10 Most Intense Action Thriller Movies That Are Perfect if You Love ‘Taken’
In 2008, the world was taken by a little action thriller called Taken. Starring Liam Neeson, the film follows ex-CIA officer Bryan Mills as he sets out to track down his teenage daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) and her best friend Amanda (Katie Cassidy) after they are kidnapped by Albanian human traffickers while on vacation in France. Launching a million memes and redefining Neeson as an action star, Taken became the blueprint of future action thrillers in the same vein.
Even though there were a handful of Neeson-led sequels and a short-lived NBC series, the Taken aura became central to many storylines because the character’s objective is clear, which leads to high-octane chases and fight sequences. If you’ve completed your journey through Taken, here are 10 action thrillers with similar vibes that will fill the void. From fathers seeking revenge to individuals trying to clear their name, these 10 movies are great watches that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
1
‘3 Days to Kill’ (2014)
If everything about 3 Days to Kill seems strikingly familiar to Taken, it’s intentional. Co-written by Luc Besson, one of the writers of Taken, 3 Days to Kill is a European-set thriller about an older man with a specific skill set on a mission to reconcile with his daughter. Directed by McG, the action thriller follows Ethan Renner (Kevin Costner), a dying Secret Service agent trying to reconnect with his estranged wife, Christine (Connie Nielsen), and daughter, Zooey (Hailee Steinfeld), in Paris. Offered an experimental drug to save his life, Ethan must first complete one final, dangerous mission: track down a ruthless terrorist known as “The Wolf” (Richard Sammel). Bringing an intense spy story into a personal and sometimes humorous family drama, 3 Days to Kill is an earnest film that lacks an edge despite the high stakes.
3 Days to Kill is not nearly close to being a perfect film, but it is entertaining through and through. With Costner in the lead, his charisma carries the action, giving you a reason to go along his multi-tiered journey. 3 Days to Kill has its moments of fun and levity, mostly due to the beats of implausibility. Billed by fans as “Taken with Kevin Costner,” 3 Days to Kill may not have been received well by critics, but for those who adore action-packed thrillers, 3 Days to Kill scratches that itch.
2
‘Blood Father’ (2016)
Here we go again! A once former major action hero playing an estranged, older father with a dangerous past who uses his specific set of skills to protect his daughter from criminals. This time, the role is bestowed upon Mel Gibson. Directed by Jean-François Richet and adapted from Peter Craig’s novel, Blood Father follows John Link (Gibson), an ex-convict and recovering alcoholic living in a trailer park. When his estranged daughter, Lydia Carson (Erin Moriarty), gets into trouble after she accidentally shoots her drug-dealer boyfriend, Jonah Pincerna (Diego Luna), she seeks her father’s help. It becomes a father-daughter race on the run to escape a dangerous cartel, forcing Link to use his past to keep her safe. A story about redemption and reconciliation, the French action-crime thriller is a raw, grounded, violent film with a compelling emotional core.
Unlike Taken, Blood Father opts away from over-the-top spectacle in order to focus on a father-daughter dynamic with a Western feel. Gibson is in his element, bringing immense gravitas to his part, balancing his experience as a convict with his desire to be a father. Blood Father is a second-chance story through a focused, tightly-plotted on-the-run adventure. A pre-The Boys Moriarty shines as the damsel, though her grit gives her a bit more color than the perceived archetype. Further, William H. Macy as Kirby, Link’s AA sponsor, is quite fun. A grizzled film, Blood Father, is one that has been lost in the shuffle, unfortunately so.
3
‘Harry Brown’ (2009)
One might not imagine seeing someone like Sir Michael Caine lead a vigilante film as the vigilante, but that’s exactly what happened in Daniel Barber‘s Harry Brown. The 2009 film stars Caine as Harry Brown, a widowed, retired Royal Marine living on a crime-ridden London housing estate. After his best friend, Len Attwell (David Bradley), is murdered by a ruthless gang and the police fail to act, Harry uses his military training to take the law into his own hands and clean up his neighborhood. A story with threads leading back to The Troubles, Harry Brown is a bleak thriller about urban decay and youth violence, with an unlikely hero in the titular role.
Harry Brown is all about Caine. Bringing a seasoned performance through vulnerability and a delightfully menacing side, the usually buttoned-up Caine proved he has no signs of backing down from grizzled parts. Harry Brown is filled with an incredibly tense atmosphere built with danger and violence. Joining Caine is a strong cast, including Emily Mortimer, Charlie Creed-Miles, and Liam Cunningham. A worthy vigilante fantasy, Harry Brown likely didn’t receive as much attention simply because the spotlight was already on Taken.
