The Best Kidnapping & Hostage Movies Of All Time, Ranked
If you’re looking for an adrenaline-filled adventure, the best kidnapping movies and hostage movies below have you covered. The kidnapping and hostage genre has been around for decades and stories in that genre have been done in a variety of ways. Some tell the story from the perspective of the kidnapped while others cast the hostage takers as the protagonists. You'll find good kidnapping movies on this list and some of them may even be on Netflix.
When you think about kidnapping and hostage movies, what genre do you usually associate with them? If you’re thinking action, you wouldn’t be wrong, but they span so many more. For instance, there are horror movies about kidnapping as well as abduction thriller films. There have even been comedy movies about hostage taking and kidnapping. Apparently, abducting someone against their will can be funny, who knew? There are other kidnapping movies that are based on true stories.
To find out which is the best kidnapping or hostage movie of all time, movie fans have voted for their favorites below, regardless of genre. If you’re looking to see where a particular kidnapping movie is ranked, you can use the search function at the top of the list. Vote up your favorite good kidnapping movies. After all, this is a comprehensive list of the best hostage and kidnapping movies.
- James Caan, Kathy Bates, Frances Sternhagen
- Released: 1990
- Directed by: Rob Reiner
- Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen
- Released: 2008
- Directed by: Pierre Morel
- Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis
- Released: 2013
- Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
- Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Christopher Walken
- Released: 2004
- Directed by: Tony Scott
- Jodie Foster, Forest Whitaker, Dwight Yoakam
- Released: 2002
- Directed by: David Fincher
- Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen
- Released: 2015
- Directed by: Lenny Abrahamson
- Halle Berry, Abigail Breslin, Morris Chestnut
- Released: 2013
- Directed by: Brad Anderson
- James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Betty Buckley
- Released: 2016
- Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
- Mel Gibson, Rene Russo, Gary Sinise
- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Ron Howard
- Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock
- Released: 1994
- Directed by: Jan de Bont
- Morgan Freeman, Monica Potter, Michael Wincott
- Released: 2001
- Directed by: Lee Tamahori
- Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, Glenn Close
- Released: 1997
- Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen
- Denzel Washington, Robert Duvall, James Woods
- Released: 2002
- Directed by: Nick Cassavetes
- Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen
- Released: 2012
- Directed by: Olivier Megaton
- Rachel McAdams, Cillian Murphy, Brian Cox
- Released: 2005
- Directed by: Wes Craven
- Morgan Freeman, Gerard Butler, Ashley Judd
- Released: 2013
- Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
- Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener, Barkhad Abdi
- Released: 2013
- Directed by: Paul Greengrass
- Colin Farrell, Kiefer Sutherland, Forest Whitaker
- Released: 2002
- Directed by: Joel Schumacher
- Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Cary Elwes
- Released: 1997
- Directed by: Gary Fleder
- Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn
- Released: 1991
- Directed by: Jonathan Demme
- Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster
- Released: 2006
- Directed by: Spike Lee
- Jason Statham, Shu Qi, François Berléand
- Released: 2002
- Directed by: Corey Yuen
- Bruce Willis, Kevin Pollak, Ben Foster
- Released: 2005
- Directed by: Florent Siri
- Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman
- Released: 2007
- Directed by: Ben Affleck
- Liam Neeson, Forest Whitaker, Maggie Grace
- Released: 2014
- Directed by: Olivier Megaton