| 1 | %% |
| 2 | %% |
| 3 | %% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them. |
| 4 | %% |
| 5 | %% |
| 6 | |
| 7 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 8 | |
| 9 | !!Main characters: |
| 10 | |
| 11 | [[folder:Bryan Mills]] |
| 12 | !!Bryan Mills |
| 13 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mills_bryan_8093.jpg]] |
| 14 | [[caption-width-right:350:''"I would sacrifice anything for her."'']] |
| 15 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here for his appearance in the TV series]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bryan_mills_promo.jpg[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 16 | !!!'''Played By:''' Creator/LiamNeeson (movies), Creator/CliveStanden (TV series) [[labelnote:Other Languages]]Creator/FredericVanDenDriessche (European French)[[/labelnote]] |
| 17 | |
| 18 | ->''"I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you."'' |
| 19 | -->--''Taken'' |
| 20 | |
| 21 | The protagonist of the series, Bryan is an American ex-government agent working as a bodyguard in the present, who's brought back into fighting through the situations his family (and sometimes himself) are put through in the films. |
| 22 | ---- |
| 23 | * ActionDad: Calling Bryan this might be the biggest understatement of all time. |
| 24 | * AmericaSavesTheDay: An American RetiredBadass puts a whole sex slavery ring operating in Paris on its knees in just three days, while several people from the French authorities are revealed to be complicit in the trafficking. Less of an example than most in that the grudge is personal, and bringing the ring down is more a side effect of Bryan's actual goal of rescuing his daughter. |
| 25 | * AmicablyDivorced: From Lenore, by the time of the second movie. In the first film, she treats him with disdain and only reconciles her differences with him after he rescues their daughter from sex traffickers. |
| 26 | * AntiHero: He's an UnscrupulousHero. |
| 27 | * BadassBoast: And not just his iconic threat on phone from the first film! |
| 28 | ** When he talks to Jean-Claude: |
| 29 | --->'''Jean-Claude:''' You can't just go around tearing up Paris-\ |
| 30 | '''Bryan:''' I will tear down the Eiffel Tower if I have to! |
| 31 | ** From the sequel: |
| 32 | --->''"This is not a game. I will finish this thing. You'll just have to die."'' |
| 33 | * BadassLongcoat: In some of the series' publicity shots and part of his outfit for much of the first film. |
| 34 | %%* BerserkButton |
| 35 | * ButForMeItWasTuesday: In ''Taken 2'', Murad shows Bryan photographs of the men he killed in the previous film. The only one he can remember is Murad's son, the one he tortured to death by electrocuting him through nails in his legs. |
| 36 | -->'''Murad:''' You recognize none of them. To you, they were nothing, but to other people, they are... sons and grandsons, fathers and husbands. And you killed them all, like they were so many nothings. ''(shows Bryan a photo of Marko)'' And this one? You recognize him? You do recognize him. Him, you didn't just kill; him, you strapped to a chair, you attached electric cables to the chair, you turned the current on, and you left it on... until his heart burst. |
| 37 | * CombatPragmatist: He's not a fancy fighter, mostly smashing the enemy into anything that is near them or shooting them in disabling spots so he's open to finish them off. |
| 38 | * CrazyPrepared: It comes as part of Bryan's job as a bodyguard to always have the necessary equipment needed to make sure that he can get out of any situation, but ''Taken 2'' is where it's really shown. For the trip to Istanbul, he brings himself a suitcase full of recording equipment, cash and passports accessible at a moment's notice, plus a hidden cell phone and even a couple ''hand grenades'' just in case. These preparations prove handy when Kim tells him that strange men have entered the hotel she's in. |
| 39 | * CrusadingWidower: [[spoiler: As of the third film, Lenore becomes literally TheLostLenore.]] |
| 40 | %%* CurbStompBattle |
| 41 | * {{Determinator}}: He doesn't allow things like absurd enemy numbers or being chased by the police or having an injured leg stop him. |
| 42 | * FirstFatherWins: His emotional arc with Kim throughout the movie trilogy is steadily growing closer after a long time of being MarriedToTheJob, to the point that when [[spoiler:her stepfather Stuart turns out to be the mastermind of Lenore's murder]] in ''Taken 3'', Kim pretty much admits Bryan is the ''only'' father she has or needs. |
| 43 | * GoodIsNotSoft: Bryan's a good guy, and the last guy you'd ever want to cross. To specify, he's cordial to just about everyone and doesn't appear to have a mean-spirited bone in his body. If you hurt his family, however, he will not hesitate to destroy you. |
| 44 | -->'''Bryan''': ''[to Jean-Claude]'' Tell me what I need, or the last thing you'll see before I make your children orphans is the bullet I put between [your wife's] eyes! |
| 45 | * GuileHero: Bryan is always at least one step ahead of his enemies. |
| 46 | * IWillFindYou: |
| 47 | ** Promises this to his family on every film. |
| 48 | ** More famously, he says this word-for-word to the kidnapper he talks on the phone (later revealed to be Marko), with the subsequent addition of killing all the kidnappers. |
| 49 | * HeartbrokenBadass: In the first movie, he tears up as he listens to Kim being abducted over the phone, unable to help her. In the third movie, there are several moments where his grief over [[spoiler: Lenore's death]] catches up with him. |
| 50 | * ImplacableMan: A heroic example ([[PapaWolf more]] or [[UnscrupulousHero less]]). Don't threaten his daughter and his family or nothing will stop him until you're dead! See {{Determinator}}. |
| 51 | * JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: He clearly went to the same school of torture as Special Agent Jack Bauer. He inflicts pain with ease and skill, talking about what he wants to know or intends to do at the time. |
