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Film data fromTMDB

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  1. Wokeometer
  2. Movies
  3. Taken
Taken
Box Office
Hit · 9.1x
Budget$25M
Worldwide Gross$226.8M
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Taken

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Taken

Taken

movie·PG-13·Jan 30, 2009·
Box OfficeHit · 9.1x
$25M
Budget
$226.8M
Gross
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Shop this title

Taken

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Digital video
Amazon — Digital video. Search this format: Taken. Opens in a new tab
DVD & Blu-ray
Amazon — DVD & Blu-ray. Search this format: Taken. Opens in a new tab

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Explore Prime Video — Opens in a new tab

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Taken

movie
PG-13
January 30, 2009
Wokeometer Rating
1Based
0/10
Audience Woke Score
No Ratings Yet
Scale: 0 = not woke, 10 = maximally woke

TL;DR Verdict

Taken delivers pure action thrills through a father's rescue mission and personal agency, with zero identity politics or social justice framing to distract from the story. This makes it safe, neutral entertainment at a 1/10 woke score.

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Detailed Analysis

Taken (2008) delivers straightforward traditional action storytelling centered on ex-operative Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) using his skills to rescue his teenage daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) from Albanian sex traffickers in Paris.

The premise, characters, and plot emphasize paternal protection, masculine competence, family reconciliation, and direct confrontation with criminals, with no progressive ideological framing, identity politics, or social justice messaging driving any element. This father-daughter rescue narrative stays free of feminist or systemic critique overlays that might otherwise reframe the conflict around broader social structures. Casting features established white actors in original roles with no race or gender swaps or DEI mandates, keeping the focus on the story's core dynamics rather than contemporary casting quotas.

No LGBTQ+ representation, pronoun usage, or identity exploration appears, and the villains remain portrayed as foreign criminals without progressive contextualization that could dilute accountability. The film therefore prioritizes unadorned entertainment through personal agency and decisive heroism.

Key Factors

  • Traditional father-daughter rescue narrative with no feminist or systemic critique overlays
  • Casting features established white actors in original roles with no race/gender swaps or DEI mandates
  • No LGBTQ+ representation, pronoun usage, or identity exploration; villains portrayed as foreign criminals without progressive contextualization

Methodology: Each score synthesizes audience discourse, critic and aggregator reception, and press coverage — weighed against the work itself, not any single source.

Detailed BreakdownPro

Identity Politics & Racial Essentialism
Gender Ideology & LGBTQ+ Themes
DEI Casting & Representation Mandates
Preachiness & Message-First Agenda
Corporate & Creator Activism

See how this title scores across all 5 woke subcategories with detailed explanations.

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Directed by

  • Pierre Morel

Is Taken Woke?

We've run a full content analysis on Taken and scored it 1/10 on the woke scale. Read our detailed breakdown above to see exactly what we found.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of woke content is in Taken?

Our analysis checks for themes like identity politics, race-swapping, gender ideology, environmental activism, anti-religious messaging, and other progressive agenda elements. The score breakdown above shows which specific categories were flagged and how heavily they factor into Taken's overall score.

Is Taken family-friendly?

Wokeometer focuses on ideological content rather than traditional ratings (violence, language, etc.). Taken is rated PG-13. For a full picture, combine our woke analysis with the age rating to decide if it's right for your family.

How does Wokeometer score movies?

We evaluate media across multiple ideological categories on a 0–10 scale. Scores of 0–3 mean story-first, 4–6 have moderate elements, and 7–10 flag heavily agenda-driven content. Learn more about our methodology →

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Top Cast

Liam Neeson
1.5Based

Liam Neeson

Bryan Mills

Maggie Grace
1Based

Maggie Grace

Kim Mills

Famke Janssen
2.1Based

Famke Janssen

Lenore St. John

Olivier Rabourdin
4Mixed

Olivier Rabourdin

Jean-Claude Pitrel

Katie Cassidy
2.7Based

Katie Cassidy

Amanda

Nicolas Giraud
1Based

Nicolas Giraud

Peter

Leland Orser
1Based

Leland Orser

Sam Gilroy

Jon Gries
1.3Based

Jon Gries

Mark Casey

Holly Valance
1Based

Holly Valance

Sheerah

David Warshofsky
1Based

David Warshofsky

Bernie Harris

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