John Wick: Chapter 2
2017USA★ 7.35.5 pt match
What ties these together is loyalty under pressure and rage. Both circle the same ground: corrupt institutions. The feel is the same: brutal, tense, relentless, and escalating.
Taken
2008FranceLanguage: EnglishDirected by Pierre Morel★ 7.4
Available in English: subtitled
Bryan Mills, a former government operative, is trying to reconnect with his teenage daughter Kim. After reluctantly agreeing with his ex-wife to let Kim go to Paris on vacation with a friend, his worst nightmare comes true. While on the phone with his daughter shortly after she arrives in Paris, she and her friend are abducted by a gang of human traffickers. Working against the clock, Bryan relies on his extensive training and skills to track down the ruthless gang that abducted her and launch a one-man war to rescue his daughter.
Themes and style
Tone
tensebrutal
Pacing
relentlessescalatingslow build to explosion
Story
survivalpursuitescape
Emotion
griefloyalty under pressureragefeeling powerless
Themes
men and women navigating expectationsfear of the outsidercorrupt institutions
Feel
exhaustingcatharticcrowd pleaserrewatchable
Violence
moderateWhere to watch
Hollywood films like Taken
If Taken hit you the right way, here are Hollywood films that share its DNA. Same emotional weight, same kind of stories, same kind of payoff.
Mission: Impossible - Fallout
2018USA★ 7.45.5 pt match
Both films sit with loyalty under pressure. They share the same lens on corrupt institutions. Both move the same way too, tense, brutal, relentless, and escalating.
Mad Max: Fury Road
2015USA★ 7.65 pt match
Both films sit with loyalty under pressure, feeling powerless, and rage. They share the same lens on men and women navigating expectations. The feel is the same: brutal, relentless, and escalating.
John Wick
2014USA★ 7.55 pt match
What ties these together is grief, rage, and loyalty under pressure. The world both films live in revolves around corrupt institutions. Same energy: brutal, tense, relentless, and escalating.
The Equalizer 2
2018USA★ 6.85 pt match
Both films sit with grief, loyalty under pressure, and rage. They share the same lens on corrupt institutions. Both move the same way too, tense, brutal, relentless, and escalating.
John Wick: Chapter 3
2019USA★ 7.44.5 pt match
Like Taken, this one is rooted in loyalty under pressure and feeling powerless. The world both films live in revolves around corrupt institutions. The feel is the same: brutal, tense, relentless, and escalating.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
1991USA★ 8.14.5 pt match
What ties these together is feeling powerless. They share the same lens on corrupt institutions. Same energy: tense, brutal, relentless, and escalating.
The Equalizer
2014USA★ 7.34.5 pt match
Both films sit with rage and feeling powerless. They share the same lens on corrupt institutions and men and women navigating expectations. Both move the same way too, brutal, tense, escalating, and slow build to explosion.