As a society, we have a lot of preconceived notions about fatherhood. A father is wise and provides insightful guidance to his offspring. He is a man of integrity and an unassailable good character. He is well-experienced in the trials and tribulations of the outside world. He’s also a terrifying sight to behold when someone tries to mess with his kids. So read on, and we’ll take a look at 15 movie dads who take their fatherly duties very seriously and are, by no means, above kicking some arse when necessary. These are the movie dads not to be messed with:
15. Jason Statham in ‘Homefront’
Getting into a feud with Jason Statham over a row in the school playground is hardly a good reason. In Homefront, his daughter Maddy stands up to a bully, and the grown-ups blow a minor quarrel into a far larger mess. Her father, Phil Broker, was formerly employed by the DEA. Gator Bodine, a local drug dealer, takes much too long to understand what that implies.
Broker relocated to Louisiana so that Maddy could have a peaceful life. Once the threats reach her, that plan is out the window. Statham handles the blunt material well, but the scenes with his daughter make you care about who survives.
14. Dwayne Johnson in ‘Snitch’
John Matthews is the owner of a construction company. He isn’t a spy, and having a physique like Dwayne Johnson‘s doesn’t mean he’s bulletproof. After his son is arrested on drug charges and faces a lengthy prison sentence, John consents to assist the DEA in apprehending dealers in exchange for an opportunity to bring his son home.
It’s clear just how far beyond his capabilities he is. John gets injured, endangers others, and must continue to deal with men who would kill him if they discovered the reason for his presence.
The truck chase is tense because, for once, Johnson plays a father who might not survive.
13. Mel Gibson in ‘The Patriot’
Benjamin Martin’s only desire is to remain on his farm and bring up his children. War is something he has already known, and he has no intention of returning to it. But then a British officer takes the life of one of his sons and carries another off to be hanged.
Martin puts weapons in the hands of two of his younger boys and sets a trap in the woods to rescue their brother. Before long, he is pursuing the soldiers with a tomahawk. The scene is brutal to witness, and it grows worse because his sons are forced to look on. Gibson shows you the fury seizing him, and then the shame that follows when Martin grasps what his boys have watched him do.
12. Nicolas Cage in ‘Kick-Ass’
Most fathers show their kids how to ride a bicycle. Damon Macready straps a bulletproof vest onto his daughter and fires at her, just so she understands the sensation. That should give you a pretty clear picture of the parenting style on display here. Dressed like Batman as Big Daddy, Nicolas Cage goes after the mob, while his daughter Mindy fights at his side as Hit-Girl.
The gentle tone he uses with her only makes their brutal training sessions seem more bizarre. You’d fear a visit from this father, yet you might be just as uneasy about the child he’s bringing up.
11. Bob Odenkirk in ‘Nobody’
A bracelet belonging to a missing kittycat is what finally pushes Hutch Mansell past his limit. It belongs to his daughter, and he’s convinced the burglars who invaded their house made off with it. Maybe it’s a little thing, but Hutch has been bottling up his rage for a long time.
Bob Odenkirk appears so exhausted at the outset that the warning signs are easy to overlook. Hutch carries a history he has hidden from his family. The moment he returns to fighting, he draws the wrath of a Russian crime boss onto his loved ones and must pull them clear of the danger.
Christopher Lloyd steps in as Hutch’s father, a man who, as it happens, still has a few tricks of his own. Once the bullets start flying, he throws himself into the fray instead of letting his son handle everything alone.
10. Viggo Mortensen in ‘A History of Violence’
Tom Stall owns a diner, and he comes across as the kind of father who’d spend dinner asking how things went at school. Then a pair of armed men walk in and attempt to rob the place where he works. He takes them down with a swiftness that leaves you asking yourself where on Earth he picked that up.
Strangers arrive in town because of the news reports, and Tom’s family begins to realize how little they actually know about him. Viggo Mortensen hardly has to lift his voice for the transformation to come across as terrifying. To his son, he’s a man who can keep them safe – but also one whose history has placed them in danger. All at once, carrying the same last name as him feels far less secure.
9. Hugh Jackman in ‘Prisoners’
With Keller Dover, there’s barely any space left for a joke. When his daughter Anna and her friend disappear, he grows certain the police have set the guilty man free. He abducts the suspect and tortures him until he talks.
Hugh Jackman makes Keller’s terror linger long after the film ends. It’s easy to understand why he can’t just sit at home and wait, yet every move he makes pushes you further from his corner. He does not doubt that he’s doing what his daughter needs from him. Watching that certainty curdle into cruelty unsettles you far more than watching a father take down a whole room of thugs.
