Moviefone logo
Trending
'Wicked: For Good' Trailer
'Zootopia 2' Teaser Trailer
'Superman' Trailer
'Ironheart' Trailer
Prime Video
MobLandMobLand
Superman - Official Teaser Trailer
Superman
In The Lost Lands - Dave Bautista Exclusive Interview
In the Lost Lands
Lilo & Stitch - Noisy Moviegoer Clip
Lilo & Stitch
The Phoenician Scheme - Mia Threapleton Character Poster
The Phoenician Scheme
Elio - Freeze Frame Clip
Elio
Trust - Official Poster
Trust
Wednesday Season 2 - Teaser Trailer
Wednesday
Superman - Edi Gathegi Character Poster
Superman
Shadow Force - Kerry Washington Exclusive Interview
Shadow Force
Jurassic World Rebirth - Scarlett Johansson Character Poster
Jurassic World Rebirth
Cleaner - Daisy Ridley Exclusive Interview
Cleaner
Straw - Taraji P. Henson as Janiyah Wiltkinson
STRAW
Squid Game: Season 3 - Final Round Teaser Clip
Squid Game
Jurassic World Rebirth - Jonathan Bailey Character Poster
Jurassic World Rebirth
Ironheart - Official Trailer
Ironheart
28 Years Later - Alfie Williams Character Poster
28 Years Later
  1. News
  2. ›Best and Worst

All of Liam Neeson's Action Movies That You Can Blame 'Taken' For, Ranked

Jesse Schedeen
January 29, 2019 - 1 min read

Whenever the new year roles around, you can expect three kinds of movies like clockwork - lousy horror flick, romantic comedies and an action movie where Liam Neeson plays a gruff, middle-aged hero with a heart of gold. "Taken" started that particular trend, and here's how we rank every single "Taken" clone that's followed.

8. 'Taken 3' (2015)

How many times can European gangsters kidnap a guys family before we just stop caring? Apparently the answer is three. This sequel accomplished little beyond Neeson's Bryan Mills needed to retire for good. The PG-13 rating certainly didn't help matters.

7. 'Taken 2' (2012)

The original 'Taken" had a real novelty to it that's completely absent in its sequels. "Taken 2" replicates the formula of the first well enough; it simply does nothing to improve upon that formula.

6. 'The A-Team' (2010)

Neeson's first big action movie role post-"Taken" was starring as Hannibal Smith in this big-budget remake of the classic '80s TV series. The result wasn't exactly high art, but "The A-Team" did offer plenty of good, dumb fun. Which, honestly, makes it pretty faithful to the source material.

5. 'Run All Night' (2015)

We can get behind any movie where Neeson plays an Irish mob enforcer nicknamed "The Gravedigger." Neeson stars opposite Joel Kinnaman as an estranged father/son duo on the run from vengeful mobsters. The film sticks very closely to that "Taken" formula, but uses it to good effect.

4. 'The Commuter' (2018)

"The Commuter" may as well be considered a spiritual sequel to 2014's "Non-Stop." Swap out the airplane setting for a commuter train instead and you basically know what to expect here. Neeson is his usual endearing self as a random insurance salesman dragged into a massive conspiracy and forced to hunt down a train enger while the clock ticks.

3. 'Non-Stop' (2014)

Not since "Air Force One" have we had so much fun watching a middle-aged action star battle foes inside a plane. "Non-Stop" gets increasingly ridiculous as it goes along, which makes the cool, steady presence of its star all the more critical.

2. 'A Walk Among the Tombstones' (2014)

This crime thriller casts Neeson as an ex-NYPD detective who decides to help a drug trafficker (Dan Stevens) hunt down the people who murdered his wife. This is another case where a Neeson action movie doesn't stray far from the "Taken" formula. But in this case, the unusually smart script helps it rise above those familiar trappings.

