In the action thriller ‘Security,’ a former Marine Corps veteran, Eddie Deacon, gets mixed up in a young girl’s survival story as a ruthless gang attempts to hunt her down. After Eddie takes a job as a security guard for the Ridgeside Mall following his service in the army, his reintegration into regular life is disrupted when Jamie, a young girl embroiled in a federal investigation, becomes targeted by a mercenary group led by the psychopathic Charlie. With the aid of the other security guards at the mall, Eddie must make a last stand in the halls of Ridgeside to ensure the young girl’s survival.
Helmed by Alain DesRochers, the 2017 film focuses on a single night of harrowing battles in the Ridgeside Mall as Eddie and Jamie become unlikely allies and confidantes. Focusing on tight, visceral action sequences and a heroic central character who seeks redemption by helping Jamie survive, the action feature drives its simple but effective narrative home through the premise of a high-stakes battle confined to a small enclosed space. If you are looking for more heart-pounding, grounded thrillers that leave you craving gunfights, combat, and violence, here are 10 action movies like ‘Security’ you should check out.
10. Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)
A remake of John Carpenter’s 1976 classic of the same name, ‘Assault on Precinct 13’ features a gritty tale of survival as a Detroit police precinct gets turned into a war zone when an armed gang descends on it. Crafted by Jean-François Richet, the film follows Sergeant Jake Roenick as he guards an empty Detroit police precinct on New Year’s Eve when an infamous mob boss, Marion Bishop, is placed in custody. Soon, a gang of thugs, hell-bent on making sure Bishop doesn’t snitch on them, descends on the precinct and turns it into a war zone. Jake and the remaining cops must band together to ensure their and Bishop’s survival through the long night.
Fans of ‘Security’ will find themselves in similar territory in this 2005 remake. Like the Ridgeside Mall, the precinct is the predominant battleground where huge action sequences are staged between a motley group of cops and the armed gang. Placing its characters in extreme circumstances of survival against the odds, the film questions its central character’s leadership, resilience, and commitment to a single cause over all else to ensure he and his peers succeed. Jake’s strength in unity with his fellow cops is mirrored in Eddie’s camaraderie with the mall guards, who must come together to face a greater threat.
9. Olympus Has Fallen (2013)
In ‘Olympus Has Fallen,’ a former Secret Service agent becomes entangled in a plot featuring conspiracy, terrorism, and risk to national security. The Antoine Fuqua directorial focuses on Mike Banning, an ex-Secret Service member who previously served in the White House. When a North Korean terror group stages an attack on the Oval Office, the President and his cabinet are taken hostage. The responsibility to save him and avert a national crisis falls on Mike’s experienced and skillful shoulders. Armed with his knowledge of the Presidential building, he embarks on a one-person crusade to save the President and secure the country’s future.
From the retail shop indoors of the Ridgeside, this time, the white marble halls of the Presidential headquarters form the canopy of disaster. Mike’s skillful and tactical background makes him a dangerous adversary, just like Eddie in ‘Security.’ Both men have the cudgel of responsibility thrust upon them in a challenging and unpalatable circumstance, and both are disconnected from civilian life after their service and looking to bridge their flaws through the only thing they can do well — fight. ‘Olympus Has Fallen’ delves into themes of resilience, sacrifice, and the stoic patriotism that runs through its main character’s veins.
8. White House Down (2013)
Directed by Roland Emmerich, ‘White House Down‘ is a riveting action film full of adrenaline and high-octane fights set in the Oval Office. The film follows John Cale, a Capitol Policeman whose White House tour turns into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse action when a terrorist group lays siege to the Presidential headquarters. Burdened with the responsibility of protecting the President and safeguarding his daughter’s life, John must strive to the best of his ability to foil the sinister plans of the enemy.
