Is the movie shooter based on a true story?

Answer 1

First, the basic premise of the movie contains some truth: Yes, people get abducted and taken into the prostitution/trafficking ring more than we realize.

Second, after doing a review of internet sources including newspaper movie reviewers, there is no indication the movie "Taken" is based on any particular true-life story. So it is a fictional story.

Third, part of what led to confusion about this movie concerns a Mr. William Hillar. Allegedly, he claimed the story was based on his life. Supposedly, he claimed on a resume to be a retired Colonel of the US Army Special Forces. He often gave inspirational speeches for groups and universities for which he was paid. He was a highly sought speaker and had been well-received and well-regarded. Allegedly, Mr. Hillar claimed in some speeches that his daughter was taken when she was seventeen while vacationing in Asia, that he was not able to get to her in time to save her life, and that "Taken" was partly based on his/his daughter's story. However, students at a Vermont university that employed Mr. Hillar to give workshops became suspicious of his claims. The students investigated and found that Mr. Hillar never served in the Army or in Special Forces and there was no corroboration of any 'death'. See the Related Link below for more info. NOTE: William Hillar's family says this never happened. His daughter is alive and well, living in N.C. He was never in Special Forces and did not "retire" at any rank. Factually, Mr. Hillar had been a Radar Operator in the Coast Guard.

As a result of the students' investigations, the Vermont university that had employed Mr. Hillar apologized for never verifying his resume and offered to remove that class from students' official university transcripts. According to web sources, the university fired him. Other than unverified comments supposedly made by adjunct relatives to Mr. Hillar, I could find no public statement from Mr. Hillar on the Internet.

Fourth, since the director and producer of "Taken" never mentioned any "true story" angle in any interview they gave prior to the release of the movie, we can only conclude the movie is largely fictional, but used general facts about the very real problem of human sex trafficking that occurs in many countries worldwide, including in the US.

Answer 2

No

Perhaps. However, the Special Forces "Colonel" who claims that the story was based on his experiences, was in fact a member of the Coast Guard Reserve, and never served in Special Forces. This has been confirmed thru Freedom of Information Act requests and members of the real Special Forces community.

Answer 3

I think it is and I believe its connected to the case a war between Ethiopia and Eritrea border conflict.

Answer 4

No it's not based on a book.

Answer 5

No, it's not.

Answer 6

No