| 52 | * KarmaHoudini: A heroic variant. While saving Kim from Paris, Lenore and himself from terrorists in Istanbul, and later [[spoiler: avenging Lenore’s murder]], Bryan commits a multitude of crimes. These include: murder, torture, aggravated assault, resisting arrest, impersonating law enforcement, assaulting multiple police officers, escaping police custody, stealing a police car, causing death by reckless driving, and r a police evidence. He suffers no legal consequences for his actions, and in the third film Dotzler only tells him off for stealing police evidence, one of his most minor crimes. |
| 53 | * KickTheDog: Midway through the first film, [[spoiler:he shoots Jean-Claude's wife in the arm and threatens to kill her unless Jean-Claude tells him where Kim is being held]]. Whether he genuinely meant this or not is [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation open to interpretation]]. |
| 54 | * LoveObstructingParents: In ''Taken 2'', Kim mentions at a couple of points that Bryan did background checks of all the guys she dated, which is the first thing he does when he first learns about her then-boyfriend Jamie. Lenore even tells him to not run a background check on Jamie, because she knows that he ALWAYS does this. To top it off, the film's final joke is Kim asking Bryan not to shoot Jamie. |
| 55 | * ManlyFacialHair: Courtesy of Clive Standen, he has this in the TV series. |
| 56 | * NiceGuy: He's this to anyone who doesn't have something to do with his daughter's abduction. |
| 57 | * NothingPersonal: In ''Taken 3'', Malankov tells Bryan [[spoiler: Lenore’s murder was not because Bryan had done something to him in the past but merely a business deal]]. |
| 58 | * ObliquelyObfuscatedOccupation: It's never exactly stated what was Bryan's former occupation back when he was in the US government, even in the TV series. |
| 59 | ** His conversations with his buddies and former co-workers implies any combination of wet work, special forces, or intelligence work. |
| 60 | ** At one point, Kim admits she was afraid to ask what he did, and all he told her was "a preventer." A [[ProfessionalKiller "preventer"]] of the type known in the movies to inhabit [[UsefulNotes/{{CIA}} Langley, Virginia]] would seem to be a safe assumption. |
| 61 | ** Bryan's friends also reference a previous mission where "the chief" went missing. "Chief" is sometimes short for Chief Petty Officer, an NCO rank in the Navy, suggesting that Bryan was a former Navy [=SEAL=]. Chief also means, well, chief; lots of intelligence agencies have a type of position called station chief or section chief. Given the reference to aforementioned Langley, it's arguable Bryan was part of the CIA's Special Activities Division. |
| 62 | * OneManArmy: As ''several dozens'' of RuthlessForeignGangsters find out the hard way. |
| 63 | * PapaWolf: When his family is in danger, particularly his daughter, Bryan will tear the world apart for their safety. |
| 64 | * ParentalNeglect: Lenore accuses him of this. |
| 65 | * ProperlyParanoid: He spends the first act of the first movie asking Kim to be careful and fearful about the fact she is going to wander all of Europe. He ends up being right. |
| 66 | * ReassignedToAntarctica: It's mentioned in the first movie that in the past, Bryan left a mission to attend Kim's fifth birthday party (filmed in the video he watches at the beginning of the movie) and got reassigned to Alaska for his actions. |
| 67 | * RetiredBadass: Used to be CIA. Time may have slowed him down, but not enough to make a difference to his enemies. |
| 68 | * RoaringRampageOfRescue: To rescue his family on all three movies. |
| 69 | * TranquilFury: He can be smooth and conversational with the people he's planning on killing and/or interrogating, but it's obvious that the facade is only skin-deep. |
| 70 | * TheUnfettered: To protect his family, he's perfectly capable of applying ColdBloodedTorture even to old friends (who turned out to be scumbags, but still, their families have nothing to do with it). |
| 71 | * UnscrupulousHero: He goes through absolutely brutal lengths to get what he wants, from threatening to kill someone's innocent wife for information to flat-out ColdBloodedTorture. |
| 72 | * YouKilledMyFather: He says this almost word-for-word to Malankov in ''Taken 3'': [[spoiler: "You killed my ex-wife."]] |
| 73 | [[/folder]] |
| 74 | |
| 75 | [[folder:Kim Mills]] |
| 76 | !!Kimberly "Kim" Mills |
| 77 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mills_kimberly_5853.jpg]] |
| 78 | [[caption-width-right:350:''"Mom said your job made you paranoid."'']] |
| 79 | !!!'''Played By:''' Creator/MaggieGrace |
| 80 | |
| 81 | Bryan's daughter, who starts off as a 17-year-old teenager in the first film and gets a bit older over the course of the next two. |
| 82 | ---- |
| 83 | * AccidentalMisnaming: In the third film, Inspector Dotzler calls her "Ms. St. John", presuming she goes by her stepfather's surname. She promptly corrects him. |
| 84 | -->'''Kim:''' ''Mills''. My name is Mills. |
| 85 | * AffectionateNickname: Her parents and Bryan's friends call her "Kimmy." |
| 86 | * DaddysGirl: She is loyal to her parents and quite close to her dad. |
| 87 | * DamselInDistress: In all three films, at one point or another she's either kidnapped or threatened to be kidnapped, forcing Bryan to do what he does best to protect her. |
| 88 | * DeadGuyJunior: At the end of ''Taken 3'', she mentions that she intends to name the child she's pregnant with after [[spoiler:her now-late mother]] if it's a girl. |
| 89 | * DisposableWoman: While she doesn't die, the sole purpose of Kim's kidnapping in the first movie is the kick off the main plot and give Bryan an excuse to show what a badass he is. |
