 RED does not mean "stop." GREEN does not mean "go." Click on the CAPCon Alert image for explanation |
A ministry of the ChildCare Action Project: Christian Analysis of American Culture (CAP Ministry) A 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Christian Ministry. www.capalert.com/ Entertainment Media Analysis Report A service to His little ones through you in His name by His Word MAR29012  (2008), PG-13 [Hard R-13*] (1hr 25min) The #1 Christian entertainment media analysis service on the Internet. We give you OBJECTIVE tools NO ONE ELSE CAN to help YOU make an informed decision for yourself whether a film is fit for your family. Over 1200 analyses for parents, grandparents, pastors, youth leaders and more. |
  (a PayPal account is NOT required) OR (preferred) by Check or Money Order. The CAP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Christian ministry. Donations to us are TAX-DEDUCTIBLE |
on what Hollywood feeds your kids. SUBSCRIBE (or unsubscribe) to our FREE text-only email version of these reports and our COMING SOON notices. |
  Christian Long Distance |
(While the Scriptural references are certainly not subjective, my commentary may be and sometimes is somewhat subjective.)
 Cast/Crew Details Courtesy Internet Movie Database Production (US): Europa Corp, M6 Films, Grive Productions, Canal+, TPS Star, M6, All Pictures Media, Papillon Productions, Wintergreen Productions Distribution (US): 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Director(s): Pierre Morel Producer(s): Luc Besson, Didier Hoarau, Franck Lebreton, Michael Mandaville Written by: Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen Cinematography/Camera: Michel Abramowicz Music: Nathaniel Mechaly Film Editing: Frédéric Thoraval Casting: Ferne Cassel, Nathalie Cheron Production Design: Hugues Tissandier Art Direction: Gilles Boillot, Nanci Roberts Viewed 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment DVD This analysis is sponsored by E&HP.  Wow! It is bewildering what the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) thinks is acceptable for your 13 year old kids (and younger). Taken is saturated with brutal and graphic violence and murder. What was it God said about "evil communications?" [1 Cor. 15:33] Wasn't it something about bad company (such as the influence of the violence and murder) corrupts good behavior? Yes. That is what He said. He also said that s/he who teaches and/or causes our youth (which includes 13 year old kids) to sin would be better off with a millstone tied about his/her neck then cast into the sea. [Luke 17:2] And all this is not to give credit to what is said by the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Association of Pediatrics, the Ameri .... Wow! Ex-Federal "preventer" Bryan Mills  (Liam Neeson) finds himself unwillingly drawn back into that from which he has retired. Mills is approached by his ex-wife Lenore  (Famke Janssen) to let his 17 year old daughter, Kim  (Maggie Grace) tour the museums of Paris with her friend Amanda  (Katie Cassidy).Little does daddy know that Kim's is lying and plans (with the approval of her mother and step father) to tour Europe with the U2 band. But when packing the trunk with Kim's luggage, Bryan spies a map with the U2 tour route highlighted. Suddenly the truth daddy knows ... and "NO's!" Now mother launches a "How's she going to learn about the real world otherwise" guilt trip on ex-hubby and daughter launches a sob session on him. Eventually Bryan spares his soul for Kim's crying [Prov. 19:18] and lets her go deeply against his better judgment. Kim soon finds she needs daddy and his special skills ... painfully and discovers his wisdom. As a side plot, in addition to wanting to tour Europe with U2 as a groupie, Kim wants to be a singer. Conveniently the plot has Bryan work a short stint as security for a popular singer, Sheerah  (Holly Valance). Bryan relates to Sheerah his daughter's wishes to be a singer. In an episode of attempted kidnapping of Sheerah, Bryan shows his special skills are still sharp. Though Sheerah had earlier advised Bryan to tell his daughter to stay out of the performing world, out of gratitude Sheerah gives Bryan a card with names and numbers on it to get his daughter started in the vocal arts.Now Kim is standing in Paris. With Amanda. Soon a smooth talking teen boy who says he, too, is touring arrives to open a dialogue with the girls. In an effort to minimize cab fare the stranger offers to share a ride with the girls. Bad idea. The girls become entrapped in an organization that traffics in women. If only mom and daughter had listened to dad in the first place. Oh, well. Gotta let go of the kids sometime right? Even if it kills them? That it did ... to Amanda. And a lot of bad guys along the way. Such is the rest of the story as Mills creates a trail of dead bodies and increases the hospital population as he relentlessly tries to rescue his daughter. Wanton Violence/Crime (W) - Zero out of 100 As mentioned in the Summary/Commentary above, this film is rife with violence. Assaults with knives, guns and other objects as weapons. Threats to kill. Attempts to kill. Defensive killings. Pursuits to kill. Gunfire to kill. Vehicular deaths. Torture and killing by electrocution. And more. A l-o-t more. All with the "justification" of a father rescuing his daughter. There is a serious danger herein of the temptation to think/feel "I would do the same if it were my daughter" And therein lies one of the greatest powers of cinema -- to create emotions to suit the story. By the truckload. That is what filmmakers do. God warns us of such influence in many ways. Two of them are found in 1 Cor. 15:33 and in Prov. 16:29. Only two. God speaks darkly and disapprovingly of violence 56 times from Genesis to Revelation. Impudence/Hate (I) - Zero out of 100 Nineteen times someone utters profanity in one form or another. A wife is verbally vicious to her ex-husband (at least until daddy saves the daughter's life). A mother and daughter pair are deceitful toward the daughter's father. A teen girl coaches another teen girl to give up her virginity. Lies are used frequently, mainly to lure young girls into sexual servitude. Even the background song at the end of the movie, though it makes little sense, speaks of lust and sin with profanity. [Col. 3:5 - 8] Sexual Immorality (S) - 45 out of 100 This film explores much of