Top 40 Hostage Movies

In a way, hostage movies are a form of wish fulfillment. We all want to be the guy who takes down the villain and saves the day. Can you blame us?

And that’s the purpose of this list: to let you know about the best movies that involve some sort of hostage situation that you can witness from the comfort of your living room.

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40 All the Names of God (Todos los nombres de Dios), 2023

A common taxi driver. A police detective fed up with her life. The city center of a dense populated city. A bomb that will explode unless he keeps moving. All while TV cameras from all over the world keep rolling.

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39 Rabid Dogs (Enragés), 2015

After a bank job goes badly wrong, three desperate criminals take a young woman and a father and child hostage – it’s the beginning of a frantic and violent road trip that not all of them will survive.

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38 The Assault (L’assaut), 2010

Members of a French counterterrorism unit spring into action when four heavily armed Islamic extremists hijack a Paris-bound Air France flight on Christmas Eve 1994.

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37 21 Hours at Munich, 1976

The most famous sporting event in the world is rocked by an act of political violence, and the police are forced to act quickly in order to prevent more carnage. At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, militant group Black September murders two Israeli athletes and takes several others hostage in an effort to win the release of Palestinian detainees. As the situation becomes increasingly dangerous, Munich’s police chief tries to end the crisis.

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36 6 Days, 2016

In April 1980, gunmen storm the Iranian Embassy in London. Highly trained SAS operatives prepare a counterattack, hoping to end the hostage situation in one swift blow.

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35 Kidnapping Mr. Heineken, 2014

The inside story of the planning, execution, rousing aftermath, and ultimate downfall of the kidnappers of beer tycoon Alfred “Freddy” Heineken in 1983, which resulted in the largest ransom ever paid for an individual.

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34 Air Force One, 1997

Communist radicals hijack Air Force One with the U.S. President and his family on board. The Vice President negotiates from Washington D.C., while the President, a veteran, fights to rescue the hostages on board.

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33 White House Down, 2013

While on a tour of the White House with his young daughter, a Capitol policeman springs into action to save his child and protect the president from a heavily armed group of paramilitary invaders.

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32 The Point Men (Gyoseop), 2023

A Korean diplomat is dispatched to Afghanistan when a group of South Korean tourists is taken hostage by the Taliban. When all measures fail and one hostage is killed, he is forced to team up with a special agent to rescue the survivors.

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31 Stockholm, 2018

Based on the absurd but true 1973 bank heist and hostage crisis in Stockholm that was documented in the New Yorker as the origins of the ‘Stockholm Syndrome’.

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30 Última Parada 174, 2008

A chronicle of a real-life bus hijacking in Rio de Janeiro that occurred on June 12, 2000.

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29 Money Monster, 2016

In the real-time, high stakes thriller Money Monster, George Clooney and Julia Roberts star as financial TV host Lee Gates and his producer Patty, who are put in an extreme situation when an irate investor who has lost everything forcefully takes over their studio. During a tense standoff broadcast to millions on live TV, Lee and Patty must work furiously against the clock to unravel the mystery behind a conspiracy at the heart of today’s fast-paced, high-tech global markets.

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28 All the Money in the World, 2017

Rome, 1973. Masked men kidnap a teenage boy named John Paul Getty III. His grandfather, Jean Paul Getty, is the richest human in the world, a billionaire oil magnate, but he’s notoriously miserly. His favorite grandson’s abduction is not reason enough for him to part with any of his fortune. All the Money in the World (2017) follows Gail, Paul’s devoted, strong-willed mother, who unlike Getty, has consistently chosen her children over his fortune. Her son’s life in the balance with time running out, she attempts to sway Getty even as her son’s mob captors become increasingly more determined, volatile and brutal. When Getty sends his enigmatic security man Fletcher Chace to look after his interests, he and Gail become unlikely allies in this race against time that ultimately reveals the true and lasting value of love over money..

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27 15 Minutes Of War (L’Intervention), 2019

In February 1976 in Djibouti, a school bus was taken hostage at the Somali border. The GIGN is sent on the spot. After 30 hours of tension, a rescue operation is organized.

