Analysis Of Thriller: TAKEN

TAKEN

When introduced to the main character he seems to have a very dark and clouded life, there are flashbacks of happier times but these are clearly all left in the past. The under-lit set is soon brightened when the character visits his daughter, it is her birthday party and the change of scene is quite different it terms of brighter, fresher and cleaner colours, showing the many differences between the father and daughter. Though it has been revealed to us that the male character is a protector of sorts and good at his job, this does not seem to have protected his marriage, his wife has gone for his opposite; a rich business man, who provides everything, and more for the daughter.

When staying in France from the daughter the rooms are very light, this represents that she can see everything, whereas the father back at home is in darkness, showing that he cannot see what she can. This prevents him from helping his daughter and so she is taken from him.

When in France the character does a lot of night time investigation, the darkness co-notates that there is something hidden which the character cannot see. With the darkness comes the prostitution, showing the women in the dark to be hidden and taken from their society, as they have been taken this also leads to connections of their virginity being taken from them. The women also wear vey revealing clothes signifying that they have nothing left to hide now that their innocence have been stolen.

There are many chases in which the audience is left on the edge of their seats watching the amazing stunts pulled as the character dodges bullets in unbelievable ways. The disgusting circumstances in which the character searches for his daughter find the audience in a very sympathetic position. After taking a few false leads the character finds the men who took his daughter in the first place, they are stereotypically foreign and after some clever trickery the character thwarts them, finding out that he kills all but one; the leader who physically took his daughter. After a horrific torture scene, the character comes closer to finding his daughter.