4
‘John Wick’ (2014)
We might be living in a world with more Taken films, but once John Wick arrived, Taken took a backseat. A game-changing film that brought action hero Keanu Reeves back into the spotlight, the Chad Stahelski-directed movie follows the legendary retired hitman as he’s pulled back into the criminal underworld he left behind after sadistic mobster Iosef Tarasov (Alfie Allen) and his thugs steal his car and kill his puppy, the final gift he received from his recently deceased wife. John unleashes the remorseless killing machine within, sparking an unrelenting quest for vengeance that uncovers the secret world of assassins and their strict rule. With a brilliant blend of mythology of the criminal underworld with stylish direction, expertly choreographed fight sequences, and a daring performance from Reeves, John Wick reshaped action thrillers, launching a franchise in the process.
Reeves once again dominates as a quiet assassin, finding his glory as he returns to his life as “Baba Yaga.” While Taken is a straightforward film when it comes to action sequences, John Wick thrives with its brilliant gun-fu, something that doesn’t receive as much attention in mainstream action films. John Wick flourishes in its world-building and brilliant neon-drenched aesthetic. John Wick is a smart and sharp vendetta film that retains the importance of personal stakes in acts of revenge.
5
‘Man on Fire’ (2004)
The first of two entries starring the incomparable Denzel Washington comes 2004’s Man on Fire. And if the title sounds familiar, it’s either thanks to your knowledge of A.J. Quinnell‘s novel or the upcoming Netflix series starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Before you binge the new series, let’s remember the Washington film. Directed by Tony Scott, Man of Fire tells the story of John Creasy (Washington), a burnt-out, alcoholic ex-CIA agent who finds redemption working as a bodyguard for 9-year-old Pita Ramos (Dakota Fanning) in Mexico City. When Pita is kidnapped, Creasy unleashes a violent, methodical rampage against everyone in the conspiracy. With redemption and vengeance as the name of the game, Man on Fire elevates the source material into one of the most iconic vigilante thrillers of the 21st century.
A sturdy thriller with a top-notch performance from Washington, Man on Fire doesn’t sanitize its action, providing for a gripping, action-packed, visceral thriller. Scott’s distinctive style is on full display, capturing the kinetic visuals set against the intensity of Mexico City. A strong character-driven drama, the first half of the film centers on Creasy and Pita to build emotional stakes by the end. Though the film is overambitious at times, it may be due to the excessive violence relied upon to drive the revenge thriller. Arriving before Taken, Man on Fire helped push the one-man army revenge subgenre to new heights.
6
‘Nobody’ (2021)
Ever since he shot to prominence as Saul Goodman on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, it’s been clear that Bob Odenkirk could go beyond being the comedian he made his name as. In 2021, he took his chance in the action thriller Nobody. Directed by Derek Kolstad, Odenkirk plays Hutch Mansell, a suburban father and overlooked husband living a mundane life. After refusing to fight back during a home invasion, his repressed rage resurfaces, unleashing his dormant, lethal skills as a former government assassin known as “Nobody.” Hutch soon finds himself in a brutal war against a Russian drug lord, Yulian Kuznetsov (Aleksei Serebryakov), to keep his family safe. An intently stylized film with notable fight sequences and an out-of-body performance from Odenkirk, Nobody carried the torch of the one-man wrecking machine story into the 2020s.
Written by John Wick author Derek Kolstad, Nobody takes similar themes from the Reeves thriller, including a lead character pulled back into a dark underworld. Where John Wick owns his rage, Hutch’s rage simmers until it boils over, providing Odenkirk a brilliant part to play. Come for Odenkirk; stay for Christopher Lloyd‘s wonderful performance. Nobody is a high-quality thriller that honors its roots without overcomplicating the story. That said, the engaging draw into the story of an ordinary guy with a dangerous past worked as the perfect formula for an effectively made film. Don’t take Hutch’s daughter’s kitty cat bracelet!
7
‘Non-Stop’ (2014)
Yes, that’s Liam Neeson. No, it’s not a Taken spin-off. It can be hard to re-establish yourself as an action star when it appears that any future action film you’re in resembles your big hit. That said, Neeson tried with 2014’s Non-Stop. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, Neeson takes on the part of Bill Marks, a depressed federal air marshal on a London-bound flight. Marks receives anonymous texts demanding $150 million, threatening to kill a passenger every 20 minutes. He must find the hijacker while being framed for the crime, creating intense, non-stop suspense. Not since Snakes on a Plane had we been so scared to fly, but with Neeson in charge, we’re in capable hands.
