Taken poster analysis

The poster comprises of many significant elements used for a greater impact of promoting the film. A mid shot of Liam Neeson's character is seen; yet is not clearly shown due to the dark shadowing. It blends into the black background thus creating mystery as his facial expressions cannot be seen and therefore the emotion he is experiencing cannot be identified. The character being the central image allows the audience to establish Neeson's role as fundamental; the sombre atmosphere portraying him as the protagonist. Him being a man that is powerful is conventional to the thriller genre.

 The most dominant iconography used in the poster is the gun held by the character. This allows the audience to instantly associate Liam Neeson's character with danger which is also reinforced by his name written in dark red lettering which has the same connotations. The image is overlapped by the quote “I don’t know who you are but if you don’t let my daughter go, I will find you, I will kill you” which allows the audience to gain some insight into Neeson’s character.