| 90 | * FirstFatherWins: Big time. Initially, Kim is closer to her stepfather Stuart, who showers her with affection and treats Lenore well. However, after Stuart and Lenore separate, Kim’s relationship with him also deteriorates as he treats her mother badly. In ''Taken 3'', it’s revealed Lenore has reluctantly gotten back together with Stuart and has been [[AwfulWeddedLife miserable the entire time]]. This causes further strain on Kim and Stuart’s relationship as she can see the effect the marriage is having on her mother’s emotional health. At the same time, she has grown closer to her biological father, Bryan, after he rescued her from a sex-trafficking ring in Paris, and become a permanent feature in her life after years of being MarriedToTheJob. He has also repaired his fractured relationship with Lenore to the point the two of them are mutually dreaming of a RelationshipUpgrade, which is what Kim has been [[ShipperOnDeck dreaming of]]. What really seals the deal is Bryan does everything in his power to [[spoiler: find Lenore's murderer]]. Stuart, on the other hand, [[spoiler: orchestrated Lenore’s murder (and framed Bryan for it) to claim her life insurance.]] After this, Kim, understandably, completely ''loathes'' her stepfather. |
| 91 | * GirlOfTheWeek: While it doesn't last long due to there being three movies, every film from ''Taken 2'' onwards gives Kim a new boyfriend wirh little screentime. |
| 92 | * GoGoEnslavement: In the first movie, when dressed in skimpy lingerie and presented as a SexSlave. |
| 93 | %% * NiceGirl: |
| 94 | %% * PregnantHostage: When [[spoiler: Stuart]] kidnaps her towards the end of ''Taken 3''. |
| 95 | * ShipperOnDeck: For Bryan and Lenore. Considering they’re her parents, this isn’t exactly a surprise. |
| 96 | %%* SpoiledSweet: Her stepfather Stuart is very rich. She's a bit sheltered and naive, but she's still very nice and genuinely loves her biological father. |
| 97 | %% * SurprisePregnancy: In the third film. |
| 98 | * TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gives a chilling one to Stuart in ''Taken 3'', showing just how much their relationship has deteriorated since the first film. |
| 99 | --> '''Stuart ([[spoiler:talking about Lenore’s murder]]):''' Kim, honey, I know it’s hard on you but it’s hard on me, too.\ |
| 100 | '''Kim:''' I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was a competition.\ |
| 101 | '''Stuart:''' (Chuckles) It’s not a competition. Please don’t hate me. [[BlatantLies I’m not responsible for what happened.]]\ |
| 102 | '''Kim:''' I don’t hate you, Stuart. But for the last two years, every time I looked into my mom’s eyes the only thing I saw was hurt and sadness. And for ''that''… I do hold ''you'' responsible. |
| 103 | * UndyingLoyalty: To her parents. Including putting herself in danger to rescue them from terrorists in Istanbul and lying to the police to protect Bryan when he [[spoiler: is suspected of killing Lenore.]] |
| 104 | * TookALevelInBadass: In the second film, she does her best to run around town dodging the bad guys searching her and blow up a few locations with grenades so Bryan can figure out where he and Lenore are. On the third film, she's already so jaded that when kidnapped, she only glares at the man who did it and gives him TheReasonYouSuckSpeech. |
| 105 | [[/folder]] |
| 106 | |
| 107 | [[folder:Lenore Mills]] |
| 108 | !!Lenore "Lennie" Mills |
| 109 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/taken1_lenore.jpg]] |
| 110 | !!!'''Played By:''' Creator/FamkeJanssen |
| 111 | |
| 112 | Bryan's ex-wife and Kim's mother, currently married to the millionaire Stuart. |
| 113 | ---- |
| 114 | * AffectionateNickname: Bryan tends to call her 'Lennie.' During the first ''Taken'' movie (at which point she doesn't really get along) with him, Lenore reminds him that she asked him not to call her that anymore. From the start of the second movie on, where their relationship is better, she doesn't try to correct Bryan as he almost exclusively refers to her as Lennie. |
| 115 | * AmicablyDivorced: In the second film, from Bryan. In the first, it's less amicable. |
| 116 | * AwfulWeddedLife: With Stuart from the second film forward. They split up at the start of ''Taken 2'' & she and Bryan start growing towards a RelationshipUpgrade. At some point between this and ''Taken 3'', she gets back together with Stuart out of obligation as he says he wants to make their marriage work. However, she doesn’t feel anything towards him anymore (they apparently don’t even share a bedroom) and is clearly in love with Bryan. Then, before she can divorce Stuart so she and Bryan can get back together, [[spoiler: Stuart has her killed for her insurance money.]] |
| 117 | * DamselInDistress: In the second film. |
| 118 | * DefiantCaptive: While she is clearly scared out of her mind and panics in the beginning, she ends up impressing Murad by standing up to his taunts. So much so that he decides to not only kill her but [[NoKillLikeOverKill dismember her for good measure.]] |
| 119 | * {{Jerkass}}: Big time in the first film. She's incredibly rude towards Bryan and goes out of her way of keeping him away from Kimmie. |
| 120 | * TheLostLenore: [[spoiler:In ''Taken 3'' she becomes a literal example of this Trope.]] |
| 121 | * MamaBear: While downplayed compared to Bryan’s OneManArmy PapaWolf status, she is willing to be tortured and killed if it stops Murad and his men going after Kim. |
| 122 | * NothingPersonal: Gets this twice over: |
| 123 | ** ''Taken 2:'' Murad tells her he doesn’t hold her accountable for his son’s death, but will kill her to hurt Bryan, who he does hold responsible. |
| 124 | ** ''Taken 3:'' Malankov tells [[spoiler: Bryan her murder was merely a business deal and not because Bryan had done something to him in the past]]. |
| 125 | * ShutUpHannibal: Murad tries to break her by saying Bryan cares more about Kim than her and sees her as nothing. Lenore doesn’t take the bait. |