A high-octane thriller in the sky, Non-Stop is another example of Neeson as a brilliant action frontman. Balancing mystery with a claustrophobic atmosphere, like an Agatha Christie story set on a plane, Non-Stop is a brutal thriller that manages its pacing expertly. That said, the second act pushes the bounds of logic, requesting you turn off your mind and accept Non-Stop as escapism at its finest. Alongside Neeson, the film features a stellar cast including Julianne Moore, Scoot McNairy, Michell Dockery, Corey Stoll, and Lupita Nyong’o. If you enjoyed Non-Stop, don’t expect a sequel, as it would likely have had the same sad fate as Speed 2 or even the second season of Hijack.
8
‘Peppermint’ (2018)
This list would simply be incomplete without a female-centric story in the same vein as Taken. For this entry comes 2018’s Peppermint. Directed by Taken‘s Pierre Morel, Peppermint tells the story of Riley North (Jennifer Garner), a mother who becomes a deadly vigilante after her husband, Chris (Jeff Hephner), and daughter, Carly (Cailey Fleming), are murdered by a drug cartel. When the justice system fails to convict the killers due to corruption, she vanishes, trains for five years, and returns to methodically take down the criminals, the cartel leader, Diego Garcia (Juan Pablo Raba), and the corrupt officials involved. A dark revenge thriller that puts Garner back in the driver’s seat of high-octane action, Peppermint may have been a cliché to some, but as a female-led film in a sea of male-centric stories, it is a triumph.
Like many other vigilante films, Peppermint relies greatly on audiences’ desires for a juicy story about justice against a corrupt system. Garner’s Riley is a take-no-prisoners heroine who plays into the tropes that her male counterparts get away with. That said, if you’re seeking a narrative littered with shocking twists and turns, this is not it. Peppermint paints within the lines to provide a fresh perspective. Garner is joined by a capable ensemble including John Ortiz, John Gallagher Jr., and Annie Ilonzeh. Though there could have been a universe in which Riley continued to a new adventure, Peppermint didn’t receive a strong enough reception to have a life after itsrelease.
9
‘The Equalizer’ (2014)
We’re back with Denzel Washington with a film inspired by an IP that was eventually turned back into a television series. Based on the ’80s series comes the Antoine Fuqua-directed vigilante thriller The Equalizer. In the first of three films in the franchise, Washington stars as Robert McCall, a former Marine and DIA operative who faked his own death to live a quiet life. He’s pulled back into his past life of violence to protect a young trafficking victim, Alina (Chloë Grace Moretz), from the Russian mafia. A low-tech, high-intensity drama, The Equalizer sees Washington get down and dirty against brutal, methodical violence as a genuine hero.
Though Washington appeared in a number of action films during this time, The Equalizer was possibly his strongest. Washington offers a strong, grounded sense of seriousness that suits an individual who appears invincible. Rather than over-the-top sequences, the film opts for close-quarters combat that uses a realistic setting to set the action scenes. Washington does a remarkable job of embodying the savior archetype. If you enjoy the first one, the two sequels are fun watches. Then, you can move over to the five-season run of the CBS reboot starring Queen Latifah!
10
‘The Foreigner’ (2017)
For the final entry, a title to put Jackie Chan back in action: The Foreigner. Based on Stephen Leather‘s 1992 novel The Chinaman, the Martin Campbell-directed film follows Chan as Quan Ngoc Minh, a humble London businessman with a secret military past. After his teenage daughter is killed in a terrorist bombing by a rogue IRA faction, he seeks justice when the authorities fail to provide answers. He tracks down a British government official, Liam Hennessy (Pierce Brosnan), to uncover the bombers’ identities. A story of revenge, political intrigue, and the dark aftermath of violence, The Foreigner sees Chan dazzle in a role against type.
On the surface, The Foreigner serves as a delicious revenge story. It then distinguishes itself by presenting a complex political thriller with an intellectually demanding plot, unlike the standard action film. Chan sheds his comedic persona from many of his previous action flicks, opting for a stoic, emotionally rich performance as a grieving father. Rather than a simple quest of a man eager to kill anyone in his path, The Foreigner shines under the guise of a political mystery. Exploring the history of the IRA and the tensions with London adds elements to the story that prevent it from being a cookie-cutter popcorn film. Of the films here, The Foreigner may be the least appreciated.
