TAKEN 2 THRILLER

CONVENTIONS
By Luca Holden
BARTHES THEORY
Action codes
When I watched taken 2 I found that there were many action codes. The film
makers put these codes in to build up suspense and tension, this suspense and
tension will make the views more anxious and make them want to watch on. I
found that there we many examples of action codes in Taken 2 for example,
when the French police officer arrives at his apartment and finds someone
laying there dead and the police officer pulls out his gun, this creates tension
and makes the viewer want to watch on.
BARTHES THEORY
Enigma codes
There are also many enigma codes in
Taken 2, these are questions created in
the audiences mind created through
narrative which lead to suspense.
There is an enigma code right at the
start of the film when one of the fathers
of the dead kidnappers swears to take
revenge against the man who killed
their sons. This leaves a question in the
views mind because they wont to find
out how he will conduct his revenge
and also whether he will be successful
in getting his revenge.
DERRY'S THEORY

I think that the main sub-genre for
Taken 2 in moral confrontation. This is
because people trying to kill Bryan
Mills represent bad and evil, whereas
Bryan Mills represents innocents and
good. Although he killed their sons I
think that he is still the innocent person
in the film and the main protagonist.
Murad is the man who he is trying to
take revenge against. Bryan Mills is the
main antagonist. I think this film could
also tie into innocent and on the run. I
think this because throughout the film
there are parts in which he is being
chased around with his daughter
trying to get away from the
antagonist and in particular the main
antagonist Murad.
TODOROVS THEORY

Todorovs theory was that everything begins with a state of equilibrium, this
means everything is as it should be. Then it will suffer some disruption and this
is called disequilibrium. An example of equilibrium to disequilibrium in Taken 2
is when the French police officer arrives back at his apartment and he begins
talking to his neighbours and everything is normal and calm, this is equilibrium.
But when he walks into his apartment and finds a dead man lying there in his
hallway, this creates disequilibrium. Then he begins to panic, we can tell this
because he pulls his gun out and begin to look around to see who is there.

LEVI STRAUSS THEORY

Levi Strauss believed that our
understanding of words is not
based so much on the meaning of
the words but more on our
understanding of differences
between the word and its
opposite or he just called it binary
opposites. I think the main binary
opposites on Taken 2 are good
and bad. This is because you have
got the main protagonist Bryan
Mills who is an innocent family man
just trying to right by his family,
then you have got the main
antagonist Murad who is out to
seek revenge for all the grieving
parent whose sons were killed by
Bryan Mills on his way to getting
back his vulnerable daughter.
REPRESENTATION

Bryan Mills represents a stereotypical
overprotective dad because throughout
the film he is constantly checking up on
his daughter to make sure she is safe.
Thought the film he does background
check-ups on his daughters boyfriends
and also takes every opportunity to
spend even more time than he normally
does with his daughter and his ex-wife.
This is because Kim his daughter has
previously been kidnapped, so he feels
he has to have her in his sights at all times
to make sure she is safe. I think that
Murad subverts the stereotypical
antagonist because I think that
antagonists are evil but he has been
turned evil because of a recent
experience so as he sets out to get his
revenge he becomes the antagonist. My
stereotype to an antagonist would be a
mysterious character that wears dark
clothing and is given low key lighting
throughout the film. But when I look at
Murad then I see the opposite.
REPRESENTATION
Kim Mills is represented as a
stereotypical teenage girl because
she tries to keep secrets from her
overprotective father and also cant
keep to time schedules and just
generally cant do anything without
the help of someone. For example in
the film she tries to keep her new
boyfriend a secret from her father
who is less than impressed when he
finds out the truth, and as a result of
seeing her boyfriend is late for
important driving lessons.