Taken launched the second-half of Liam Neeson's career.

Taken off

Retribution, Liam Neeson
A still from Retribution courtesy of Roadside Attractions.

Prior to the action franchise, Neeson was primarily known for his roles in dramas like Schindler's List and the Gangs of New York. In 2008, he played Bryan Mills in Pierre Morel's thriller. After Bryan's daughter, played by Maggie Grace, is kidnapped in France, he will stop at nothing to get her back.

This kickstarted a whole new phase of Neeson's career. While Neeson still does the occasional indie drama or comedy, look at his recent filmography. He's been a featured player in the “straight-to-DVD” genre that dads adore. To be fair, this is the genre me and my father bonded over when I was younger.

Since Taken, Neeson's starred in “Taken with amnesia” (Unknown); “Taken with wolves” (The Grey); “Taken on a plane” (Non-Stop); “Taken on a train” (The Commuter); you get it. I enjoy them for what they are, but it's a far cry from the work Neeson used to do.

Speaking to ClutchPoints about his new John Cena-led action-comedy, Freelance, Morel talked the impact Taken had not only on Neeson's career, but Hollywood.

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“I think what was interesting in Taken and what Liam's career became afterwards [is that he] was already a fantastic actor known for non-action stuff,” Morel said. “I mean, you remember Schindler's List — this guy was amazing.

“And what changed maybe a little bit [in the] industry after Taken [was that] productions would stop hiring already established action heroes and use actors who had another career before or more drama actors, for instance, and bring them into action,” Morel elaborated. “And it does change the perspective and the feeling of an audience.”

He explained, “If you hire either Sylvester Stallone or [Arnold] Schwarzenegger in an action movie, you know what to expect. When you hire a Liam Neeson or a guy of that caliber, you know it's not going to be just about the action, but also about the character.”

In conclusion, Morel believes it's “just a different way to cast,” and Taken caused a change in the way action movies are cast and the way he wrote that film.