast as the officer assigned to bringing Mills to justice. Good luck with that. Maggie Grace also returns as Mills' oft-distressed daughter, Kim. 

Luc Besson protegee Oliver Megaton returns to direct Taken 3, which opens January 9th 2015, right where it belongs. Neeson has said this would be the end but that's exactly what he said after the last two movies.


TAKEN 3 Official Trailer (2015) Liam Nesson by Trailersstv

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First Look at Liam Neeson in 'Taken 3'

In theaters right now is A Walk Among the Tombstones, a mystery thriller starring Liam Neeson that the studio hoped would attract the crowd who loved him in Taken. That's pretty much been the approach for every Neeson film since he became Hollywood's top action star; marketing them to resemble his butt-kicking role as ex-CIA agent Bryan Mills with his particular "set of skills". But next year the real thing returns when Taken 3 hits theaters, and now the first photos have arrived courtesy of USA Today.

Judging by these images, Taken 3 will look a lot like Taken and Taken 2, meaning lots of Neeson looking very angry, Maggie Grace looking distraught, and...oh, there's Forest Whitaker. That's something different, at least. There's also a slightly different twist on the story as Mills becomes the prey after after being framed for the murder of someone he's close to.

Neeson: "I have to go on the run. I'll put it that way, from the not-so-lawful types and the lawful authorities. Bryan Mills served his country faithfully, but now even they are after him. They must not like me."

The last film ended with Mills killing the chief bad guy (of course it did), but not before he promised his sons would seek revenge. Could this have something to do with it? The awesomely-named Olivier Megaton is back in the director's chair for Taken 3, which opens January 9th 2015. Expect the first trailer to drop very soon.

 

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Gabriel Basso Finds 'The Whole Truth'; Juno Temple Joins 'Black Mass'; 'Southpaw' Adds Forest Whitaker

* The Kings of Summer's Gabriel Basso has taken a lead role in The Whole Truth, a courtroom drama starring Daniel Craig, Renee Zellwegger, and possibly Lupita Nyong'o. Courtney Hunt is directing the Nicholas Kazan script about a defense attorney trying to get his teenaged client (Basso) acquitted of murdering his wealthy father. [Deadline]

* Juno Temple and rising star Jesse Plemons (The Master) have joined Johnny Depp in Black Mass, the Whitey Bulger biopic directed by Scott Cooper. Depp plays the infamous Boston gangster who, with the help of a childhood friend and federal agent played by Joel Edgerton, escaped the feds and went on the run for 16 years, ranking at the top of the FBI's Most Wanted List. Temple will play a prostitute while Plemons is on board as a member of Bulger's inner circle.

* Now that Antoine Fuqua and Jake Gyllenhaal have finally got the boxing drama Southpaw headed to the ring, it's time to fill out the supporting cast. Lacing up the gloves will be Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker, playing Titus "Tick" Willis, a former pro forced to retire after losing an eye, and quit training fighters after his son was killed. Gyllenhaal stars as a left-handed boxer who wins the title early, but suffers a tragedy and loses everything. Now he must fight to regain what was lost, including the love of his daughter.

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Zachary Quinto Targets 'Agent 47'; Forest Whitaker Builds 'The Shack'; Jessica Alba Joins 'The Wright Girls'

* One other franchise film left reeling in the wake of Paul Walker's death was Agent 47, a reboot/sequel of 2007's Hitman. Rupert Friend came aboard to play the titular bar-coded mercenary, and now Spock himself, Zachary Quinto, has joined the cast. Directed by Alexsander Bach with a script by Skip Woods and Michael Finch, the video game adaptation is expected to get in front of cameras next month. [Deadline]

* While we wait to see if Forest Whitaker will direct a Waiting to Exhale sequel, his last trip behind the camera was 2004's Katie Holmes comedy, First Daughter. Remember that? Yeah, that was Whitaker. But now he's moving forward with a project that's real and happening, as he'll adapt, direct, and star in The Shack, an adaptation of William P. Young's novel. The story centers on "a man whose youngest daughter is abducted during a family vacation, with evidence found in an abandoned shack leading authorities to believe she was murdered. Four years later, the man receives a note, apparently from God, inviting him back to the shack and, against his better judgement, he accepts the invitation and finds something there that will change his life forever."

