There are several more gripping thrillers to watch after The Mother. The Netflix action-thriller starring Jennifer Lopez as "The Mother" was released in May 2023. The story follows Lopez's character, a highly skilled United States assassin, who comes out of hiding to protect her young daughter Zoe (Lucy Perez). The Mother reconnects with Zoe, whom she gave up for adoption immediately after her birth, as the two embark on a long journey to escape from trained operatives that intend to kill them.
The Mother is the latest addition to the niche subgenre of action thrillers in which the protagonist must protect an innocent child. The Lopez-led film is currently one of the Top 10 movies on Netflix despite its less-than-favorable reviews from critics. The new Netflix action movie scored the biggest 2023 opening on the platform by strategically releasing The Mother on Mother's Day weekend. Here are ten more films like The Mother in which the main character must keep a kid safe by any means necessary.
10 Taken
In the 2008 thriller Taken starring Liam Neeson, Bryan Mills (Neeson) is determined to rescue his kidnapped daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) who is abducted in Paris. Mills is a former CIA operative who tirelessly attempts to track down the kidnappers and save his daughter's life. The film is similar to The Mother in demonstrating an identical theme of how far a parent will go to keep their children safe. The action-packed movie features many villains Liam Neeson's Bryan fights and kills which makes Taken an adrenaline-pumping odyssey.
9 The Road
The Road is a post-apocalyptic drama movie based on Cormac McCarthy's novel of the same name. The 2009 film follows the journey of an unnamed man (Viggo Mortensen) and his son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) who search for civilization and refuge in bleak and dangerous territory. The man must defend his son from numerous hazards and other travelers, some of whom may be cannibals. The Road portrays the unyielding bond between a father and his son and the raw instinct to survive. The story raises poignant moral and ethical issues in a lawless world turned upside down, with the central dynamic a bleak reflection of the bond explored in Jennifer Lopez's The Mother.
8 Midnight Special
Midnight Special is a gripping sci-fi thriller starring an ensemble cast of Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Adam Driver, and Kirsten Dunst. The 2016 film follows the journey of Roy (Shannon) who goes to extreme lengths to protect his young and gifted son, Alton (Jaeden Martell). Alton possesses mysterious supernatural abilities that attract unwanted attention. Roy and his friend Lucas (Edgerton) try to hide Alton by going on the run but are hunted by a religious cult and the US federal government. The unique film explores themes of parental love and the sacrifices parents make for children in helping them fulfill their destinies.
7 Safe
Safe stars Jason Statham as Luke Wright, a former elite agent that became a cage fighter after a personal tragedy. Luke meets a young girl named Mei (Catherine Chan) who possesses a remarkable numerical code that holds significant value. Luke realizes that Mei is in danger and takes it upon himself to protect her from a ruthless gang of corrupt cops and Russian mobsters that are after the numerical code inside her mind. Safe is similar to The Mother in both theme and genre and offers many intense and fun action sequences.
6 A Quiet Place
A Quiet Place is a thrilling horror film starring John Krasinski and Emily Blunt. The movie is set in a post-apocalyptic world where mysterious creatures with hypersensitive hearing are a threat to humanity. Lee (Krasinski) and Evelyn Abbott (Blunt) live in complete silence with their children to avoid attracting the monsters, communicating only through sign language. Lee and Evelyn go to great lengths to protect their family from the strange noise-sensitive predators where working together and trusting each other are the only ways to survive.
5 Children of Men
Children of Men stars an ensemble cast of Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Michael Caine. Directed by Alfonso Cuarón, Children of Men is a dystopian science fiction film that portrays a chaotic future world in which women have lost the ability to bear children. Set in the year 2027, the film follows Theo Faron (Owen) on a mission to protect a woman named Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey), who is the first pregnant woman on Earth in nearly two decades. Theo must protect Kee and her unborn child for the sake of the human race.
4 Prisoners
Prisoners is another gripping thriller that follows Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) and Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) as they search for Kelle's missing young daughter Anna who is thought to have been abducted. Dover takes matters into his own hands and resorts to extreme measures to uncover the truth about who kidnapped his daughter. The intense film chronicles the natural parental instinct that arises when a parent is desperate to keep their child safe. This dark yet masterful movie, directed by Denis Villeneuve, is another example of the lengths parents are willing to go to protect their kids.
3 Bird Box
Bird Box is yet again another post-apocalyptic thriller in which the protagonist must protect their child from imminent threats. Similar to A Quiet Place, the world of Bird Box is inhabited by mysterious entities that are deadly to look at. Malorie (Sandra Bullock) must protect her two children while wearing blindfolds to protect them from the strange creatures as they traverse down a river with the hope of finding a safe haven. Despite its underwhelming reviews, Bird Box is one of the most-watched Netflix movies of all time.
2 Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is heralded as one of the best thrillers of all time. The 1991 science fiction action film was directed by legendary filmmaker James Cameron. Set in a post-apocalyptic future, the movie follows Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) and her 10-year-old son John (Edward Furlong). Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as a T-800 Terminator who is programmed to protect John from another Terminator. The T-1000 is sent back in time to kill John before he becomes the leader of the human resistance against the machines as an adult.
1 Panic Room
Panic Room is quite similar to The Mother in its portrayal of a mother's indestructible love for her daughter. The 2002 intense thriller, directed by David Fincher, follows the terrifying scenario that Meg Altman (Jodie Foster) and her daughter Sarah (Kristen Stewart) find themselves in when three intruders break into their home. Meg and Sarah are able to hide safely in an impenetrable panic room inside the house but are essentially trapped in their fortress. The mother and daughter duo must work together to strategize a path toward survival. Sarah protects her daughter at all costs much like Jennifer Lopez's character in The Mother.