8. Hugh Jackman in ‘Logan’
Laura inherited her father’s claws but has very little patience for him. Logan, for his part, wants nothing to do with the responsibility of watching over her. He’s sick, his body is failing him, and the people he loves have a habit of winding up dead. It’s easy to understand why he’d hesitate.
But the men pursuing Laura don’t exactly allow for a clean, quiet getaway. Made from Logan’s DNA, she is his daughter, and the film lets the two of them fumble awkwardly around each other before it calls on him to fight for her.
The ache comes through in the way Jackman carries himself. Every fight drains a little more from him, and Laura is more than capable of handling a good share of the brawling on her own. The little moments they share in the car build their bond just as much as the claws ever do.
7. Liam Neeson in ‘Taken’
If you were a child of Liam Neeson’s and happened to find yourself in a sticky kidnapping scenario, it’d probably be hard to keep from smiling at the fate you knew would soon befall your captors. In the film Taken, Liam Neeson puts down the lightsaber, brandishes his fists, and packs a gun into his belt to save his daughter from being taken into the world of sex trafficking, declaring:
‘I will tear down the Eiffel Tower If I have to’
Of course, he succeeds gloriously by destroying everyone in his path between him and his daughter. He even coldly shoots a man’s wife, just to make a point. You’d want to befriend this chap at a neighborhood BBQ, and not steal his daughter.
6. Robert De Niro in ‘Meet the Parents’
A retired CIA operative of 34 years and looking for a new subject to study, Robert De Niro is the movie dad from hell when it comes to his daughter’s new boyfriends. A dad who analyzes your every move, every step, and will hook you up to a lie detector test just to find out if you have a taste for porn and soft drugs.
However, once you pass this man’s tests and make your way into ‘the circle of trust,’ it would always be handy to have him and his long list of CIA contacts watching your back.
5. Bruce Willis in any of the ‘Die Hard’ Films
John McClane is one of the most hardcore dads among all other movie dads, who simply loves his ex-wife and kids. Any child would look up to John McClane simply because he saves the US from national disasters, whilst coming up with great one-liners such as ‘Welcome to the Party Pal!’ and ‘Yipi-ki-yay motherfu*ker!’
With always a solution to any problem that is thrown his way, John McClane is the ultimate badass with a soft heart for his family. Even though he’s constantly down on himself as a father, we think he more than makes up for it by averting major crises on no fewer than five occasions.
4. Arnold Schwarzenegger in ‘Jingle All the Way’
Any child wanting an ultimate Christmas present robot combined with a dad who could crush you with his little toe should look to Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film Jingle All the Way. In the film, Arnie’s son, who wants a ‘Turboman’ doll for Christmas, receives the real thing when Arnie becomes Turboman and defeats a few bad guys along the way.
And let’s be frank, Arnie is certainly not one to be messed with. Rumor has it Chuck Norris is even scared of the former governor.
3. Marlon Brando in ‘The Godfather’
You said it, Don Corleone. In The Godfather, one father leaves his legacy behind to his son – a legacy that is full of honor and loyalty, but is known for ruthless violence toward whoever opposes them.
However, the mafia way is to always put family first; so as far as all the fathers in this list go, having the ‘Don’ as your dad, perhaps, is the nuts – or perhaps the Stromboli!
2. Laurence Fishburne in ‘Boyz n the Hood’
Image Source: IMDb
In Boyz n the Hood, Laurence Fishburne plays a father named Furious Styles. In the film, Furious tries to educate his unruly son, Tre, about what it is to be a man, not a jumped-up puppy on the dark streets of LA.
With a combination of award-winning fatherly advice and tough love, Furious hits the ‘dad’ nail on the head, especially because he used to be a bit of a soldier himself. Even though Fishburne isn’t perhaps as tough as McClane or the indomitable Arnie, you’d certainly prefer he were in your corner in a boxing match.
1. Vinnie Jones in ‘Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels’
Vinnie Jones plays Big Chris – the most epic among all other movie dads – in Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels. If you ever wanted to be brought up in the world of London crime, Vinnie Jones would be the dad for the job.
Vinnie would dress you all up in the same leather attire as himself, give you a few bobs along the way in gratitude, and if anyone messed with you, he would slam their head in a car door repeatedly.
Honorable Mentions
- War of the Worlds (2005)
- The Road (2009)
- Death Sentence (2007)
This sums up our list of movie dads not to be messed with! Did we miss anyone? Is there any other movie dad that we should have featured on this list? Let us know in the comments below!