Given the poor-quality clones and sequels that followed, it’s simple to forget that Taken was a good action film. It had no pretensions beyond its successful retro concept a veteran character actor turns the beast mode on younger, ostensibly fitter bad guys and knew precisely what it is and what the audience wanted.
Naturally, the disadvantage of having a potent hook and Taken’s movie office success is that many would attempt to imitate it. Lou on Netflix, which does the whole Taken by casting Allison Janney against type as a grizzled former CIA operative, is the most recent in a long line of imitators. It sounds like fun. With the skills of Janney and Jurnee Smollett from Birds of Prey, who assumes a co-lead role here, it ought to be. Contrary to Taken, Lou either understands what it is and is ashamed of it or thinks it’s far deeper than it is, which is the problem.
Nothing in the initial act gives you the impression that this is going to be anything other than a great action ride, yet everything is there to show us what Lou may have been. Vee (Ridley Asha Bateman), the daughter of Hannah (Smollett), is abducted by her evil military father Philip (Logan Marshall-Green), who was assumed dead, on a remote island during the storm of all time. To find Philip and save Vee, Hannah asks her cranky landlady Lou (Janney) for assistance. In the process, they stop Lou from attempting suicide and venture out into the storm together.
Throughout this first act, there are amusing action movie clichés strewn about along with some original concepts. An ex-Green Beret, Philip is “well trained, an explosives specialist,” as evidenced by the fact that he was able to transform Vee’s music box into a bomb. Oh, and he’s getting assistance from two ex-teammates who are undoubted “just as cruel as he is.” Also promising is the first significant brawl between Lou and this Philip’s colleagues. It’s a rough, violent fight involving several household items that end with Lou using a tin can in an inventive way to slice and dice the thugs. Because of that, you’ll be much more cautious the next time you open a can of beans.
Throughout this first act, there are amusing action movie clichés strewn about along with some original concepts. An ex-Green Beret, Philip is “well trained, an explosives specialist,” as evidenced by the fact that he was able to transform Vee’s music box into a bomb. Oh, and he’s getting assistance from two ex-teammates who are undoubted “just as cruel as he is.” Also promising is the first significant brawl between Lou and this Philip’s colleagues. It’s a rough, violent fight involving several household items that end with Lou using a tin can in an inventive way to slice and dice the thugs. You’ll be much more cautious the next time you open a can of beans because of that.
The dynamic is altered in the second act, but Lou isn’t made any more intriguing. The lack of character development makes it harder for the conclusion to have the emotional impact it aspires for. This makes it seem more likely that the directors lost focus and tried to craft something more profound than just a movie.