1. 'The Grey' (2012)

"Taken" is great and all, but only one action movie features Liam Neeson crafting a makeshift set of brass knuckles so he can punch a wolf to death. "The Grey" is a gripping survival drama with just enough over-the-top Neeson elements to give it some added flavor. And Neeson himself has rarely been more compelling than playing a man with nothing to lose and everything to prove against the unforgiving wilderness.

the grey
Movies
Jesse Schedeen
Article by Jesse Schedeen
Freelance Writer

Related News

'Absolution' Exclusive Interview: Liam Neeson
'Absolution' Exclusive Interview: Liam Neeson
Pamela Anderson s ‘The Naked Gun’ Reboot
Pamela Anderson s ‘The Naked Gun’ Reboot
Liam Neeson in Talks for New ‘Naked Gun’ Movie
Liam Neeson in Talks for New ‘Naked Gun’ Movie
‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Episode 6 Recap
‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Episode 6 Recap
‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch’: Trailer for Season 2
‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch’: Trailer for Season 2
Liam Neeson Talks ‘Memory’
Liam Neeson Talks ‘Memory’

More News on Moviefone

Movie Review: ‘Fountain of Youth’
Movie Review: ‘Fountain of Youth’
Andrew Garfield and Monica Barbaro in Talks For ‘Artificial’
Andrew Garfield and Monica Barbaro in Talks For ‘Artificial’
Marvel Skipping Hall H At SDCC 2025 Makes Perfect Sense
Marvel Skipping Hall H At SDCC 2025 Makes Perfect Sense
James Cameron to Co-Write Novel Adaptation ‘The Devils’
James Cameron to Co-Write Novel Adaptation ‘The Devils’
Nick Jonas s KISS Biopic ‘Shout It Out Loud’
Nick Jonas s KISS Biopic ‘Shout It Out Loud’
Marc Maron Announces End of ‘WTF’ Podcast
Marc Maron Announces End of ‘WTF’ Podcast
Ariana Grande s New ‘Meet The Parents’ Movie
Ariana Grande s New ‘Meet The Parents’ Movie
'From the World of John Wick: Ballerina' Interview: Ana de Armas
'From the World of John Wick: Ballerina' Interview: Ana de Armas
‘M*A*S*H*’ Actor Loretta Swit Dies Aged 87
‘M*A*S*H*’ Actor Loretta Swit Dies Aged 87
Movie Review: ‘Predator: Killer of Killers’
Movie Review: ‘Predator: Killer of Killers’
Funk-Rock Pioneer Sly Stone Dies Aged 82
Funk-Rock Pioneer Sly Stone Dies Aged 82
Cobie Smulders s ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ Season 4
Cobie Smulders s ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ Season 4

Movie and TV Reviews

Ballerina poster
Ballerina
Movie Review
55
Stick poster
Stick
Season 1
TV Show Review
75
The Phoenician Scheme poster
The Phoenician Scheme
Movie Review
85

Top Movies

The ant² poster
The ant²
Do you like puzzles?
72
Predator: Killer of Killers poster
Predator: Killer of Killers
The hunt begins.
80
Censor poster
Censor
You can't edit reality.
58

Top Series

Dept. Q poster
Dept. Q
Not all causes are lost.
79
Resident Alien poster
Resident Alien
Beam this up.
78
Stick poster
Stick
Take a big swing.
73

Follow Moviefone

RSS

Latest Trailers

'Ironheart' Trailer 21:18'Ironheart' Trailer 2
'The Lost Bus' Teaser Trailer1:16'The Lost Bus' Teaser Trailer
'Freakier Friday' Trailer2:11'Freakier Friday' Trailer
'Give Me a Word: The Collective Soul Story' Trailer3:06'Give Me a Word: The Collective Soul Story' Trailer
'The Life of Chuck' Trailer1:15'The Life of Chuck' Trailer
'Trust' Trailer1:24'Trust' Trailer
Moviefone logo

our Newsletter

Movies by Keyword
TV Show Clips
Apple TV+
Cinemark Theatres
Made In Hollywood Teen
Fantasy Movies
TV GenresFamily TV Shows
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Tom Holland
We Live in Time
RSS
Copyright © 2025 Moviefone Media LLC
Asset 1 This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.