'Taken' With Bill Simmons and Shea Serrano
September 3, 2018 · Taken (2008) · Action · Crime · Thriller · 1:11:13 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
Categories
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsDenzel Washington — Mentions someone dropped out allowing for Liam Neeson era; suggests Tom Cruise wouldn't work due to lack of surprise element; proposes Denzel in 1996 or Tom Hanks would be interesting alternatives due to surprise factor▶ 14:12
Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill SimmonsBrian shows up to Jean-Claude's house for dinner (the dinner scene where he shoots Jean-Claude's wife in the arm)▶ 28:38
Shea SerranoWhen Kimmy is about to get taken, all the way up until when Liam Neeson has to say 'they're going to take you'▶ 24:32
What's Aged the Best
Bill SimmonsLiam Neeson's entire IMDb - how this role retroactively changed perception of all his previous work▶ 37:00
Shea SerranoLiam Neeson - how he became a whole different kind of actor and all his previous roles got retrofit as Brian Mills▶ 36:29
What's Aged the Worst
Bill SimmonsThe U2 part - two teenage girls in 2008 lying to their parents to follow U2 around Europe feels unrealistic for that time period▶ 38:38
Shea SerranoEvery foreigner is going to kidnap and kill your daughter and sell them into sex slavery - the xenophobic portrayal where every non-white, non-American character is horrible▶ 37:17
Dion Waiters Award
Bill SimmonsPresents five nominees: Marco (the good luck guy), Jean-Claude, Jean-Claude's wife, the sex slavery club manager, and the stereotypical fat sex hungry sheik at the end▶ 44:43
Shea SerranoThe other guys at the table with Marco who all claim to be Marco and from Tripulia▶ 45:18
Joey Pants Award
Shea SerranoJean-Claude Van Damme — Jean-Claude (agrees he's the only 'that guy' actor since he makes multiple appearances)▶ 47:05
Apex Mountain
Bill SimmonsLiam Neeson — Liam Neeson - became an action movie star in his mid-50s despite having won an Oscar earlier; also Maggie Grace and Albanian sex traffickers▶ 55:16
Shea SerranoMaggie Grace — Agrees with Maggie Grace - she'll forever be known as 'the daughter from Taken'▶ 55:54
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill SimmonsDid Kimmy learn her lesson and trust her dad after this? Yes, she's 100% in now and it was worth it for Liam Neeson despite 35 people dying. Do sex slavery auction clubs exist as portrayed? No, the elaborate cocktail party auction setup is absolutely ridiculous - it's probably just pictures that scumbags flip through.▶ 1:05:39
Shea SerranoKimmy definitely trusted her dad after this, as seen in later Taken movies. Sex slavery operations exist up to a point but not the red button auction setup. The movie works because it drops you into a world without over-explaining, like John Wick.▶ 1:04:18
Who Won the Movie
Bill SimmonsRefers to 'only one winner' who 'wins the movie' and 'wins action movies' but never explicitly names the person▶ 1:06:29
Movies Referenced (30)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Wick (2014) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 18 | Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano | ▶ 4:56 |
| Taken 2 (2012) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano | ▶ 42:00 |
| Schindler's List (1993) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano | ▶ 12:22 |
| Taken 3 (2014) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 41:54 |
| Under Siege (1992) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 5:19 |
| Con Air (1997) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 6:16 |
| First Blood (1982) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 10:51 |
| Love Actually (2003) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano | ▶ 13:59 |
| Rush Hour (1998) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 2:49 |
| The Fly (1986) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:01:24 |
| Training Day (2001) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 45:41 |
| Beverly Hills Cop (1984) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Shea Serrano | ▶ 31:03 |
Directors Referenced (3)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woody Allen | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | Annie Hall | ▶ 11:43 |
| Mel Gibson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Braveheart, Lethal Weapon 3, Conspiracy Theory | ▶ 1:09:20 |
| Dead or Alive | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The A-Team | ▶ 58:32 |
Actors Referenced (29)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liam Neeson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 44 | Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano | Schindler's List, The Grey | ▶ 4:24 |
| Jeff Bridges | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Shea Serrano, Bill Simmons | The Big Lebowski, True Grit | ▶ 43:59 |
| Arnold Schwarzenegger | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano | Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Terminator | ▶ 3:13 |
| Bruce Willis | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano | Die Hard, Pulp Fiction | ▶ 5:57 |
| Laramie Cooley | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Shea Serrano, Bill Simmons | Hell or High Water | ▶ 39:08 |
| Tom Cruise | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | Top Gun, Minority Report | ▶ 16:16 |
| Halle Berry | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Die Another Day | ▶ 18:08 |
| Jason Statham | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Crank, Furious 7, The Meg | ▶ 6:49 |
| Maggie Grace | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Taken | ▶ 54:11 |
| Steven Seagal | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Under Siege 2: Dark Territory | ▶ 3:13 |
| Tom Hanks | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Cast Away, Big, Forrest Gump | ▶ 16:42 |
| Vin Diesel | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano | The Fast and the Furious, Guardians of the Galaxy | ▶ 6:36 |
Writers Referenced (1)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roger Ebert | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 2:04 |
Cinematographers Referenced (1)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erik Bassan | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 37:57 |