Movies On Kidnapping: Read on for a list of the best thriller movies on kidnapping and hijacking. A perfect watch for those who enjoy the adrenaline and action-packed drama.
Both Hollywood and Bollywood movies have action, drama, romance, and much more. However, both have a wide range of movies on kidnapping. These are interesting watches because the plot is usually filled with suspense and strategy. The kidnappers are caught in the end, but the fast-paced action makes one sit on the edge of the seat. We bring to you a list of the best movies on hijacking and kidnapping that you can enjoy even after watching multiple times.
Here is the list of best movies on kidnapping and hijacking.
List Of Movies On Kidnapping
1. Captain Phillips (2013)
The American containership Maersk Alabama is sailing toward its destination in April 2009 on a day that appears to be just like any other. Suddenly, Somali pirates rush to the ship, board it, and kidnap everyone inside. Tom Hanks’ Richard Phillips, the ship’s captain, tries to defend his crew from the hostile invaders and their leader Muse (Barkhad Abdi). Phillips must do everything possible to make sure that everyone survives and gets home safely because the pirates are after millions of dollars. (Watch it on Amazon Prime.)
2. Blind Flight (2003)
Brian Keenan, a teacher, comes to Beirut in 1986 from Ireland, when Hezbollah militants abduct him. Ian Hart plays Brian Keenan. Brian is being kept captive alongside British journalist John McCarthy in a single cell (Linus Roache). The two hostages have divergent political ideologies regarding their respective countries. Also, John is placid by nature, and Brian has a rebellious tendency. Nevertheless, they manage to forge an unbreakable friendship during their torturous four-year captivity.
3. Black Snake Moan (2006)
A wild young woman has been sexually abused as a child and searches everywhere for love but never quite finds it. Rae (Christina Ricci) gives in to her ravenous sexuality and plunges into a life of wild abandonment once her partner (Justin Timberlake) leaves to join the military. A troubled musician named Lazarus (Samuel L. Jackson) discovers Rae. In an effort to aid her in finding a remedy for her ailment, he takes her in and imprisons her.
Thriller Movies On Kidnapping
4. Hunger (2006)
The hunger strikes by Republican inmates in Northern Ireland in 1981 are highlighted in this movie. Bobby Sands is one of the first prisoners to go on a hunger strike that results in death and more.
5. Homefront (2013)
Ex-DEA agent Phil Broker (Jason Statham) and his daughter relocate to a tranquil village in an effort to get away from their terrible past. But Phil discovers anything but peace there. Both drug use and violent crimes are rampant in the village. The movie is based on Chuck Logan’s novel and is a compelling watch.
6. Girls Against Boys (2012)
A young college student finds out that her lover wants to end the relationship. On the rebound, she goes out for drinks with a coworker where they are later attacked by a group of boys. But the two young women go out on a plan of violent retribution against the attackers. And anybody else who stands in their way after their horrible encounter has to pay a price.
(Also Read: 20 Best Motivational Hollywood Movies To Inspire You To Never Give Up)
Action Movies On Kidnapping
7. Escape Plan (2013)
Ray Breslin, played by Sylvester Stallone, is a tough and well-built prison escape artist. His most recent job results in a double-cross, which traps him in a high-tech facility. Fortunately for Ray, he meets Emil Rottmayer (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a prisoner who quietly aids him in devising a scheme to obtain his freedom. Only cruel warden Hobbes (Jim Caviezel) stands between the two men and a successful escape.
8. Abduction
Nathan Harper (Taylor Lautner) has had the unsettling sensation that his family’s existence isn’t quite what it seems. When he discovers a photo of himself as a child on a website for missing people, he realizes that the folks he called mom and dad his entire life are not his real parents. In fact, they abducted him as a child. But Nathan becomes the target of assassins just as he is about to discover who he really is. And so he runs away with Karen (Lily Collins), the only person he can now trust.
More Movies On Kidnapping
9. Fargo (1996)
A crime drama based on truth called “Fargo” takes place in Minnesota in 1987. In Minneapolis, car salesman Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) employs two goons (Steve Buscemi, and Peter Stormare) to kidnap his own wife since he is in debt and needs the money badly. Jerry’s plan is to collect the ransom from his wife’s affluent father (Harve Presnell). But when the thugs shoot a state trooper, the plan falls apart.
10. Hard Candy (2005)
A precocious adolescent named Hayley meets Jeff, (a photographer that she met online) at a coffee shop. Hayley tricks Jeff into believing he is in for a big treat. But Hayley has other plans. She reveals that she is aware that Jeff preys on underage girls and that she has a strategy to coax a confession out of him after drugging and tying him up.
11. The Last House On The Left (2009)
Mari and her buddy were looking forward to a getaway at the secluded Collingwood Lakehouse. But an escaped prisoner (Garret Dillahunt) and his gang abducted them and subsequently left them to die. However, Mari managed to return to her parent’s house. But her parents John (Tony Goldwyn) and Emma (Monica Potter) had unintentionally given the thugs shelter. After learning what happened, John, and Emma decide to make the intruders pay a price for what they did to their daughter.
12. Labor Day (2013)
Henry Wheeler (Gattlin Griffith), who is only 13 years old, struggles with adolescent agony while taking care of his unstable, reclusive mother, Adele (Kate Winslet). Henry and Adele come across the intimidating Frank Chambers (Josh Brolin) one day while shopping for school supplies. Frank persuades the two of them to let him stay with them. But it soon becomes apparent that he is an escaped prisoner. The movie is based on Joyce Maynard’s novel.
(Also Read: 12 Brilliant Movies That Failed Miserably At Box Office But Deserve A Second Chance.)