Jessica Alba will play one of The Wright Girls in the upcoming comedy directed by Entourage star, Kevin Connolly. Based on the Japanese film, 2LDK, the film follows "costars of a past-its-prime sitcom who are roommates in real life. They go from best friends to worst enemies over the course of a single night when they realize they are both up for the same lead role in a big movie." Andy Fickman had been slated to direct at one point, and Gemma Arterton and Megan Fox were attached but neither seems to be involved any longer. [Variety]

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Forest Whitaker Joining 'Taken 3'; Olivier Megaton Returning as Director

Liam Neeson may have fought against Taken 2 for a little while, but ultimately he gave in and the film was an even bigger hit, totaling more than $370M. While he expressed some doubt about a Taken 3 for a little while, a healthy paycheck soon quieted all that talk, and now the film is moving forward with a familiar face directing and an Oscar-winning actor coming aboard.

According to Deadline, Olivier Megaton (he of the superhero monicker) is coming back to direct Taken 3, with Forest Whitaker in talks to join in an unspecified role. Maggie Grace is expected back as the daughter of Neeson's specially-skilled agent Bryan Mills, and it's a wonder which member of the family will be kidnapped by non-descript foreigners this time.

Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen will pen the script, as usual, with a speedy production set to begin this March.

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Review: 'Out of the Furnace' Starring Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, and Woody Harrelson

The plight of hard, downtrodden men forged by tragedy and personal demons seems to be a recurring theme for director Scott Cooper, who made his claim-to-fame with the country music drama Crazy Heart, earning Jeff Bridges an Oscar win in the process. Out of the Furnace is no less tough; a machismo-filled ode to those who live desperate, economically depressed lives at the heart of the Rust Belt, where in some cases all people have to their name is guilt, loyalty, bad options, and worse options. It's a stark, unsettling working class revenge tale with grim echoes of The Deer Hunter, but for all its great casting and bleak atmospherics, it's never quite the film it should be.

Beginning in 2008 on the cusp of Barack Obama's inauguration, the hopeful wind of change has apparently not hit the poor industry town of Braddock, PA. It's there we find Russell Baze (Christian Bale), a man who has moved beyond a trouble past and settled into a comfortable, if meager existence working in the town mill. His brother Rodney (Casey Affleck) is all pent up rage and PTSD, a soldier returned home and found nothing waiting for him but a life he tried to escape in the first place. He's up to his neck in debt, and the only way he can slip back into civilian life is through bare knuckle brawls, earning a few dollars putting his body on the line yet again. He's eager for the pain, nervous for it, like an addict looking for a fix. The brothers love one another, that much is clear, but their relationship is lukewarm with disappointment and long-held grudges.

While the brothers prove to be the film's heart, the dark and menacing tone permeating it is established right from the start with the introduction of Harlan DeGroat. Played with brutal efficiency by Woody Harrelson, DeGroat is a whirlwind of cruel violence, capable of unleashing his terrible wrath at a moment's notice, ruling over the town like some backwoods crime lord. It's DeGroat who runs the underground brawls that Rodney has been sucked into, mostly to get out of debt to a nice-guy loan shark (Willem Dafoe) we know has no place in this ugly world. When Russell makes a terrible error in judgment and finds himself thrown behind bars, Rodney is hopelessly left to his own devices and sinks further into trouble. When DeGroat asks him to take a dive in big fight, it's just another treacherous step on a path that isn't too hard to predict.

