Taken, however, was a huge, surprise hit, grossing roughly $150 million domestically, and soon, just like Die Hard before it, Taken had launched an action subgenre all its own. Neeson was not a stranger to popcorn movies - he’d appeared in the Star Wars prequels and Batman Begins - but the former Oskar Schindler hardly seemed like anyone’s obvious heir to Schwarzenegger, Stallone, or Van Damme. The most noteworthy thing about it was its surprising star: Liam Neeson, he of the brooding mien, baritone brogue, and impressively varied acting résumé. When Taken was released in 2008, it looked at first glance like a modestly budgeted, cleverly high concept, essentially throwaway thriller.
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