Revenge films have been a staple of the action genre for many years. It fills viewers’ hearts with tension and yearning as they see a humble hero fighting to take back what was once theirs. When Liam Neeson starred in Taken in 2008, the action movie genre saw a surge, and movie-goers who may have chosen other genres started watching movies of the sort. The action, the family bond, the revenge, and the fights are what kept viewers on the edge of their seats and wanting more. It wasn’t just Neeson’s performance, but the kind of story he was telling.

Before and since Taken, there have been other movies that keep audiences on their toes with their action, storylines, and performances. From The Gray Man, bringing a fresh breath to a crowded genre, to John Wick, one of Keanu Reeves most beloved revenge films, these movies are jam-packed with similar themes and devices used in the Taken movies.

15 ‘Train to Busan’ (2016)

Directed by Yeon Sang-ho

A workaholic divorced fund manager, finds himself watching his estranged daughter over the weekend of her birthday. She begs him to take her to Busan so she can be with her mother on her birthday. While on the train from Soel to Busan, South Korea, a zombie apocalypse breaks out, and now he must protect his daughter at all costs as he’s on a speeding train toward Busan.

The family bond is what makes this movie so much like Taken. A father protecting his daughter no matter the cost. Train to Busan sits at an impressive 94% on Rotten Tomatoes with most critics praising the fully fleshed out characters and impressive action scenes. An animated sequel titled Soel Station, also directed by Yeon Sang-ho, was released one month after Train to Busan. There was also supposed to be an american remake of the film titled The Last Train to New York, and it was set to release on April 21, 2023. However, it was pulled from the schedule with no explanation and replaced with Evil Dead Rise.

14 ‘The Commuter’ (2018)

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra

Another action thriller starring Liam Neeson, The Commuter, follows a man who is tricked into a murder conspiracy while he’s on a train to work. He meets a mysterious woman named Joanna (Vera Farmiga) who proposes he find a certain man on the train and kill him for 100,000. Being an ex-cop, Neeson has the skills to take out this man, but is unsure of the motives of Joanna. He tries to leave the train, but his family is threatened, and he’s forced to stay.

A man with many skills is Liam Neeson’s favorite archatype, and he plays it well. Much like Taken, The Commuter is about an average man with a subdued set of skills that erupt at the most action-packed moments. While the movie was met with mixed reviews, most fans believe it fits perfectly into their collection of Neeson classics.

13 ‘Harry Brown’ (2009)

Directed by Daniel Barber

Harry Brown (Michael Caine), a retired Royal Marine, lives in a London housing estate that has fallen into crime and despair. After a gang murders one of his close friends, he becomes fed up with the lack of protection from law enforcement, so he decides to take the law into his own hands and get revenge on the gang.

A classic revenge story similar to Taken, Harry Brown was met with mixed reviews, coming in at 63% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, Roger Ebert gave the movie three out of four stars, calling it a classic revenge thriller, “poised somewhere between Death Wish and Gran Torino,” which is by all accounts a positive review. Michael Caine is a great action hero and is equally matches Liam Neeson’s intensity.

12 ‘The Foreigner’ (2017)

Directed by Martin Campbell

Ngoc Minh Quan (Jackie Chan), a Chinese-born ex-soldier and current restauranteur living in London, has his world turned upside down when the only person he loves, his teenage daughter, is killed in a political terrorist attack. He meets with Liam Hennessy (Pierce Brosnan), a former political activist, to get information, but when he denies Quan any names of the bombers, Quan is forced to take his revenge.

The Foreigner is such a similar movie to Taken in that a retired veteran takes revenge for the things evil people have done to his daughter. The movie is based of a novel titled Chinaman by Stephen Leather, and it was produced by Jackie Chan. The film was given mostly positive reviews and was even in talks to have a sequel. The sequel would reveal that Quan’s daughter was actually not dead and was actually kidnapped and kept alive by the political terrorists. However, producer Adam Fogulson said if they went in that direction, the sequel would be, “characterized as a lazy, greedy bastardization of the creative process.” The project was quickly scrapped.

11 ‘Unstoppable’ (2018)

Directed by Kim Min-ho

On the outside, Kang Dong-cheol seems like a simple seafood salesman looking for deals and tries to strike it rich to impress his unsatisfied wife. After a chance encounter with a villainous human trafficker who takes a liking to Kang’s wife, she’s kidnapped. Little do the kidnappers know, Kang is a man with a specific set of skills and a former fighter and gangster. He sets out on a violent thrilling adventure to rescue his wife and get revenge on the kidnappers.

With a score of 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, Unstoppable is almost a South Korean remake of Taken, and has surprising similarities to Neeson’s movie. Revenge, violence, a man with the skills to kill, it’s all there, and it’s a fantastic action-packed thriller.

Watch on Peacock

10 ‘A Day to Die’ (2022)

Directed by Wes Miller

The way in which Neeson has been recognized for his role in action movies is the same way in which Bruce Willis’s career has been. He has been in many action movies including Die Hard and Red. In A Day to Die, he brings his action skills to the screen once more.

A Day to Die follows an ex-military ops officer who has to pay $2 million dollars in reparations in 24 hours. Brooke Butler, Leon Robinson, and Kevin Dillon join Willis’s newest adventure. The film has been criticized for its formulaic and predictable plot, but fans of Willis will likely still find some entertainment value there.