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26 Hostage, 2005

When a family is held hostage, former hostage negotiator Jeff Talley arrives at the scene. Talley’s own family is kidnapped and Talley must decide which is more important: saving a family he doesn’t even know or saving his own family.

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25 A Hijacking (Kapringen), 2012

The cargo ship MV Rozen is heading for harbor when it is hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean. Amongst the men on board are the ship’s cook Mikkel and the engineer Jan, who along with the rest of the seamen are taken hostage in a cynical game of life and death. With the demand for a ransom of millions of dollars a psychological drama unfolds between the CEO of the shipping company and the Somali pirates.

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24 Skirt Day (La journée de la jupe), 2008

An average school teacher is about to fall into a big depression due to threats and humiliation she gets from schoolers. Nobody of her coworkers is interested in this situation, and they are not going to help. Once, after a horrible fight with one of the students, she gets a real gun. Now everyone is under her control, though the situation is still completely uncontrollable…

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23 The Taking of Pelham 123, 2009

Armed men hijack a New York City subway train, holding the passengers hostage in return for a ransom, and turning an ordinary day’s work for dispatcher Walter Garber into a face-off with the mastermind behind the crime.

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22 Non-Stop, 2014

Bill Marks, a former cop dealing with his daughter’s death by drinking, is now a federal air marshal. While on a flight from New York to London, Marks gets a text telling him that unless 150 million dollars is transferred to an offshore account, someone will die every 20 minutes. Can he find the terrorist in time and save everyone?

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21 The Call, 2013

Jordan Turner is an experienced 911 operator but when she makes an error in judgment and a call ends badly, Jordan is rattled and unsure if she can continue, but then teenager Casey Welson is abducted and calls 911. Jordan is the one called upon to use all of her experience, insights and quick thinking to try to help Casey escape and also to make sure the man is brought to justice.

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20 Four Days in September (O Que é Isso, Companheiro?), 1997

Fernando, a journalist, and his friend César join terrorist group MR8 in order to fight Brazilian dictatorial regime during the late sixties. Cesare, however, is wounded and captured during a bank hold up. Fernando then decides to kidnap the American ambassador in Brazil and ask for the release of fifteen political prisoners in exchange for his life.

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19 From Dusk Till Dawn, 1995

After a bank heist, brothers Richie and Seth Gecko plan to head to Mexico to evade arrest. At a motel, Richie kills their hostage and their journey hits a hard spot, but, just when things could have gotten worse, the Fuller family shows up. Seth takes them hostage and the five successfully cross the border. The five pull to a bar called “The Titty Twister”, where Seth will meet his handler in the morning. When moon strikes, the stripper and workers turn into vampires and the survivors must soon fight for their lives.

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18 The Factory (Завод), 2018

When a factory is bound to close, a group of workers decides to take action against the owner.

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17 Panic Room, 2002

Recently divorced Meg Altman and her daughter Sarah have bought a new home in New York. On their tour around the mansion, they come across the panic room. A room so secure, that no one can get in. When three burglars break in, Meg makes a move to the panic room. But all her troubles don’t stop there. The criminals know where she is, and what they require the most in the house is in that very room.

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16 Phone Booth, 2002

Stu Shepard is a fast talking and wise cracking New York City publicist who gets out of trouble and lies with his clever charm, connections, and charisma. Stu’s greatest lie is to his wife Kelly, who he is cheating on with his girlfriend, Pam. Upon answering a call in a phone booth in belief it is Pam, Stu is on the line with a dangerous yet intelligent psychopath with a sniper rifle. When realizing it is not a joke, Stu is placed in a powerful mind game of wits and corruption. The New York City Police eventually arrive thereafter and demand Stu comes out of the phone booth- but how can he when if he hangs up or leaves the booth he will die?

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15 The Heist of the Century (El robo del siglo), 2020

In 2006, a group of thieves performed what is considered one of the most famous and smart bank heists in the history of Argentina when they rob the Banco Río branch in Acassuso.

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14 Nothing to Lose, 1997

Nick’s wife’s in bed with his boss. He later gets a gun to his head by a carjacker but steps on the gas pedal. They end up friends after adventures together – holdups, burglary, reckless driving, revenge etc. Twists follow.

