Slave trade in and from the west is prevalent and not often spoken of. The first film not only highlighted the bad-assity and heartening fatherly instinct of Bryan Mills, but also served to expose some of the criminal and multicultural problems that are very real throughout Paris and, in fact, all of Europe.
įollows is a very entertaining exhibition of Mills' "skills" throughout a lower class portion of Istanbul.What makes this film slightly weaker than the first film however, is an underdeveloped, if less profound enemy the conflict with which is marred by a frustratingly shifty camera.
But this film stands firmly up there with it as one of the best films of its year and you can be sure I will be first in line for the third film also when they undoubtedly make that also.This film is already in my top 10 of favourite films of all time and I thank everyone who had a hand in making it a success.
Because the first film showed us a new form of crime on the big screen that had not been explored before, and a whole criminal empire with a brand new action super spy to play with, it will forever be the best in the series - no matter how many sequels they make. The only thing really missing was the tying up of the mum / dad getting back together storyline that they started at the beginning but abandoned when it could have been acknowledged with a simply kiss at the very end of the film. The mixed fighting styles, gun fights, car chases etc all still there making this a great film. The use of intelligent spy work is still present. It takes the elements that made the original outstanding and tries to build something new with them - which I applaud tremendously.
I was fine with this as it's a sequel - but some of the other reviewers on this site appear to have wanted a complete remake of the original - which this is most definitely not. This is more of an action driven showcase which is about the world these characters have created for themselves, not one they have been thrust into. While they did this superbly, it has to be said that the 'this might happen to your daughter' angle that the first film gave is not present in this film. With advice from Bryan, she is able to evade the kidnappers and escape the hotel to the streets of Istanbul, with Bryan captured.The writers had to find a way of bringing the same cast back while tying it into the events of the last film somehow. Before he does so, he calls Kim to explain the situation and tells her to hide. While Bryan and Lenore are out, they are pursued by Murad's men, and, despite Bryan's efforts, Lenore is captured, forcing Bryan to surrender. Later, after lunching in the marketplace, Kim stays behind at the hotel in an attempt to help her parents rekindle their relationship. After being led to believe that they have not taken him up on the offer, Bryan is surprised to find that Kim and Lenore have indeed flown out to join him. After Lenore's husband cancels their holiday to China, Bryan suggests that Kim and Lenore join him in Istanbul, Turkey after he has finished a work assignment there. When arriving at Kim's home to taken her on a driving lesson, Bryan learns from her mother Lenore (Famke Janssen), who is currently having relationship problems with her husband, that Kim is not there but rather at her boyfriend's house.