Fun
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Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Father’s Day is this Sunday which means it’s time to celebrate the men who gave you life, taught you important life lessons and who squeezed the lives out of terrorists, Albanian kidnappers and kaiju with their bare hands. It’s time to pay homage to the 10 most bad ass dads on film.
Taken
Taken is not a particularly good action movie, but it is a joyously bonkers revenge romp that everyone can get on board. Liam Neeson plays the most vengeful father in the history of cinema. I mean, the man murders half of Albania and neglects to save any of the other kidnapped women he finds along the way. He has two missions: save his daughter and kill every person who is tangentially connected to his daughter’s kidnapping. He succeeds.
Taken is available on Amazon Prime, iTunes & Google Play.
Prisoners
If Liam Neeson makes going after your kidnapped daughter look like a super-fun vacation in Europe where you get to kill people without any moral or legal retribution, then Hugh Jackman makes the experience look like the worst form of psychological torture. Jackman plays the suburban father of a kidnapped child in Prisoners, a woefully under-rated, must-see gem from last year. Warning: This is not a happy, fun-times movie, but it is a good one.
Prisoners is currently streaming on HBO GO and is available for purchase on Amazon Prime,iTunes & Google Play.
Commando
Arnold Schwarzenegger. Alyssa Milano. Rae Dawn Chong with a bazooka. ‘Nuff said.
Commando is available for rental and purchase on Amazon Prime, iTunes & Google Play.
White House Down
Sure, White House Down is an action comedy that’s all about all-American heroism, but the real reason that Channing Tatum’s John Gale is so desperate to fight off terrorists is that they have his precocious moppet of a daughter in their clutches.
White House Down is available for purchase on Amazon Prime, iTunes, & Google Play.
Live Free or Die Hard
John McClain was always a badass dad, but he didn’t have to save his daughter until the Die Hard franchise’s fourth installment, Live Free or Die Hard.
Live Free or Die Hard is available on Amazon Prime, iTunes & Google Play.
Air Force One
Harrison Ford has got a lot to save in Air Force One. He needs to save his presidency, his staff, the whole plane, his wife and his bratty daughter. The best part of this movie isn’t just watching Harrison Ford kick terrorist ass; it’s watching him go toe-to-toe with Gary Oldman.
Air Force One is available on Amazon Prime, iTunes & Google Play.
Patriot Games
Harrison Ford strikes again! This time he’s not a heroic president, though. He’s Jack Ryan: CIA analyst and all-American ass-kicker. Patriot Games tells the story of how Jack Ryan gets back involved with the CIA after IRA terrorists target his family.
Patriot Games is currently streaming on Netflix.
The Road
It’s literally father-and-son versus the world in the 2009 adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s critically-acclaimed and deeply disturbing novel, The Road.Viggo Mortensen stars as the dad who will do absolutely anything to ensure his young son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) will survive in a post-apocalyptic world. Warning: This is also not a happy, fun-times movie.
The Road is currently streaming on Netflix.
Pacific Rim
In Guillermo Del Toro’s epic ode to Japanese kaiju films, Idris Elba’s Stacker Pentacost is a badass jaeger pilot and leader. The only problem is that his greatest weakness is his adopted daughter Mako Mori. He saved the Japanese orphan from a kaiju when she was a kid and raised her to be a jaegar pilot—only he’s afraid to let her get in on the action.
Pacific Rim is streaming on HBO GO until June 15 and is available for digital purchase onAmazon Prime, iTunes and Google Play.
Finding Nemo
Don’t get it twisted: Marlin the clownfish is one badass dad. He has to swim across the Pacific Ocean, face down sharks and conquer his abandonment issues in order to save his son, Nemo. The most badass thing a father can do is love his child.
Finding Nemo is available for purchase on Amazon Prime, iTunes, and Google Play.