Out of the Furnace is the slowest of slow burns, especially in the meandering first act as under-motivated characters flit in and out, such as Russell's one-time girlfriend Lena (Zoe Saldana) and the brothers' stoic uncle, Red (Sam Shepard). She represents hope for a better future, and when she eventually hooks up with the town sheriff (Forest Whitaker) while Russell is behind bars, it's another kick in the teeth from a life that has already been cruel. Cooper's deliberate pacing gives the film a true lived-in quality, and the dilapidated ruins of steel town Pennsylvania makes for a powerful backdrop character, captured by cinematographer Masanobu Takayanagi. The film's aimlessness eventually gives way to a straight-forward tale of vengeance that Cooper and screenwriter Brad Inglesby seem to think is more profound but is actually is.  It's one of those movies that mistakes ambiguity for significance and its theme of hopeless men driven to the brink by limited choices is a familiar one, and despairingly ends with the burst of vigilante justice that was apparent from the very beginning.

The supporting characters don't get much to work with, and the idea of Saldana ever being with Forest Whitaker is laughable even in a dramatic piece like this, but the main performances are big and handled with a delicate touch. All except for Harrelson, whose DeGroat is easily the nastiest he's ever played, which is really saying something. It's a big, commanding turn for Harrelson that sees him reach into the ugliest corners of his soul to play this monster of a man. In the less flashy of his two roles this season (the other being his combed-over turn in American Hustle), Christian Bale embodies a good man worn down to the nub. Like the other men in his family, Russell isn't the emotive type. He's a guy who keeps his dreams and fears buried away inside, but the truth is there in the hurt and hope in his eyes. In one especially wrenching scene, Russell learns that Lena has moved on with her life while he was in prison, and while he's happy for her the pain he's feeling is obvious.  He also shares some great moments with Affleck, who has the trickiest part as the explosive Rodney, who is struggling with a return to civilian life and the expectation of normalcy.
  
Out of the Furnace wants to be a complex film full of complex characters but it works best as a simple piece of depression-era noir.

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New Trailer and Poster for 'Out of the Furnance' with Christian Bale

Four years ago Scott Cooper emerged like a house on fire with the country music drama, Crazy Heart, a film that earned him numerous accolades and a Best Actor win for Jeff Bridges. It took him awhile to ready his follow-up, Out of the Furnance, and as the Oscar race takes shape it's looking like Cooper may have another dark horse contender.

Starring Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Sam Shepard, Forest Whitaker, Willem Dafoe, and Zoe Saldana, the film follows two brothers who desperately want to escape the confines of their Rust Belt town. Bale plays the older sibling who must save his brother from a criminal ring run by a menacing Harrelson. It looks like gritty, tightly focused stuff that explores everything from economic depression to the bond between brothers.

Out of the Furnace opens on December 6th.


Out of the Furnace trailer # 2 by Flixgr

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New Images from 'Out Of The Furnace' As It Heads to AFI Fest

With Bennett Miller's Foxcatcher getting shuffled off to 2014, that left the folks at AFI Fest in a bit of a pickle as it was meant to be their centerpiece premiere. That left them scrambling to find a notable replacement, and they've definitely found one with Scott Cooper's Out of the Furnace taking over the slot and making its world premiere.

A number of new images have been release to coincide with the announcement, showing stars Christian Bale, Woody Harrelson, Forest Whitaker, Sam Shepard, and Willem Dafoe. Bale plays an ex-con in a small Rust Belt town who goes on the hunt for his younger brother after he gets mixed up in a criminal ring. In a slight ironic twist, the film was initially pegged to be a part of the 2012 Oscar race but was bumped to this year when it's expected to be a major player. AFI Fest has also added Alexander Payne's Nebraska and Ben Stiller's The Secret Life of Walter Mitty to the line-up with the promise of more to come.

Out of the Furnace gets a limited release November 27th before going wide on December 6th.