the elements of trafficking in women and prostitution. It is ugly as one would expect the matter to be ugly in real life. But that "real life" is that way in such matters does not excuse feeding our minds with such material, especially for entertainment. [Phil. 4:8, Col. 3:20] In addition, a teen girl plans illicit sexual intercourse as a "benefit" of deceiving her parents and coaches another girl to have illicit sex. [Is. 30:1, Hebr. 13:4] A number of vulgar comments freckle the script. [Eph. 5:4] A number of lies are spoken, in particular a lie to a father from his daughter. [Rev. 21:8] Drugs/Alcohol (D) - 53 out of 100 There are four instances of alcoholic beverages and four instances of drinking them. As in analyses of other teen flicks with booze and drinking in them, I offer the following. A 2002 study by the American College of Physicians (ACP) revealed that adolescent exposure to drinking in and as entertainment undeniably leads to abuse of alcohol among underage kids. The finding entitled Relation Between Parental Restrictions on Movies and Adolescent Use of Tobacco and Alcohol reports that of 4544 youths from grades 5 through 8 of fifteen Vermont and New Hampshire middle schools (90% of the youths were under fourteen years old) only 16% were completely restricted from viewing R-rated movies. Within the ACP study population, the prevalence of having tried alcohol without parental knowledge was The researchers selected R-rated movies because they assumed R-rated movies typically present more drinking than movies of other classifications. This assumption is no longer true. The researchers were not aware of the matter of R-13 proven by this ministry in 2000 with which Harvard University scientists agreed four years later. The bottom line? The focus is that the influence of adolescent exposure to drinking (and smoking) in and as entertainment is undeniable regardless of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) classification. [Eph. 5:18] Offense to God (O) - 25 out of 100 God's name in used in vain a total of 14 times, 13 of them without the four letter expletive and once with it. "...without the four letter expletive?" I can find nothing that says the use of His name in vain without the four letter expletive is any less severe in consequences than speaking His name in vain with it. In Deut. 5:11 God warns that s/he who uses His name in vain will not be held guiltless. Yes, that includes the popular three-syllable sentence with His name trailing it. Further, the popular hand gesture for "rock" is displayed once. Little do most parents know that such a hand gesture is also the gesture of recognition between satanists. The reason I bring this up is to arm parents with knowledge so they may make an informed decision if they see their kids displaying such a gesture. It may be an "innocent" unawares gesture ... or it may not. See our Back to School Special for more information. Murder/Suicide (M) - Zero out of 100 At least 24 times someone is murdered, usually a bad guy but it is murder nonetheless since the murderer is not authorized to kill. Most of the murders are done by Mills of bad guys who get in his way of rescuing his daughter. Some are defensive killings, which are incorporated into the Wanton Violence/Crime investigation area, but most are deliberate acts of killing. It matters not to the final score into which investigation area such acts are incorporated. The scoring distribution over the six investigation areas (see the CAP thermometers) would change but the final score would be the same whether the acts of murder are incorporated into the Wanton Violence/Crime or Murder/Suicide investigation area. SCRIPTURAL APPLICATION(S) If needed to focus or fortify, applicable text is underlined or bracketed [ ] or bold. If you wish to have full context available, the Blue Letter Bible is a convenient source. If you use the Blue Letter Bible, a new window will open. Close it to return here or use "Window" in your browser's menu bar to alternate between the CAP page and the Blue Letter Bible page. CHAPTER/VERSE ***Selected Scriptures of Armour against the influence of the entertainment industry*** As always, it is best to refer to the Findings/Scoring section -- the heart of the CAP analysis model -- for the most complete assessment possible of this movie. |
 |
 Wanton Violence/Crime (W) - Zero out of 100 Impudence/Hate (I) - Zero out of 100 Sexual Immorality (S) - 45 out of 100 Drugs/Alcohol (D) - 53 out of 100 Offense to God (O) - 25 out of 100 Murder/Suicide (M) - Zero out of 100 |
| There are some in the entertainment industry who maintain that 1) violent programming is harmless because no studies exist that prove a connection between violent entertainment and aggressive behavior in children, and 2) young people know that television, movies, and video games are simply fantasy. Unfortunately, they are wrong on both accounts." And "Viewing violence may lead to real life violence." I applaud these associations for fortifying 1 Cor. 15:33. Read the rest of the story. From our years of study, I contend that other aberrant behaviors, attitudes, and expressions can be inserted in place of "violence" in that statement. Our Director - Child Psychology Support, a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist concurs. For example, "Viewing arrogance against fair authority may lead to your kids defying you in real life." Or "Viewing sex may lead to sex in real life." Likewise and especially with impudence, hate and foul language. I further contend that any positive behavior can be inserted in place of "violence" with the same chance or likelihood of being a behavior template for the observer; of being incorporated into the behavior mechanics and/or coping skills of the observer. In choosing your entertainment, please consider carefully the "rest of the story" and our findings. |
|
Thank you for visiting us and may God bless you. Prayerfully, we will provide you with some of the most revealing commentary and investigative reporting you have ever read. In the name of Jesus: Lord, Master, Teacher, Savior, God. Tom Carder President ChildCare Action Project (CAP): Christian Analysis of American Culture 100% dependent on your tax-deductible financial support |  |
Christian Long Distance |
|
We exist only by your tax-deductible donations. PLEASE  Features PayPal! You do NOT need an account to donate. |
