Taken is a 2008 action thriller directed by Pierre Morel. It tells the story of Bryan Mills, a former CIA operative, who uses his skills to find his daughter and her friend when they are kidnapped while on holiday in Paris. He tracks down and murders the men responsible. The film conforms to the action thriller genre through its car chase scenes, explosions, gun fights, and dark lighting that adds suspense. It follows a linear narrative of a father doing anything to rescue his daughter from sex traffickers.

1. Film title : Taken
Director: Pierre Morel
Year: 2008
Genre: Action/Thriller
Area of Analysis Example Technical feature (Camera/sound/mise en
scene/ editing)
Conforms to genre? Y/N Breaks conformity? Y/N
If yes, how?
Codes and conventions
A former C.I.A operative
tracks down the men who
kidnapped his daughter and
her friend when she goes on
holiday in Paris. He murders
and tortures the men till they
tell him where they can find
her.
Car chase scenes, explosions, gun fights. Yes No
Setting
America, France/Paris. In some scenes the lighting is dark this adds
to the suspense of the movie/scene.
Yes No
Character
Bryan Mills, His daughter and
friend, and a gang of
traffickers from Albania.
Yes No
Themes
Violence. Justice and
trafficking.
Yes No
Narrative
The film has a linear
narrative, it shows a story of
a father who will do anything
to get his daughter back.
At the beginning of the film the cuts are slow
but then more into the film they become fast
cuts due to the action scenes and the race to
try and find his daughter.
Yes No
Iconography
The Eifel tower which is
iconic to Paris. Also it uses
Sony products throughout
Yes No

2. the film.
Ideological message
The film shows a father trying
to find his daughter after she
is kidnapped by a gang of
traffickers. It shows how the
men pray on innocent girls on
holiday as they are in a
different country and don’t
know much about the place.
It shows the gruesome reality
of sex trafficking and how it
can happen anywhere, this
also helps the message get
across while you watch the
film.