I saw Taken the other day and I thought It was bland and poorly written. I agree that it was cool to watch Neeson kick ass, but everything else was all kinds of awful. Neeson's character was an absolutely horrible father who I just couldn't sympathize with.
Also, His kid running around as if she was 8 years old really got on my nerves, and Famke Janssen's role was a waste of a fine actress.
The trailer was much better than the movie.