| 126 | -->'''Murad:''' Mrs Mills. What should I do with you, Mrs Mills? '''({{Beat}})''' I have nothing against you. You didn’t kill my son. But your husband did. Now, he betrayed you by choosing to save your daughter instead of you. '''(Cups her chin and forces her to look at him.)''' He left you here like a ''dog''.\ |
| 127 | '''Lenore (Pulls her head out his grip and holds his gaze):''' At least my daughter is still alive. |
| 128 | * SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: [[spoiler: In ''Taken 3''.]] |
| 129 | * TookALevelInKindness: She's much nicer in the sequel...[[spoiler: not that it saves her, apparently]]. |
| 130 | [[/folder]] |
| 131 | |
| 132 | !!Antagonists: |
| 133 | |
| 134 | [[AC:''Taken'']] |
| 135 | |
| 136 | [[folder:Marko Hoxha]] |
| 137 | !!Marko Hoxha |
| 138 | [[quoteright:290:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/marko_the_kidnapper.png]] |
| 139 | [[caption-width-right:290:''"Good luck."'']] |
| 140 | !!!'''Played By:''' Arben Bajraktaraj |
| 141 | |
| 142 | The leader of the group of Albanian kidnappers that abducted Kim in the first film, which is overall responsible for bringing prostitutes to the market surrounding the sex trafficking organization. |
| 143 | ---- |
| 144 | * AintTooProudToBeg: He pleads Bryan to spare him from a third and last electric shock that would be prolonged enough to kill him. It doesn't do him any good. |
| 145 | * BigBadDuumvirate: With Patrice Saint-Clair in the first film. |
| 146 | * BreakTheHaughty: A really pitiful example at that. His defiant refusal to tell Bryan about Kim's whereabouts lasts less than a minute before he cracks. |
| 147 | * BullyingADragon: He had no way of knowing exactly who Bryan is, but an organized crime boss should ''probably'' recognize that a monotone death threat instead of hysterical pleading (e.g. "I'll pay anything you want!") is going to be trouble, rather than shrug it off like it was nothing important. |
| 148 | * CruelAndUnusualDeath: He's electrocuted to death for a prolonged time. According to what Murad says to Bryan about him in the second movie, the electrocution got to the point that his heart eventually ''burst''. |
| 149 | * DiscOneFinalBoss: He's killed right before the final act in the first movie. [[AssholeVictim Not that anyone cares.]] |
| 150 | * NonActionBigBad: He did at least try to get a pistol before Bryan quickly [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomped him]], however. |
| 151 | %%* NotSoStoic: [[spoiler: After being electrocuted a couple of times, he's quick to spill the beans in the (mistaken) belief it will save his life]]. |
| 152 | * OhCrap: His reaction to a couple of Bryan's best lines: |
| 153 | ** [[IWarnedYou "I told you I would find you"]]. |
| 154 | ** [[PreMortemOneLiner "I believe you... but it's not gonna save you]]. |
| 155 | * SmugSnake: He's pretty self-assured when he think that he's safe and in control, but at least in the phone scene, he had no way in knowing that the guy on the other side was an ex-intelligence agent that could back up his threats. |
| 156 | * TooDumbToLive: Marko? When the guy who just ''jammed metal spikes into your legs and attached live electric leads to them'' asks you some simple questions, it might behoove you to answer them. Or at least, not to antagonize him. |
| 157 | * VillainsWantMercy: While Bryan tortures the name of who bought Kim from Marko, he demands where he can find him. Marko repeatedly says he doesn't know, to which Bryan goes to turn on the power for a third and last time. Marko screams in terror that he really doesn't know, and practically begs Bryan to the point of tears not to kill him. It fell on deaf ears. |
| 158 | -->'''Bryan:''' Where can I find him?\ |
| 159 | '''Marko:''' ''(softly between breaths)'' I don't know, I don't know... ''(Bryan runs to the power switch)'' I don't know, I don't know! PLEASE! I DON'T KNOW! I DON'T KNOOOW! NOOO, PLEASE! Please! Please don't do it, please...\ |
| 160 | '''Bryan:''' I believe you... [[PreMortemOneLiner but it's not gonna save you]]. ''(turns on the power and leaves Marko screaming in agony)'' |
| 161 | [[/folder]] |
| 162 | |
| 163 | [[folder:Patrice Saint-Clair]] |
| 164 | !!Patrice Saint-Clair |
| 165 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/taken1_patrice_stclair.jpg]] |
| 166 | !!!'''Played By:''' Gérard Watkins |
| 167 | |
| 168 | The sex traffickers' French head of retail, who organizes clandestine sales of sex slaves at an underground area of his chapel. |
| 169 | ---- |
| 170 | * AintTooProudToBeg: He begs for his life when Bryan trains his gun on him. |
| 171 | * BigBadDuumvirate: With Marko Hoxha in the first film. |
| 172 | * DirtyCoward: He becomes a lot less smug and sure of himself when his guards are taken out. |
| 173 | * DullSurprise: Although he visibly looks horrified, he sounds rather relaxed and even kind of sleepy after Bryan wounds him and he attempts to [[VillainsWantMercy plead for his life]]. |
| 174 | * EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: According to himself, he's a family man. |
| 175 | * FauxAffablyEvil: Patrice is very polite and even sympathetic, even when ordering a man's execution. |
| 176 | %%* ManOfWealthAndTaste |
| 177 | * MoralMyopia: He tries to use the parent card in an attempt to make himself look sympathetic to Brian, but it flies out of the window when he has no qualms in selling off other people's children. |
| 178 | * NonActionBigBad: He use underlings and bodyguards to do his dirty work. When Brian takes them out, he's completely defenseless. |
| 179 | * NothingPersonal: He throws this out to Bryan, who isn't buying. |
| 180 | * PunchClockVillain: Tries to play this card, but Bryan is unsympathetic. |
| 181 | * SharpDressedMan: He wears a black tuxedo, and his security guards dress in similar suits with neckties. |
| 182 | * TooDumbToLive: It wouldn't have saved him anyway, but him saying it [[NothingPersonal wasn't personal]] to ''the father of one of the girls he sold off (whom he also held hostage)'' results in exactly what you think it would. |