Fantastic Movies On Kidnapping
13. Panic Room (2002)
The recently divorced Meg Altman (Jodie Foster) and her young daughter Sarah (Kristen Stewart) are trapped in their New York brownstone’s panic room. The room is a secret space designed as a refuge in the event of break-ins. And here they engage in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with three intruders named Burnham (Forest Whitaker), Raoul (Dwight Yoakam), and Junior (Jared Leto). However, the room itself serves as the main attraction because it contains what the intruders are actually after.
14. Prisoners (2013)
When his 6-year-old daughter, Anna, and her friend go missing, Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) experiences the worst nightmare. An ancient RV that had been parked on their street is the only source of information. Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal), the lead investigator, detains the driver (Paul Dano). But is ultimately forced to release his sole suspect due to a lack of evidence. Dover thinks that he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands because he realizes that his daughter’s life is in danger.
15. Hostage (2005)
LAPD officer Jeff Talley (Bruce Willis) leaves his job and moves his family to the suburbs after one of his hostage negotiations fails. Jeff believes as the sheriff of the town, he has left the chaos behind. But an ingenious local heist forces him back into the middle of a hostage crisis. Jeff is forced to choose between trying to save the hostages and abiding by the criminals’ orders to keep his family safe as his own family is drawn into the conflict.
Movies on Kidnapping & Hijacking
16. Con Air (1997)
Cameron Poe (Nicolas Cage), a recently-pardoned army ranger, must travel home on a prison transport flight known as “Jailbird” with some of the worst criminals alive. The brilliant serial killer Cyrus “The Virus” Grissom (John Malkovich), along with Diamond Dog (Ving Rhames) and Baby-O (Mykelti Williamson), unleashes a bloody escape plan mid-flight. Poe tries to thwart Grissom’s scheme by covertly collaborating with US Marshall Vince Larkin (John Cusack).
17. Flight Plan (2005)
Jodie Foster’s character, Kyle Pratt, is an airline engineer who is returning from Germany to New York to bury her husband. She finds her small daughter gone three hours into the flight and the whole flight crew including Capt. Rich (Sean Bean) and Air Marshal Gene Carson (Peter Sarsgaard) claim that the youngster was never on board. Kyle investigates the plane’s small interior, determined to find her daughter while fighting to keep her sanity.
18. Air Force One (1997)
President James Marshall (Harrison Ford), together with his family (Wendy Crewson, Liesel Matthews), advisors, and others aboard Air Force One. He does so after making a speech in Moscow in which he vows never to compromise with terrorists. The President’s morals are put to the test when a bunch of terrorists led by Ivan Korshunov (Gary Oldman) hijack the aircraft. Ex-soldier Marshall stows away in the plane while pretending to flee. And now he must work quickly to save his family and everyone else on board.
Amazing Movies On Kidnapping
19. Neerja (2016)
In 1986, flight attendant Neerja boarded Pan Am aircraft 73. Neerja gave her life to save the lives of 359 passengers when the flight was hijacked by a terrorist group. The movie is based on her true life events.
20. Entebbe (2018)
A flight operated by Air France from Tel Aviv to Paris is hijacked by four terrorists in July 1976 forcing the flight crew to land in Entebbe, Uganda. A number of terrorists imprisoned in Israel, Germany, and Sweden are released in exchange for the freedom of the passengers who are being kept hostage. Following much discussion, the Israeli government sends in the Israeli Defense Forces to carry out a risky rescue.
21. Hijacked (2012)
When Special Agent Ross learns that the same terrorist group he is pursuing has targeted his ex-fiancee’s plane his life takes a nasty turn. Will he be able to save her? Watch the movie to know more.
(Also Read: 17 Upcoming Bollywood Movies That Show Why 2023 Belongs To Bollywood.)
List Of Movies On Kidnapping Continued
22. Drop Zone (1994)
U.S. Marshal Pete Nessip (Wesley Snipes), who participated in the risky prison break from an airplane at 30,000 feet, is now grieving for his brother and seeking retribution. After being told to surrender his badge, he seeks out renowned skydiver Jessie Crossman (Yancy Butler). And offers to sponsor her crew for the annual Fourth of July parachuting performance in Washington, D.C. But in exchange for training Gary Busey, he is preparing a risky computer steal for July 4th. (Watch it on Amazon Prime.)
23. The Raft (2018)
In order to conduct a scientific experiment on the sociology of violence, aggression, and sexual attraction in human behavior, five men and six women floated across the Atlantic in a raft in 1973. Nobody really knew what finally happened on that three-month cruise. However, the project came to be known in the media as “The Sex Raft.” This movie claims to reveal the secret tale behind what has been called “one of the strangest group experiments of all time”. It uses astonishing archive material and a reunion of the remaining expedition members on a full-scale duplicate of the raft.
A Few More Movies On Kidnapping
24. Airport ’77 (1977)
The story revolves around a private 747 being hijacked in midair while transporting a collection of precious artwork owned by a multimillionaire. However, the scared pilot is pushed by the hijackers to fly low to evade radar detection. And thus, the plane hits an oil rig and crashes into the ocean. The crew and passengers of the sinking airliner must wage a terrifying battle for survival.
25. Strategic Command (1997)
Former Marine officer Rick Harding is currently employed by the FBI as a chemical weapons designer. A group of armed troops commanded by wanted criminal Carlos Gruber break into the FBI research lab as it is being prepared for the night. When terrorists take over an aircraft carrying the Vice President and lay their hands on a lethal dose of poisonous gas, it’s up to a skilled hostage negotiator to rescue the day.
We hope you enjoy these great movies. Do let us know your favourite in comments below!
