"Taken"...Great movie...but what is it?

[celtic_crippler]

Just watched this movie and it was AWESOME!

All through the movie I easily picked apart the maneuvers used in the hand-to-hand scenes.

Though I've tried to find some solid evidence as to what base style was actually used I can't find any. Many have claimed it is PTK, but I'd swear it was straight up Kenpo.

There's one scene where Liam Neeson takes out a bad guy's knee, moves behind him, claws up through the guys face then follows up with a sword hand to the throat...now that's straight out of SGM Parker's "play book." LOL

Anyway, comments on the matter are welcome and if you haven't seen it then do so!

 

[Thesemindz]

Just watched this movie and it was AWESOME!

All through the movie I easily picked apart the maneuvers used in the hand-to-hand scenes.

Though I've tried to find some solid evidence as to what base style was actually used I can't find any. Many have claimed it is PTK, but I'd swear it was straight up Kenpo.

There's one scene where Liam Neeson takes out a bad guy's knee, moves behind him, claws up through the guys face then follows up with a sword hand to the throat...now that's straight out of SGM Parker's "play book." LOL

Anyway, comments on the matter are welcome and if you haven't seen it then do so!

I think what it is is that any system based on logical destruction, with a combination of striking and grappling, and quick, efficient motion, will look extremely similar in execution. A lot of the CQC stuff, and some Kali stuff, and some Krav Maga stuff, and some Kenpo stuff, all look very similar when you put them in a spontaneous situation. I felt the same way watching it, and at one point my wife leaned over to me and asked, "Is this fighting good stuff? It looks so real." I told her it was, and that it was a real evolution in what we've seen in martial arts movies.

I hope we see more of this kind of stuff. No jump spin kicks. No flying elbow strikes. Just good, hard violence. Close, fast, and real. Directors used to not like to shoot movies like this because they thought the average viewer wouldn't be able to follow the action. That part of why they used these wide overblown movements like spinning crescent kicks to the head. It isn't the only reason of course. But I wonder if now with MMA becoming such a part of the cultural awareness, people are a little more capable of following the action. Maybe they always were.


-Rob

 

[Sukerkin]

Good points, TMZ.

It's true about how many 'styles' can look very similar when it comes time to take the kata 'wrapper' off the MRE and put it into action.

For example, I watched this very good movie and saw elements of my old Lau training in it .

 

[Omar B]

To me it looked like Krav Maga with a little extra. As if KM was is original art but he dabbled in maybe Kali or one of the other arts mentioned above.

 

[arnisador]

To me it looked like Krav Maga with a little extra. As if KM was is original art but he dabbled in maybe Kali or one of the other arts mentioned above.

Yeah, I had the same thought. I wasn't thinking Kenpo. Krav Maga would have been a logical choice for the character.

 

[Omar B]

My guess on kenpo was just that. I don't know much about the art.

 

[kaizasosei]

Also, each individual will also have his own personal touch.

j

 

[GBlues]

Man I love that movie. IT reminded me of the movie Big Jake. Classic lines, great combat scenes it was a really good movie. As far as the fighting, I'm not to familiar with the philipino arts but it looked alot like what Matt Damon was doing in the Bourne Identity movies to me. I know they used Kali for those films. I think Liam Neeson fought quite a bit like Matt in the movie Taken.

 

[tshadowchaser]

I have watched Taken a couple of times now. I did not bother to question what or where the moves came from I simply injoyed the action and the simplisity of most of the moves.

 

[kaizasosei]

i found this online.

'Taken'

The fighting art primarily used in this movie is Nagasu Do (see mickgould.com). Liam Neeson was trained by Mick Gould, who is a senior practitioner of this art and previously taught members of the SAS, including Andy McNab, with whom he later worked on the Michael Mann movie Heat (1995). more

----you learn how to flush the guy down the toilet...:=). in japanese, to flush is also nagasu. Just kidding. I have yet to research more about this style.

 

[Omar B]

Never heard of it.

 

[chinto]

I saw the movie, and I saw basically things that every Okinawan art seems to have. but as others said, get to the top of the mountain and it all looks the same all most! but the old story is, the human body has 2 arms and 2 legs, the same vitals are in the same places on every one. so, there are a limited number of ways to get the job done efficiently and effectively unarmed.

but ya, it was a good movie and I did indeed enjoy it, and yes did kinda go " yep there is that and that and that to each and every technique in the fight sequences to.

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

Just watched this movie and it was AWESOME!

All through the movie I easily picked apart the maneuvers used in the hand-to-hand scenes.

Though I've tried to find some solid evidence as to what base style was actually used I can't find any. Many have claimed it is PTK, but I'd swear it was straight up Kenpo.

There's one scene where Liam Neeson takes out a bad guy's knee, moves behind him, claws up through the guys face then follows up with a sword hand to the throat...now that's straight out of SGM Parker's "play book." LOL

Anyway, comments on the matter are welcome and if you haven't seen it then do so!

Kenpo would fit the description. So to would various styles of karate (including non-sport TKD) and hapkido. Also, Neeson himself was an amateur boxer before his acting career took off.

In any case, I saw that one in the theatre and loved it!!

Daniel