| 183 | -->'''Bryan''': It was all personal to me! ''([[MultipleGunshotDeath BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!]])'' |
| 184 | * VillainsWantMercy: After Bryan defeated all of his men by killing them or knocking them off, the unarmed Patrice practically pisses his pants the moment Bryan angrily stomps towards him with a loaded gun. He begs Bryan not to kill him by claiming that his job of prostitute seller is only business and NothingPersonal towards anyone; Bryan answers by saying ItsPersonal just before [[MultipleGunshotDeath repeatedly plugging him with bullets]]. |
| 185 | [[/folder]] |
| 186 | |
| 187 | [[folder:Ali]] |
| 188 | !!Ali |
| 189 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1118full_taken_screenshot_6.jpg]] |
| 190 | !!!'''Played By:''' Jalil Naciri |
| 191 | |
| 192 | Sheik Raman's head bodyguard, who serves as Bryan's third and last major enemy in the first movie after Marko Hoxha and Patrice Saint-Clair. |
| 193 | ---- |
| 194 | * DeviousDaggers: After losing his gun, he pulls out a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karambit karambit]] and gives Bryan a great deal of trouble with it, until Bryan evens the odds with a [[GrievousBottleyHarm broken bottle]]. |
| 195 | * TheDragon: On top of being Sheik Raman's head bodyguard and representative at the sex slave auction, he gives Bryan a good fight, inflicting several wounds on the latter before he's able to go after the Sheik. |
| 196 | * EvilWearsBlack: He's dressed in an all-black formal suit. |
| 197 | * NoFullNameGiven: Only his first name is stated. |
| 198 | * RasputinianDeath: Stabbed several times with a broken bottle, then [[UseTheirOwnWeaponAgainstThem by his own knife]], and kneed in the groin until he stays down. |
| 199 | * SharpDressedMan: He wears a luxurious-looking black suit. |
| 200 | [[/folder]] |
| 201 | |
| 202 | [[folder:Jean-Claude Pitrel]] |
| 203 | !!Jean-Claude Pitrel |
| 204 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/taken1_pitrel.jpg]] |
| 205 | !!!'''Played By:''' Olivier Rabourdin |
| 206 | |
| 207 | A French ex-field agent and former colleague of Bryan who currently serves as a police officer in Paris. In the first film, as Bryan finds out, Jean-Claude was an accomplice to the Albanian kidnappers, whose relatives later interrogate him in the sequel with his fate left unknown afterwards. |
| 208 | ---- |
| 209 | * AssholeVictim: In ''Taken 2'', when he's interrogated and tortured by the Albanians seeking revenge on Bryan. It's quite hard to mourn for him, since he previously conspired with the Albanians' relatives in the first film. |
| 210 | * BitchInSheepsClothing: Downplayed. While he initially seems to be a ReasonableAuthorityFigure towards Bryan until the latter discovers his ties to the sex trafficking ring, he's not seen partaking in other forms of police corruption, and it's implied that he's approachable as long as he's not in the pressuring and dangerous situations he's repeatedly put through. |
| 211 | * DirtyCop: He's an officer of the Paris Police Prefecture working with the Albanian mob. Downplayed in that other than that, he doesn't partake in much corruption. |
| 212 | * EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He has a wife and children, and shows he loves his kids very much when he tells them a bedtime story. Both Bryan in the first film and the Albanians from the sequel are more than willing to exploit this in order to extract information from Jean-Claude. |
| 213 | -->'''Bryan''': ''[to Jean-Claude]'' Tell me what I need, or the last thing you'll see before I make your children orphans is the bullet I put between [your wife's] eyes! |
| 214 | * FallenHero: Downplayed. He's a former field agent who went to become a DirtyCop working for the Albanian kidnappers, but he doesn't appear to engage in any other acts of corruption. |
| 215 | * FrenchJerk: He appears to be rather condescending, even to [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes his beloved family]]. When Bryan asks him over why he's working with the Albanian kidnappers, Jean-Claude refuses to answer and attempts to force Bryan out of his house at gunpoint. As his wife questions what's going on, he tells her to shut up. To top it off, his eventual answer to Bryan is an annoyed-sounding "My salary is X, my expenses are Y. As long as my family is provided for, I do not care where the difference comes from." |
| 216 | * GroinAttack: On the receiving end of one in the sequel. Suko stabs his genitals with scissors to torture him. |
| 217 | * UncertainDoom: |
| 218 | ** Jean-Claude vanishes from the series after the second film's scene where the Albanians torture him for information on Bryan's whereabouts. One can only assume that they killed him once they got what they wanted... |
| 219 | ** It's also unclear what happened to his wife and children. |
| 220 | * WeUsedToBeFriends: He's a former colleague of Bryan, who's bemused upon discovering Jean-Claude is an accomplice to the kidnappers. |
| 221 | [[/folder]] |
| 222 | |
| 223 | [[folder:Peter]] |
| 224 | !!Peter |
| 225 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/taken1_peter.jpg]] |
| 226 | !!!'''Played By:''' Nicolas Giraud |
| 227 | |
| 228 | A HoneyTrap for the sex trafficking ring who catches Kim and Amanda for them. He unwittingly dies by getting run over as he tries to escape from Bryan. |
| 229 | ---- |
| 230 | * TheCharmer: Due to his role as a HoneyTrap. |
| 231 | * DirtyCoward: Peter is no fighter, and practically wets himself when Bryan confronts him. |
| 232 | * FauxAffablyEvil: Given his job as a HoneyTrap, this is to be expected. |
| 233 | * HoneyTrap: He's a spotter for the sex traffickers. |
| 234 | * LookBothWays: How he dies. |
| 235 | * NoFullNameGiven: Only his first name is stated. And considering his profession, it can't be certain that it's even his real name. |
