For the actors and filmmakers of the new installment of ‘Taken’, ‘Taken 2’, the decision to return for a sequel was not taken lightly. ‘Taken’ had captured something special, and everyone was determined to find a fresh angle on Bryan Mills’s tale. “When I read Luc and Robert’s script,” Director Olivier Megaton explains, “I found the openings to do something new. It’s not just another Bryan Mills story; it’s about family and a father determined to save it.”

“The writers were really wonderful in how they approached the new story,” says Maggie Grace. “It retains all the elements that worked so well in ‘Taken’, and then expands upon them. Bryan, Kim and Lenore are fighting to survive – and for each other.”

Much of the action in ‘Taken 2’ unfolds in Istanbul, a locale rarely seen on screen. Megaton spent much of his prep time scouting locations and walking around the city for hours at a time. When principal photography commenced, he knew Istanbul’s streets and passageways better than some of the local crew.

Liam Neeson says shooting in Istanbul was like nothing he has experienced. “Istanbul is where east meets west – a beautiful city full of wonderful people,” notes the actor, who has filmed on locations around the globe but remains most impressed with Istanbul’s singular sights and sounds.

Everywhere the crew members turned, they were faced with a landmark. Key locales included the front of the Süleymaniye Mosque, one of the city’s grandest buildings; the Grand Bazaar, a 15th Century Istanbul landmark that takes up an entire city block and welcomes more than a quarter of a million visitors every day; and a traditional hamam, or Turkish bath, home to the film’s explosive finale.

Director of photography Romain Lacourbas, enhanced the vivid palette of these stunning locations. “You could almost touch the light and it would change hue,” says Neeson. “And there are shots where you see the whole city laid out in front of you.” Adds Maggie Grace: “Being given carte blanche to see behind the scenes of this incredible city, you can literally feel its history.”

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‘Taken 2’, in cinemas on October 5, picks up two years after the events of ‘Taken’. Bryan’s relationship with his daughter Kim has grown stronger, and he hopes to reunite with ex-wife Lenore. “Even before he encounters the new threat to his family, Bryan is on a mission to get closer to Kim and Lenore,” says director Olivier Megaton.

Kim was a passive victim in the first film, but in ‘Taken 2’ it’s clear the interim two years have changed her. Under the tutelage of her father, she’s developed some of his instincts and is much better equipped to cope with the crisis that develops during their family reunion in Istanbul. “She’s her father’s daughter, and she’s finding out what she’s capable of,” says Maggie Grace. “In the first film, Kim was young and naive and didn’t know much about the real world,” adds Megaton. “But something incredible happened to her, and she reconstructed herself. She has matured. She doesn’t want to be passive again.”

Lenore, too, is changing. After Kim’s kidnapping and Lenore’s separation from her new husband, it seems there may be a chance for Bryan and Lenore to reconcile. “Their connection has suddenly become very strong because Lenore has been going through a hard time,” explains Liam Neeson. “Bryan is a shoulder for her to lean on, and the relationship grows from there.”

Lenore, like her daughter, has matured since the events of the first film. “Lenore wasn’t very likable in ‘Taken’,” Megaton points out. “She was always well-dressed, always perfect, but we tried to give her a bit more humanity in this one.”

Famke Janssen agrees that Lenore didn’t come off especially well in the first film. “I can’t tell you how many people have come up to me and said, ‘You were such a bitch in ‘Taken’!’ But in this movie, because Lenore is herself in danger, you care for her. So it made sense for me to soften her up a little and make her more likable.”

With Neeson, Janssen and Grace returning for ‘Taken 2’, there remained the challenge of casting the film’s new villain, Murad. Acclaimed character actor Rade Sherbedgia takes on the role, which Megaton promises is “a far cry from your typical bad guy. Murad is pursuing Bryan for a big and very fair reason, which is that he wants his justice for his son, who died at Bryan’s hand.”

Unlike most movie villains, Murad desires neither power nor money, and he possesses no special training. “Murad is not a criminal by profession,” says Sherbedgia. “He is not a warrior. But he has made it his mission to extract justice from Bryan.”

Megaton looked at a number of actors for the role, and selected Sherbedgia after the actor sent some trial footage he shot himself. “While watching Rade’s footage, I was suddenly dropped into the reality of Murad’s situation,” the director enthuses. “And Rade adds so much to the movie, because he’s a father, too. Liam is a father protecting his daughter and Rade is a father avenging his son.”

Bryan’s encounters with Murad are memorable, and Neeson is particularly fond of his character’s final battle with the Balkan baddie. “Bryan, at this stage of his journey, is genuinely sick of killing,” says Neeson. “He has physically become a machine when he gets into the mindset of taking out these bad guys. I think his big worry is that the machine may take over from the human being. For the sake of his daughter, his ex-wife and his own soul, he wants to stop.”

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Wondering what action movie to see this summer? Consider Colombiana, an action/adventure starring Zoe Saldana as a young woman who witnessed both of her parents murder by the mob when she was nine years old. Similar to Angelina Jolie’s character in Wanted, she grows up to be a “stone-cold” assassin, embarking on a fifteen year journey to hunt down the mobster responsible for her parents murders and achieve vengeance. During this time, she works for her uncle as a hit(wo)man by day, and come nightfall she becomes a rogue killer. Responsible for over 22 deaths within four years, she is getting closer to her target and, typical of Saldana, is looking good while doing it.

As its name indicates, the film is set in Bogota, Colombia, though it is filmed in throughout the United States, Mexico and Paris studios. With a focus on Latin America, many message boards are questioning the stereotypes which may arise due to the setting in Latin American culture. The murder and expected drug use–along with the common misconception that Bogota is located in a tropical jungle when it apparently has a more similar climate to Chicago, rarely reaching above 65 degrees Fahrenheit– has many Colombian natives questioning the authenticity. One blogger wrote, “I just hope to find in this movie at least some slight interest on the true Colombia, and not some pretension of creating a Latin Lara Croft raised in a non-existing and decontextualized Bogota.” With a looped tagline in the trailer of “Never forget where you came from,” will the movie live up to a higher standard?

Directed by Olivier Megaton and produced by Luc Besson, the French pair will take on the challenge. Megaton is best known for Transformers 3 (2008), though some would argue that it was their least favorite installment of the series. In addition, Transformers 3 is his only English-language film to date, making for some speculation amongst movie goers if he will be able to deliver.

However, teamed up with mega-producer Luc Besson the odds are looking quite likely. Besson wrote and directed the 1990 box office hit Nikita, which was focused around a femme fatale assassin. He is also responsible for other action films, such as The Fifth Element and Taken, making him a veteran of putting action and powerful female characters onto the screen.

To add to the hype is Saldana herself, who has become cinema’s “bad ass female” through her roles in the highly acclaimed Avatar and Star Trek. Present in a wave of action heroines, Saldana continues to hold her role as a sexually empowered and machine gun wielding vigilante, prevailing above whoever has done wrong until personal justice is achieved. Will she help make Colombiana a box office hit that stays true to Colombian culture, while asserting her presence as a femme fatale?

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