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Michael B. Jordan and Octavia Spencer to star in 'Fruitvale', based on the controversial killing of Oscar Grant

With the country fueled into a heated, racially charged rage over the Trayvon Martin case, it's put a spotlight on the thousands of other similar incidents where African-Americans have fell victim to one supposed enforcer of the law or another.  Another that stirred both peaceful and violent protests out in Oakland, CA was the Oscar Grant case. On New Year's Eve 2009,  22-year old Grant was partying with some friends in San Francisco, and while on the train headed to the Fruitvale station, he got caught up in some sort of altercation that caused police to pull him and others from the train. Grant was handcuffed and set down on his knees by the police, and while dozens of rowdy on-lookers watched, officer Johannes Mehserle shot Grant in the back. He died the next day.

There's more to it than that, of course, with Mehserle claiming he had meant to use his taser rather a gun. The story of Grant's last day alive will be brought to the big screen with Fruitvale, marking the writing/directing debut for Ryan Coogler.  Michael B . Jordan(Chronicle) and Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer(The Help) will star in the indie feature, with Jordan in the lead and Spencer as his overprotective mother. Forest Whitaker is on hand to produce, with filming set to begin in July.

Jordan has been on a roll lately, also appearing in the Tuskegee Airmen flick, Red Tails. Spencer has jumped at the new opportunities coming her way, co-starring in Diablo Cody's directorial debut, and also starring in Bong Joon-Ho's science fiction adaptation of Snow Piercer.

The Grant case was a big deal, and unfortunately you can probably expect to see a lot more movies on extremely divisive subjects like this in the near future....[THR]

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As production begins, Forest Whitaker and Woody Harrelson are confirmed for 'Out of the Furnace'

For all the struggle Scott Cooper(Crazy Heart) has had getting Out of the Furnace rolling, he has to be pleased with the incredible amount of buzz it's generated in the last few weeks of casting. Now that production is underway, beginning last week, the final pieces of the puzzle have finally been confirmed.

Woody Harrelson and Forest Whitaker are officially on board the vengeance thriller, according to a press release from Relativity hyping the start of filming. Harrelson got the gig last week, and as expected is playing the primary heel of the film, a gang leader by the name of Harlan DeGroat. Whitaker will playing the county sheriff, and not a sleazy bookie as previously reported. They'll join Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Zoe Saldana, and Sam Shepard in the film taking place in a rundown mill town of Pennsylvania. Bale and Affleck play brothers who desperately want to escape their surroundings, but when Bale's character is thrown in prison due to a cruel twist of fate, Affleck gets wrapped up in a crime ring and pays a heavy price. When Bale gets out he immediately starts looking for the men who hurt his brother.

I liked Crazy Heart, but Cooper's direction didn't make enough of an impression to make him a guy worth paying much attention to. That said, this sounds fantastic and has a cast that can't be ignored. Plus it'll be interesting to see how Cooper handles considerably darker material like this.

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Billy Bob Thornton and Forest Whitaker circling 'Out of the Furnace' opposite Christian Bale

Brad Inglesby's script for The Low Dwellar may have started out as a Ridley Scott vehicle with Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead, but it has evolved into something entirely different now. With Scott Cooper(Crazy Heart) in the director's seat and Christian Bale starring, the film now titled Out of the Furnace is casting up quite nicely even as Relativity Media looks for another to co-finance it.

With Zoe Saldana aboard and Casey Affleck the frontrunner to play Bale's brother, Deadline notes that Billy Bob Thornton and Forest Whitaker are circling roles as well. The story is pretty simple but with this cast could be something extraordinary. Bale would play an ex-con named Slim who intends to marry his girlfriend upon his release from prison. Instead he finds himself seeking revenge against the men who killed his brother. Whitaker would play a sleazy bookie, while Thornton might be the lead villain.

If everything falls into place on the financial side, production could begin this spring.

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Forest Whitaker will serve as 'The Butler' for Lee Daniels

A few weeks ago, when it was reported that Lee Daniels was looking to follow-up The Paperboy with the civil rights themed film, The Butler, it appeared that David Oyelowo would be taking on the lead role of Eugene Allen, the White House butler who served under eight administrations and saw the world change from the inside. I speculated then, with Oprah Winfrey mentioned as a contender to play Allen's wife, that something didn't quite make sense with Oyelowo being many years her junior. Turns out I was right, and somebody else will be stepping into the Allen role, instead.