| 236 | * PunchClockVillain: A ''very'' subtle example. A flashback shows him apologising to a random girl Bryan saved before she's kidnapped by his employers. Earlier on when his associate silently orders him to go after another girl, his only reaction is to look slightly guilty with what he has to do. He still knowingly and freely engages in sex trafficking though, so no tears are shed when he's killed. |
| 237 | [[/folder]] |
| 238 | |
| 239 | [[folder:Sheik Raman]] |
| 240 | !!Sheik Raman |
| 241 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1118full_taken_screenshot.jpg]] |
| 242 | !!!'''Played By:''' Nabil Massad |
| 243 | |
| 244 | An ArabOilSheikh from the first movie who's a customer of the sex trafficking ring, unwillingly purchasing Kim. His boat is where the film's final sequence of fights takes place. |
| 245 | ---- |
| 246 | * AintTooProudToBeg: Seeing that all of his henchmen have been disposed of, he offers to make a deal with Bryan in exchange for Kim's life. Bryan doesn't have it, even shooting him mid-sentence. |
| 247 | * AristocratsAreEvil: A wealthy, yacht-owning sheik who doesn't have a problem buying kidnapped women as sex slaves. |
| 248 | * BaldOfEvil: He only has hair on the sides of his head. |
| 249 | * DirtyOldMan: He didn't actually want to buy Kim (Bryan forced Ali to do that for the Sheik so he could get the opportunity to save her), but he's more than happy to keep her for himself after the fact. |
| 250 | * KilledMidSentence: "We can negoti-" '''*BAM*''' |
| 251 | * NoFullNameGiven: Aside from his title of sheik, only his first name is stated. |
| 252 | * PostFinalBoss: He's the last obstacle of the first film, found right after Bryan kills his right-hand man, and he goes down with a single shot. |
| 253 | [[/folder]] |
| 254 | |
| 255 | [[AC:''Taken 2'']] |
| 256 | |
| 257 | [[folder:Murad Hoxha]] |
| 258 | !!Murad Hoxha |
| 259 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/murad_hoxha_2667381_normal.jpg]] |
| 260 | [[caption-width-right:350:''"If it gives us peace, call it anything you wish."'']] |
| 261 | !!!'''Played By:''' Creator/RadeSerbedzija |
| 262 | |
| 263 | ->''"And I have come to take you to Tropojë to face you to the people whose lives you have ruined. To give them justice."'' |
| 264 | |
| 265 | An Albanian mafia boss and the leader of the Albanians seeking revenge against Bryan's family in ''Taken 2''. He's the father of Marko Hoxha from the first film. |
| 266 | ---- |
| 267 | * BadassLongcoat: Whenever he goes outside while on the way to capture or check on someone, he's seen wearing a black trenchcoat. |
| 268 | * BigBad: Of ''Taken 2''. |
| 269 | * TheDon: For the Albanian Mafia. |
| 270 | * EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Not only Marko, but also his two other sons whom he swears will avenge him. |
| 271 | * EvilCounterpart: To Bryan, since both of them are [[PapaWolf Papa Wolves]], but Murad had a criminal son (on top of still being an active criminal himself in the present) whereas Bryan has an innocent daughter. At one point, Murad is even seen wearing BadassLongcoat similar to the one Bryan wore for most of the first movie. |
| 272 | * EvilOldFolks: He's a longtime mobster with three grown sons. |
| 273 | * FauxAffablyEvil: He's a very polite man, even when he's trying to kill you. There's a trope-defining scene where Lenore is talking to him, and Murad mentions how he admires her, how he thinks she's a innocent woman who had nothing to do with his son's death, and then he says for such respect he'll send her back home... ''in pieces.'' |
| 274 | * GenreBlindness: Despite having a pretty good idea of what Bryan is capable of, Murad still insists on prolonging his suffering and [[AndYourLittleDogToo explaining what he intends to do to Bryan's family]], then proceeds to ''not'' have a few dozen mooks with guns trained on him at all times. This turns out to be exactly as bad a plan as it sounds. |
| 275 | * ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:Bryan kills him by impaling his neck through a coat hook]]. |
| 276 | * IronicEcho: His funeral speech in the VillainOpeningScene parallels Bryan's quote-worthy threat from the first movie, especially the "I will find you" part. |
| 277 | -->'''Murad:''' He slaughtered our men, our brothers, our sons. The dead cry out to us... for justice. On their souls, I swear to you. The man who took our loved ones from us, the man who has brought us such pain and sorrow. '''We will find him'''. We will bring him here. We will not rest until his blood flows into this very ground. We will have our revenge. |
| 278 | * MirrorCharacter: He and Bryan are a pair of {{Papa Wol|f}}ves who square off over their children, both of them willing to break laws and endanger others if it gets them what they want. |
| 279 | * MoralMyopia: Invoked by him. Bryan killed his son, and that makes him the bad guy. The fact that Marko was practically a mass murderer to begin with, having condemned an unknown number of girls to a short life of sexual slavery, is irrelevant to the calculations. Murad even cheerfully tells Bryan that he intends to finish Marko's job of selling Kim as a sex slave. |
| 280 | * NonActionBigBad: Much like his son, he's not much of a fighter, and is probably more of an arguer against Bryan. |
| 281 | * OutlivingOnesOffspring: To Marko. Given that Marko died in the first film and Murad didn't appear until the second one, it pretty much goes without saying. |
| 282 | %%* ThePatriarch |
| 283 | * PapaWolf: Sadly for Murad, Bryan was the superior wolf. Not caring about your son being a morally compromised sleazebag who abducted young girls to be sold to the sex market (on top of even seeking to finish his intentions just to spite your opponent) is proof that you're totally unworthy of this trope. |
| 284 | %%* RevengeBeforeReason |
| 285 | * RevengeByProxy: He wants to make Bryan suffer first by leaving his wife to bleed to death in front of him and vows to sell his daughter to the cheapest whorehouse possible. |
