If you’re tired of scrolling through Netflix’s offerings, might we suggest an iconic Liam Neeson movie? If so, here’s why you should be on the lookout for the actor as a highly skilled protective father.
Taken, which stars Liam Neeson as a retired CIA agent on the hunt for his kidnapped daughter, was added new on Netflix in the US on December 1. One of the best movies of its ilk, we can’t wait to rewatch it.
If you’ve never seen it, or have and need a refresher, it’s one of the most famous ‘ex-spy’ films. We’ve seen the subgenre boom in the last two decades, with movies like John Wick bringing in swaths of ticket sales at the box office.
Neeson is perhaps what made it soar, however. A household name, Neeson is no stranger to the straight-to-DVD fare that action heroes fall back on when the Oscar-friendly calls start to dry up. Taken was different though, it made a healthy box office return ($226 million worldwide) and became a permanent staple in the action genre.
One of the reasons why, aside from the tense story and gripping performances, was Neeson’s much-quoted phone call with his daughter’s kidnappers:
“I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you want. If you are looking for ransom I can tell you I don’t have money, but what I do have are a very particular set of skills,” he snarls on the phone. “Skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now that’ll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you, but if you don’t, I will look for you, I will find you and I will kill you.”
Ooh, our arm hairs are standing up. Meme it to death all you want… it still hits different.
Taken 2 and 3 also made a big splash at the box office, but they’re not nearly as good as the original, which is a concise and tightly wound thriller that doesn’t do a bad job of shining a light on very real trafficking issues. Neeson may have been well known before it, but Taken elevated his career to a whole new level. Well deserved, if you ask us!
For more of the best thriller movies, check out our list of all the new movies coming soon. We also have a story on how Liam Neeson’s son had an adorable interaction with R2-D2 on the Star Wars set.