According to Variety, Forest Whitaker is set to play Allen, with Winfrey still very much in the picture. Oyelowo isn't going anywhere, either, as he'll play their son. This is starting to look like a film that will rely mostly on flashback to tell its story. Whitaker, who is still planning to direct a Waiting to Exhale sequel, hasn't done anything with this much Oscar potential since The Last King of Scotland. 

Meanwhile we're still waiting for confirmation on some of the other names rumored to be involved. Mila Kunis as Jackie Onassis, John Cusack as Richard Nixon, and Hugh Jackman for an unknown role. The plan is similar to that of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, with a ton of big names playing famous figures throughout history.  If the money comes together, filming could begin by this summer.

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Forest Whitaker, Michael Chiklis, Common, and Ray Liotta to star in crime flick, Pawn

Five or six years ago this cast might have sounded really promising. Michael Chiklis would be hip deep in his Emmy worthy role on The Shield; Forest Whitaker would be coming off his Oscar winning turn in The Last King of Scotland; Ray Liotta's name still held some weight; and Common would be the rapper making his big break into the movies pre-Smokin' Aces. Now this collection of talent screams "Netflix streaming".

The foursome will star in Pawn, from newbie director David A. Armstrong, and the rather generic plot centers on a hostage situation that goes terribly wrong. Deadline also describes the script by Jay Anthony White as dealing with an ex-con who gets mixed up in a "manipulative chess game between the Feds, local police and the mob". Ugh. Are they sure this isn't an AMC Channel original movie? Sure sounds like it.

Those thinking Whittaker's Oscar winning name means this film can't be all bad should probably take a hard look at the actor's resume, which is about 50% monkey piss. Don't believe me? I'll happily point you in the direction of Even Money and Our Family Wedding.

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Anthony Mackie, Forest Whitaker make pact for Vipaka

Before Anthony Mackie dives into the star studded mobster flick, Gangter Squad, he'll squeeze in a voo-doo themed psycho thriller alongside another of my favorite actors, Forest Whitaker. Variety reports that Mackie will star in Vipaka, directed by Philippe Caland(Boxing Helena). Sanaa Lathan(Love & Basketball) is co-starring.

The story revolves around a rivalry between two men in a game that tests their beliefs in what they believe to be true. Uh oh. A game of religious chicken. Whitaker's character is said to be the unstable one, which I hope doesn't mean he's walking around with a necklace of shrunken heads. Movies that even mention the word "voo-doo" tend to all have the same flavor. I expect to see a chicken getting it's neck broken and the blood poured into a pentagram or something.

This feels like a throwaway film for Mackie, although considering the two leads it may be better than it appears. He'll be seen next in the Shawn Levy robot brawler, Real Steel. He's got Gangster Squad upcoming, and he just finished shooting Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. He's also got the Sam Worthington heist film, Man on a Ledge. He appeared earlier this year in what I think was his best performance opposite Matt Damon in The Adjustment Bureau.

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Expendables casting drama! 50 out...who takes his place?

I'm sorry to anyone that has no interest in this film, as we've been following it with much interest. You know what, I'm not sorry...you should be interested, this movie is gonna be insane. Anyway, following the news last week that Forest Whitaker was being replaced by Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson. I didn't think this was a bad thing, if 50's gonna survive anywhere in film it's gonna be in the action genre. On the tail of that news is the news that Mr. Cent is now OUT of the project, so who's in his place? Terry Crews, thats who! I actually LOVE this news, ever since I saw Terry in such films as Friday After Next, White Chicks, and the supremely underrated Idiocracy as President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho. He always seems to play the guy that is unbelivably menacing but turns out to be incredibly goofy. He's got the physique and look that guys like Carl Weathers had in the 80's and since that's what they are going for here I think he'll fit right in. What do you guys think of this news? Upgrade or Downgrade?

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