| 286 | * RevengeMyopia: There's a good reason why he's the page quote for this trope. Murad doesn't care if Marko worked in a crime ring, and destroyed many young women's lives by forcing them into sex slavery (a fate Bryan's daughter escaped just in time). He just wants to ease his pain by killing the man responsible for Marko's death (and his loved ones), and to add salt to the wound, intended to do so by finishing his son's original intentions. |
| 287 | -->'''Bryan:''' I killed your son because he kidnapped my daughter!\ |
| 288 | '''Murad:''' ''[slaps Bryan]'' I DON'T ''CARE'' WHAT HE DID! I only know... I will never see his face again, I will never hear his voice. ''(kisses Marko's photo)'' And as you held him responsible for your daughter, I hold you responsible for him! |
| 289 | * SecretTestOfCharacter: Subjected to one. [[spoiler: After promising to call off the feud, Bryan walks away, leaving his gun behind. Murad grabs the gun and tries to fire, only to find there are no bullets in it. Bryan drops the bullet and then shoves Murad's head into a towel hook, killing him.]] |
| 290 | * VillainOpeningScene: ''Taken 2'' opens with Murad attending the funeral of his son and his associates, and vowing revenge on Bryan with a motivating speech to the other attendants. |
| 291 | * VillainsWantMercy: Subtly enough. His feared expression just before his death had "plead for mercy" written all over it. Bryan doesn't give the bastard time to beg for his life and kills him. |
| 292 | [[/folder]] |
| 293 | |
| 294 | [[folder:Suko]] |
| 295 | !!Suko |
| 296 | [[quoteright:315:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sukotvtropes.jpg]] |
| 297 | !!!'''Played By:''' Alain Figlarz |
| 298 | |
| 299 | The only named and prominent Albanian aside from Murad in ''Taken 2''. |
| 300 | ---- |
| 301 | * AllThereInTheScript: His name is only stated in the film's casting credits. |
| 302 | * TheBrute: He does much of the Albanians' physical work, including torturing both Jean-Claude and Bryan. He also [[spoiler:proves to be nearly Bryan's match]] later in the climax. |
| 303 | * EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He mentions to Jean-Claude that he had a brother and an unspecified number of friends, who were among Bryan's victims in the first movie. |
| 304 | * EvilWearsBlack: His most prominent outfit, which he wears for the majority of the film's runtime at Istanbul, is a mostly black tracksuit with little shades of blue and white thrown in. |
| 305 | * NoFullNameGiven: Only his first name is stated. |
| 306 | * SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Appears to be one to Ali from the first film. While their upbringing and positions within their respective affiliations are different (Ali is TheDragon to Sheik Raman while Suko is merely TheBrute of the Albanians), they share the role of being Bryan's opponent in the climaxes of their respective movies with fighting skills on par to his, on top of having similar clothing palettes with black as the main color. |
| 307 | [[/folder]] |
| 308 | |
| 309 | [[AC:''Taken 3'']] |
| 310 | |
| 311 | [[folder:Oleg Malankov]] |
| 312 | !!Oleg Malankov |
| 313 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/malankovtvtropes.jpg]] |
| 314 | !!!'''Played By:''' Creator/SamSpruell |
| 315 | |
| 316 | A Russian mafia boss who serves as one of the major antagonists in ''Taken 3''. |
| 317 | ---- |
| 318 | * TheMafiya: He's the leader of a Russian mafia organization. |
| 319 | * PleaseKillMeIfItSatisfiesYou: [[spoiler:When he loses the final fight to Bryan, Malankov allows the latter to kill him off, even saying that he deserves to die.]] |
| 320 | -->''"[[spoiler:First, he gets me to kill your wife, then you. And when that doesn't work, he pushes you to kill me, no? Either way, he wins. Your wife was just part of a business deal, like many before her. It is my turn to lose the game. Finish me! Finish me! I deserve it!]]"'' |
| 321 | * VillainOpeningScene: ''Taken 3'' opens with Malankov killing a man who found an empty safe. |
| 322 | [[/folder]] |
| 323 | |
| 324 | !!Other characters: |
| 325 | |
| 326 | [[folder:Stuart St. John]] |
| 327 | !!Stuart St. John |
| 328 | [[quoteright:188:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stuarttaken.jpg]] |
| 329 | [[caption-width-right:188:Stuart's appearance in the first film.]] |
| 330 | [[quoteright:317:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dhs__stuart_st_john_dougray_scott_in_taken_3.png]] |
| 331 | [[caption-width-right:317:Stuart's appearance in ''Taken 3'']] |
| 332 | !!!'''Played By:''' Creator/XanderBerkeley (''Taken''), Creator/DougrayScott (''Taken 3'') |
| 333 | |
| 334 | A millionaire who's Lenore's current husband and Kim's stepfather. |
| 335 | ---- |
| 336 | * AscendedExtra: Started out as a minor character in the original film and [[spoiler:became the BigBad of the third one.]] |
| 337 | * BigBad: In ''Taken 3'' |
| 338 | * FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler: He becomes the third film's main villain.]] |
| 339 | * IronicEcho: His explanation to Bryan about why Malankov's mob is after him in the third movie sounds quite similar to Bryan's threat from the first film. |
| 340 | -->'''Bryan:''' They would have killed her someplace else, so why are they coming after me?\ |
| 341 | '''Stuart:''' Because I told them who you were, that you would find them and kill them. |
| 342 | * SuddenSequelHeelSyndrome: A neutral character in the first film, and the antagonist in the third film. |
| 343 | * TookALevelInJerkass: Although he never appears in ''Taken 2'', it's mentioned by Lenore that he's become much nastier. [[spoiler: In the third film, he out and out orchestrates her murder to collect on her life insurance policy while framing Bryan for it.]] |
