Liam Neeson has become the king of action thrillers in the 21st century, turning himself into a one-man wrecking crew after hitting 50. It all kicked off with a bang in 2008 when he starred in Taken, a simple revenge story that showed the world he could still kick butt with that gravelly voice and intense stare. Fans loved it so much that studios kept handing him scripts about ordinary guys pushed to their limits, fighting bad guys in gritty, fast-paced ways. These movies mix heart-pounding chases, brutal fights, and Neeson’s special skill of making you believe he’d do anything for family or justice. From snowy mountains to dark cities, his films keep delivering thrills that make you lean forward in your seat. Let’s dive deep into the best ones from 2000 onward, ranking them by how they pack raw excitement, smart twists, and that Neeson magic that keeps us coming back.
Starting with the one that changed everything: Taken from 2008. Neeson plays Bryan Mills, a retired CIA operative whose teenage daughter gets kidnapped by human traffickers in Paris. What follows is 90 minutes of pure fury. Bryan hops on a plane, tracks her down using his “particular set of skills,” and tears through Albanian gangsters like they’re paper. The line “I will find you, and I will kill you” became legendary, quoted everywhere from playgrounds to bars. Directed by Pierre Morel, the film grossed over $226 million on a tiny $25 million budget, proving Neeson could carry an action flick solo. Fights are close-up and vicious, with Bryan snapping necks and electrocuting goons in bathtubs. It’s not fancy, but it’s honest—no superheroes, just a dad gone feral. Sequels came later, but this original is the blueprint for every Neeson thriller since.
Unknown hit theaters in 2011 and gave Neeson another shot at playing a man piecing together his shattered life. He stars as Dr. Martin Harris, who wakes from a coma in Berlin to find his wife doesn’t recognize him and another guy is living his life. Is he crazy? Or part of a bigger spy plot? January Jones plays the confused wife, and Diane Kruger adds spark as a hotel worker who helps him unravel the mystery. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, it’s like a Bourne movie with Neeson in the lead. Car chases through snowy streets feel real and reckless, and the twists keep you guessing until the end. Neeson sells the desperation perfectly, running on fumes as he fights assassins and questions his own mind. It earned solid reviews for tension and made $136 million worldwide, showing Neeson could do brainy action too, not just fists.
The next year, 2012 brought Non-Stop, a plane thriller that traps Neeson in the tightest spot yet. As air marshal Bill Marks, he gets texts demanding $150 million or a passenger dies every 20 minutes. Hijacking? Terrorists? It’s mid-flight chaos over the Atlantic, with Julianne Moore as a suspicious seatmate and a cabin full of red herrings. Jaume Collet-Serra directs again, turning a Boeing 767 into a pressure cooker. Neeson’s barking orders into his phone while wrestling bad guys in the tiny bathroom is edge-of-your-seat stuff. The script piles on surprises, like who the real villain is, and the plane’s confined space amps up every punch. It pulled in $222 million at the box office, loved for its non-stop pace—pun intended—and Neeson’s weary heroism shining through panic.
The Grey came out in 2011, but it’s more survival thriller than straight action, and it stands out for its grit. Neeson leads a pack of oil workers whose plane crashes in Alaska. Wolves stalk them, nature turns killer, and Frank Darabont’s script (from a short story) gets poetic about life and death. Neeson as John Ottway recites a poem before fights, boxing a wolf with his bare hands in one brutal scene. It’s raw—no guns beat the wild—and mixes thrills with emotion as men drop one by one. Critics praised its depth, and it made $77 million, proving Neeson could handle quiet intensity before exploding into violence.
Cold Pursuit from 2019 flips the script on revenge with dark humor. Neeson is Nels Coxman, a snowplow driver in Colorado avenging his son’s drug overdose death. He methodically wipes out a cartel, but things spiral into a gang war with drug lords played by Tom Bateman and Emmy Rossum. Directed by Hans Petter Moland, it’s a remake of the Norwegian film Kraftidioten, but Neeson owns it with deadpan kills—like pushing a guy off a cliff with his plow. Powdered snow hides bodies, and the absurdity of polite assassinations adds edge. It earned $75 million and won fans for blending laughs with bloodshed, a fresh twist on Neeson’s formula.
The Commuter in 2018 puts Neeson back on a train, this time as ex-cop Michael MacCauley who stumbles into a murder plot. A stranger offers cash to find a planted target before the end of the line, turning daily riders into suspects. Vera Farmiga kicks it off mysteriously, and Padilla Bigelow directs the crashes and brawls in cramped cars. Neeson’s everyman vibe fits—he’s just trying to get home—while fights spill into bathrooms and between seats. It raked in $119 million, a comfy B-movie thrill ride with twists that reward repeat views.
In 2020’s The Old Guard, Neeson joins a team of immortal warriors, but wait—no, he plays a villain here, Harrigan, hunting Charlize Theron’s eternal squad. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood for Netflix, it’s sword fights and gunfights across centuries, with Neeson’s bad guy chewing scenery opposite Theron’s lead. His role is smaller, but the action pops—bulletproof bodies healing mid-battle. It streamed huge, spawning comic buzz, and showed Neeson could twist into antagonist mode while keeping thriller heat.
Memory from 2022 has Neeson as assassin Alex Lewis, hired to kill a girl who saw too much, only to uncover a pedophile ring and CIA cover-up. Directed by Martin Campbell, it’s Taken meets Bourne with Monica Bellucci and Henry Golding. Neeson bashes heads in Texas motels and chases through warehouses, his character haunted by early-onset Alzheimer’s adding stakes. Critics noted the familiar beats, but it thrilled fans with body counts and moral gray areas, hitting streaming success.
The Ice Road from 2021 sends Neeson trucking across frozen Canadian lakes to save trapped miners. As Mike McCann, he dodges cracking ice, corporate crooks, and his hothead brother (Marcus Brothers). Directed by Jonathan Hensleigh, the rigs jackknife on thin ice in white-knuckle sequences, blending vehicle stunts with bar fights. Laurence Fishburne adds gravitas as a skeptical driver. It made $31 million theatrically then boomed on Netflix, praised for practical effects and Neeson’s blu