Watch on Hulu

9 ‘Taken 3’ (2014)

Directed by Olivier Megaton

The Taken series allowed Maggie Grace and Famke Janssen to utilize their own special set of skills. Sadly, Janssen’s Taken journey ends during Taken 3 as her character is murdered by Stuart’s enemies. Following the revenge plot, Bryan Mills goes on a chase to hunt down the men who killed the woman he loved. While doing so, he has to make sure he is able to protect his pregnant daughter.

Taken 3 brings an end to the series (at least for now). Out of all three Neeson movies, this is the saddest one, as fans have to say goodbye to one of the main characters. While the film was met with negative reviews, fans still hold it as an important part of the series.

8 ‘Taken 2’ (2012)

Directed by Olivier Megaton

Taken left viewers wanting more, and the sequel didn’t disappoint. Taken 2 follows the Mills family during their trip to Istanbul. While the first movie had Bryan Mills chasing after the bad guys who had kidnaped his daughter, the second one has him needing to escape kidnappers who caught him and his wife.

Kim goes from being the victim to being the one who can help her father and mother come home safe in this entertaining sequel. Taken 2 depicts the perfect arc for Kim’s character development, allowing Maggie Grace to showcase her acting skills.

7 ‘The Gray Man’ (2022)

Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo

For those who loved Taken because it was a father trying to protect his family with badass fight scenes, they will love The Gray Man just as much. Although Six does not have a blood-related family, he has created a family of his own in his very dangerous line of work. In the movie, viewers see him fighting against all odds – including a number of armed groups in Prague – to save the niece of the man who hired him. She is his only family.

Fans get to see Ryan Gosling fight several bad guys who stood no chance in the movie full of amazingly lit and colored scenes. It is also the perfect movie to watch Chris Evans play the villain for a change (which he does exceedingly well).

Directed by Sam Hargrave

Rescue missions make for some of the best plot lines in action movies, and so is the case of Extraction. In the movie, a black market mercenary goes on a mission to rescue the kidnaped son of a crime lord. Usually, audiences do not care about crime lords, but the focus in the movie is on the mercenary and the son.

Extraction gave viewers, particularly MCU fans, the opportunity to see Chris Hemsworth as something other than Thor. He could definitely find his place in the action genre after this. Hemsworth was given positive reviews for his role in the movie, even though it got mixed reviews.

5 ‘The Equalizer’ (2014)

Directed by Anton Fuqua

The Equalizer has had several renditions during its cinematic history. The famous 2014 version had Denzel Washington front and center as an avenging angel helping those who cannot help themselves. The Equalizer follows McCall (Washington) as he comes out of his retirement to help a teenager mistreated by the Russian mob.

The film is based on a show from the 1980s of the same name. Just like in Taken, the main character presents a set of skills that make him the best in the game. Of course, it’s Denzel Washington’s incredible performance that makes The Equalizer movies worth watching. The film went on to have two sequels, both with Washinton as the star.

4 ‘Promising Young Woman’ (2020)

Directed by Emerald Fennell

For those who loved Taken because of its revenge plot, Promising Young Woman will be right up their alley. Written and directed by Emerald Fennell, it tells the story of Cassie (Carey Mulligan), who is on a mission to avenge her friend. Going out with “nice” guys, she ends up taking care of those who try to take advantage of her.

Promising Young Woman provides a much-needed powerful message about how society acts towards women who come forward about their experiences. Mulligan’s powerful performance far outweighs any criticism about the film’s divisive ending, which is just more reason to watch it.

3 ‘The Bourne Identity’ (2002)

Directed by Doug Liman

Matt Damon has played many characters throughout his career, from loving family men to action heroes. All of them are great in their own way, but one of the most memorable ones will always be his role in The Bourne Identity. With a set of particular skills, just like Bryan Mills, Jason Bourne sets out on a search to find out who he really is and why there are assassins after him.

This is the first movie of the series, which was soon followed by: The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum, The Bourne Legacy (in which Jeremy Renner is the main character), and Jason Bourne. With an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, the Bourne movies have become a beloved franchise in the action thriller genre.

2 ‘Nobody’ (2021)

Directed by Ilya Naishuller

In Taken, Mills has to rescue his daughter while in Nobody, Hutch Mansell has to save his wife and son. After a break-in, Mansell’s rage comes to the surface and viewers see him fight with his fists and with guns. Car chases and fight scenes make this movie a top-tier contender in the action genre.

Nobody puts the one-man army, Bob Odenkirk, in the middle of the action, and he plays the role of Hutch to perfection. Like Taken, it will give you a family man trying to save his family, great fight scenes, chase scenes, and a particular set of skills that would impress anyone. It was confirmed in 2022 that a sequal to Nobody would be happening and now in 2024 it was announced that production will be starting.

1 ‘John Wick’ (2014)

Keanu Reeves is one of the most beloved actors in Hollywood no matter what he does. Whether he is fighting to save the world in The Matrix or playing Diane Keaton’s love interest in Something’s Gotta Give, he brings an audience into the theater. He did so once again when John Wick premiered.

John Wick tells the story of a former assassin as he hunts down the people who broke into his house, stole his car, and killed the puppy his deceased wife had given him. A classic revenge film that hits the heart. Who wouldn’t go on a killing spree to avenge your dead dog that was a gift from your dead wife? Fans ended up loving the movie so much that it became an international box office hit and a massively popular film series with the fifth film being announced in 2024 with no official release date planned.

NEXT: The Best Revenge Movies of All Time, Ranked According to Letterboxd