| 344 | * WhatHappenedToTheMouse: [[spoiler:We're not quite sure what becomes of Stuart after he's arrested in the third film. Bryan promises him that he'll come for him after he inevitably gets acquitted or a short jail sentence because of his connections, but it's not clear if Stuart would later pull a BetterToDieThanBeKilled to avoid whatever Bryan has planned for him, if Bryan winds up killing him eventually, or even if he ends up executed (another outcome that's implied here).]] |
| 345 | * YouDontLookLikeYou: Due to his switch in actors who look nothing alike between his two appearances, he looks very different in the third movie from the first one. On top of lacking facial hair, he looks a lot younger. |
| 346 | [[/folder]] |
| 347 | |
| 348 | [[folder:Amanda]] |
| 349 | !!Amanda |
| 350 | [[quoteright:343:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vlcsnap_2014_10_21_18h12m59s244.png]] |
| 351 | !!!'''Played By:''' Creator/KatieCassidy |
| 352 | |
| 353 | Kim's best friend and travel partner in the first movie, who gets abducted alongside her and later accidentally killed by the Albanian sex traffickers. |
| 354 | ---- |
| 355 | * AccidentalMurder: Bryan finds her dead the moment she's seen after getting kidnapped, but it's quite clear that this wasn't intended by the Albanians, as they were intending for her to be sold alongside Kim. Her cause of death could be excessive drug use on part of the Albanians. |
| 356 | * DumbBlonde: Way to give away literally ''every'' detail about your lodgings, address, and personal details to that handsome stranger that's suspiciously kind to you outside the airport, Amanda. |
| 357 | * ForgottenFallenFriend: No one really says anything about her after her death, even Kim herself. |
| 358 | * NiceJobBreakingItHero: Lied to Kim and Lenore (who agreed to the trip under the impression that Kim would be accompanied by several legal adults) about her cousins being part of the vacation. Then she allows Peter (a complete stranger) to share a cab with them and tells him they're staying by themselves - all because she thought he was hot and wanted a one-night-stand. Even when Kim scolds her for this, she brushes her off with a "Who cares?" Her carelessness leads to her and Kim being kidnapped by a sex trafficking ring and sold as sex slaves, with her dying of an overdose. |
| 359 | * NoFullNameGiven: Only her first name is stated. |
| 360 | * SexSignalsDeath: Her death is meant to show how high the stakes with the bad guys are early on (and establish that Kim is a virgin). |
| 361 | * TooDumbToLive: Sure, just tell the [[BitchInSheepsClothing seemingly nice stranger]] that you met at the airport exactly where you're staying and that you're completely alone, just because you ''think he's hot''. [[SarcasmMode What could possibly go wrong?]] |
| 362 | * TheUnseen: The entirety of her family. Her parents are never seen, mentioned or even spoken to via phone; and she says her cousins in Paris have gone on holiday for months, leaving the apartment for her and Kim. This applies even after Bryan finds Amanda's dead corpse, so it's entriely possible that by the end of the film her family still haven't noticed she's missing. |
| 363 | [[/folder]] |
| 364 | |
| 365 | [[folder:Sam Gilroy]] |
| 366 | !!Sam Gilroy |
| 367 | [[quoteright:332:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sam_517.png]] |
| 368 | !!!'''Played By:''' Creator/LelandOrser |
| 369 | |
| 370 | A fellow ex-CIA operative and friend of Bryan, and Kim's godfather. In all three films, he serves as a minor communications assistant to Bryan. |
| 371 | ---- |
| 372 | * ChekhovsGunman: Sam first shows up for a buddy get-together with Bryan at the beginning of the first film. He is later called up to get some information about what happened to Kim and what their best options are. Sam continues playing this role in the next two movies. |
| 373 | * UncertainDoom: We don't know his fate after the third film's events. Last we see him, he's unconscious after having been shot by [[spoiler:Stuart]], and while a cop says he's still alive when they find him, we never found out if he survived. |
| 374 | [[/folder]] |
| 375 | |
| 376 | [[folder:Sheerah]] |
| 377 | !!Sheerah |
| 378 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fhd008tkn_holly_valance_003.jpg]] |
| 379 | !!!'''Played By:''' Music/HollyValance |
| 380 | |
| 381 | A fictional pop star whom Bryan saves from a stalker during one of his security shifts in the first film. |
| 382 | ---- |
| 383 | * HeroicBSOD: She has a minor one, when Bryan saves her from a crazed fan with a knife. |
| 384 | * IOweYouMyLife: Decides to thank Bryan by providing him with the tips his daughter wanted to help start her own career. |
| 385 | * JerkassHasAPoint: Dismissively tells Bryan that his daughter should consider another career besides singing. Not long after, she gets mobbed by fans, one of whom tries to kill her. She later clarifies being a pop star [[HatesTheJobLovesTheLimelight isn't all it's cracked up to be]]. |
| 386 | * PetTheDog: Despite what she thinks of the career choice, because Bryan saved her life, she decides to give Kim some singing lessons. At her own house, no less. |
| 387 | * RichBitch: Averted. She can give off this vibe, but she's merely jaded. |
| 388 | [[/folder]] |
| 389 | |
| 390 | [[folder:Frank Dotzler]] |
| 391 | !!Inspector Frank Dotzler |
| 392 | [[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/inspector_frank_dotzler_forest_whitaker_in_taken_3.png]] |
| 393 | !!!'''Played By:''' Creator/ForestWhitaker |
| 394 | |
| 395 | An LAPD detective investigating a murder linked to Bryan. |
| 396 | ---- |
| 397 | * {{Expy}}: Of both [[Film/TheFugitive US Marshal Samuel Gerard]] and Lt. Jon Kavanaugh, Whitaker's character on ''Series/TheShield''. |
| 398 | * SpottingTheThread: He could tell that Bryan was being framed for [[spoiler:Lenore's murder]] because he was buying groceries when he returned home. And he kept asking himself, who would be ''stupid'' enough to go buy groceries when his first priority should've been trying to get away with murder. |
| 399 | [[/folder]] |
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