Films like Retribution: 6 high-octane Liam Neeson thrillers to watch on OTT

Hollywood’s favourite action hero Liam Neeson has often slipped into characters “with a particular set of skills” and tasked with taking on dangerous assailants to ensure the vulnerable are kept out of harm’s way. His latest film Retribution is hardly any different and we find Neeson yet again, playing the role of a man named Matt Turner who receives an anonymous phone call claiming that the car he is driving is rigged to explode. To make matters even more precarious, his co-passengers happen to be young children. As one would expect, the film follows Matt’s race against time to save the day and those he cares for from imminent danger. For today’s List Hai Toh Hit Hai, we have curated a list of high-octane action thrillers starring the legendary Northern Irish actor.

Taken (2008) - Lionsgate Play

Any list of Liam Neeson’s best works would not be complete without the iconic 2008 film Taken. The film has become a significant title in pop culture history and has spawned multiple sequels. Neeson essays the role of a former Secret Service agent who travels to Paris to find his missing daughter, who is abducted by human traffickers. Directed by Pierre Morel, the film features scintillating action sequences and some of the most memorable dialogues in cinema history. Most notably, the verbal threat that Neeson’s character shares with those who’ve abducted his daughter, which ends with the sinister line: “I will find you and I will kill you.”

The Grey (2012) - Lionsgate Play

The 2012 Joe Carnahan directorial, The Grey, features Neeson as one of eight plane crash survivors on an icy mountain. His character John Ottway, a wolf hunter, ends up being the guardian angel to his fellow survivors as he protects them from dangerous predators and guides them to survive in freezing conditions. Dermot Mulroney, Frank Grillo, and Dallas Roberts among others play other prominent roles in this survival action thriller.

The Commuter (2018) - Lionsgate Play

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, the 2018 thriller stars Liam Neeson in the lead as an insurance agent who is tasked by a stranger on his daily subway commute to complete a dangerous mission or face mortal danger. This nail-biting thriller features a star-studded cast of Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Jonathan Banks, Sam Neill, and Florence Pugh.

Unknown (2011) - Netflix

The 2011 film Unknown is yet another collaboration between Liam Neeson and filmmaker Jaume Collet-Serra. Neeson essays the role of a biochemist named Martin John Harris, who wakes up in Berlin with gaps in his memory and realises that someone else has taken over his identity, and even his own wife contradicts his claims. The film follows Martin’s quest to find the truth about his curious predicament and delivers as a taut thriller that uses the premise of identity theft to lead us into an darker subplot. Diane Kruger and January Jones essay pivotal roles in this action thriller.

Memory (2022) - Amazon Prime Video

The 2022 film Memory may not have been well received by critics, but the Martin Campbell directorial certainly ticks all the right boxes of a pulsating Liam Neeson action-thriller. The Northern Irish actor plays the role of a deadly hitman named Alex. When Alex refuses to carry out a hit on behalf of a dangerous crime syndicate, enemies from both sides of the law try to hunt him down. Veteran actors Guy Pearce and Monica Bellucci also feature in the film in prominent roles.

Run All Night (2015) - Rental on Apple TV, Google Play, Amazon Prime Video

Yet another Liam Neeson and Jaume Collet-Serra classic, the 2015 film Run All Night surely deserves a slot on this list. The plot revolves around how the relationship between Neeson’s character, a hitman named Jimmy Conlon, and a mob boss, played by Ed Harris, turns sour when the gangster abducts Jimmy’s estranged son. The situation soon spirals out of control as Jimmy goes to war with the kingpin. The film features a stacked cast including Joel Kinnaman, Vincent D'Onofrio, Nick Nolte, and Common.

Well that's all we got for today’s episode, until the next one it's your host Nikhil signing out.

Aaj kya dekhoge OTTplay se poocho

Written by - Ryan Gomez

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