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13 United 93, 2006

A real-time account of the events on United Flight 93, one of the planes hijacked on September 11th, 2001 that crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania when passengers foiled the terrorist plot.

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12 Argo, 2012

Acting under the cover of a Hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film, a CIA agent launches a dangerous operation to rescue six Americans in Tehran during the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran in 1979.

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11 Collateral, 2004

After a long day, LA taxi driver Max is about to knock off when sharp-suited Vincent offers him $600 to make five stops. Sounds good until Vincent turns out to be a merciless hit-man and each one of those stops involves a hit. As the night goes on, Max starts to wonder if he’ll live to see the sunrise, as the pair are hunted by the police and the FBI.

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10 The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, 1974

Four armed men hijack a New York City subway car and demand a ransom for the passengers. The city’s police are faced with a conundrum: Even if it’s paid, how could they get away?

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9 Captain Phillips, 2013

Captain Phillips is a multi-layered examination of the 2009 hijacking of the U.S. container ship Maersk Alabama by a crew of Somali pirates. It is – through director Paul Greengrass’s distinctive lens – simultaneously a pulse-pounding thriller, and a complex portrait of the myriad effects of globalization. The film focuses on the relationship between the Alabama’s commanding officer, Captain Richard Phillips, and the Somali pirate captain, Muse, who takes him hostage. Phillips and Muse are set on an unstoppable collision course when Muse and his crew target Phillips’ unarmed ship; in the ensuing standoff, 145 miles off the Somali coast, both men will find themselves at the mercy of forces beyond their control.

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8 Dog Day Afternoon, 1975

Three amateur bank robbers plan to hold up a bank. A nice simple robbery: Walk in, take the money, and run. Unfortunately, the supposedly uncomplicated heist suddenly becomes a bizarre nightmare as everything that could go wrong does.

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7 John Q, 2002

John Quincy Archibald’s son Michael collapses while playing baseball as a result of heart failure. John rushes Michael to a hospital emergency room where he is informed that Michael’s only hope is a transplant. Unfortunately, John’s insurance won’t cover his son’s transplant. Out of options, John Q. takes the emergency room staff and patients hostage until hospital doctors agree to do the transplant.

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6 Hotel Mumbai, 2018

Based on the true story of the devastating terrorist attack on the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in 2008. While several terrorists spread hatred and death through the city, others attack the palace. Both hotel staff and guests risk their lives, making unthinkable sacrifices to protect themselves and keep everyone safe while help arrives.

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5 Inside Man, 2006

A police detective, a bank robber, and a high-power broker enter high-stakes negotiations after the criminal’s brilliant heist spirals into a hostage situation.

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4 The Negotiator, 1998

In a desperate attempt to prove his innocence, a skilled police negotiator accused of corruption and murder takes hostages in a government office to gain the time he needs to find the truth.

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3 Speed, 1994

When a young Los Angeles police department, Special Weapons and Tactics (S.W.A.T.) officer called Jack Traven angers retired Atlanta police department bomb squad member Howard Payne, by foiling his attempt at taking hostages stuck in an elevator with a bomb, Payne in retaliation arms a bus with a bomb that will explode if it drops below 50 miles per hour. With the help of spunky passenger Annie, Jack and his partner Detective Harry Temple try to save the people on the bus before the bomb goes off, while also trying to figure out how Payne is monitoring them.

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2 Die Hard, 1988

NYPD cop John McClane goes on a Christmas vacation to visit his wife Holly in Los Angeles where she works for the Nakatomi Corporation. While they are at the Nakatomi headquarters for a Christmas party, a group of robbers led by Hans Gruber take control of the building and hold everyone hostage, with the exception of John, while they plan to perform a lucrative heist. Unable to escape and with no immediate police response, John is forced to take matters into his own hands.

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1 War (Война), 2002

During the bloody war in Chechnya, a British couple and two Russian soldiers are taken hostage by Chechen rebels. Two of the hostages are then released to bring the money for the British woman who is forced to wait for the ransom.

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