Both ‘White House Down’ and ‘Security’ share commonality in their themes of an ordinary character being embroiled in an extraordinary series of events. John and Eddie hold similar backgrounds in terms of their military and security services, making them capable operators who can punish those who seek to hunt them down. Faced with the formidable nature of their enemies, they have to safeguard those close to them while also battling their inner demons throughout their struggle. It’s a film brimming with the power of courage and how strong-minded individuals can stand up to overwhelming foes.
7. Safe House (2012)
‘Safe House’ is an action film directed by Daniel Espinosa, which centers upon CIA operative Matt Weston, who finds himself scrapping for survival when his safe house in South Africa is attacked. Working as an overseer of a near-abandoned facility that rarely gets used, Weston’s daily life is shattered when a notorious CIA traitor, Tobin Frost, is brought in to be held in custody. Hounded by a group of mercenaries who have set their target on Frost, Weston has to navigate his way out of a treacherous landscape while simultaneously keeping his prisoner alive.
Like the 2017 action thriller set in the mall, ‘Safe House’ keeps its audience on the edge of their seats through intense and non-stop action. Weston’s past is similarly etched as Eddie’s in ‘Security,’ as both share backgrounds in security and military enforcement. They are tasked with the protection of a charge while still grappling with their own failures and shortcomings. Coming up against a host of formidable enemies, they must dig deep into their core to find the resilience, courage, and sacrifices they must make to ensure they succeed in their pursuit of upending the machinations around them.
6. Extraction (2020)
A heart-racing thriller about an extraction mission beset by complications, ‘Extraction‘ is an action feature brought to life by Sam Hargrave. The film revolves around an off-the-books mercenary, Tyler Rake, who is tasked with the rescue of the abducted son of a powerful international crime lord from India. Rake’s mission is set in the underworld of Dhaka, Bangladesh, where the hegemony of crime lords and drug trades have stifled all manners of policing and order. The mercenary protagonist has to swim the murky waters of a dangerous territory as he seeks to recover the kidnapped child and deliver him back home.
If the relationship between Eddie and Jamie is a point of interest for some, then the bond between Tyler and Ovi will seem highly reminiscent of the pair from ‘Security.’ Adapted from the pages of the 2014 graphic novel ‘Ciudad,’ which was written by Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, and Ande Parks, the film delves into an action epic about a highly trained protagonist who knows his way around danger and has seen his share of it. In those aspects, Eddie and Tyler are the same. They have significant flaws and internal dilemmas they are constantly battling through, and they never stop their relentless pursuit of violence to get what they need.
5. Taken (2008)
‘Taken‘ is an adrenaline-fueled romp about a former CIA operative who has to go on a relentless quest for retrieval when his daughter is kidnapped. Helmed by Pierre Morel, the film is an exploration of a father’s worst nightmare as Bryan Mills, an ex-CIA agent, loses his daughter to a mysterious abduction during her travels to Paris. Mills has to fight against time to retrieve his daughter back from her kidnappers by retracing her steps across Europe and digging deep into his own past by using the skills he had honed over several years on the job.
A desperate story of protecting those close to you, Mills’ devotion towards his daughter is reflected in Eddie’s dedication to keeping Jamie safe and also his own love towards his wife and daughter. Fueled by this paternal instinct, both characters go to extreme lengths to ensure the survival of their charge. During Mills’ relentless quest to rescue his daughter from the hands of human traffickers, we get a glimpse into the hard-edged past he keeps hidden under the surface and only bubbles up when his daughter’s life is on the line. It’s a fast-paced thriller where determination and willpower take the foremost spot.
4. The Equalizer (2014)
In ‘The Equalizer,’ directed by Antoine Fuqua, a former black ops operative, Robert McCall, who lives an uneventful and quiet life, is called back into action when an underage sex worker, Teri, whom McCall has befriended, is harmed by her pimp and the gang who employ her services. After McCall’s attempts at rescuing Teri through normal means fail, he has to embark on a quest of personal vengeance armed with the skills from his black ops past. His attempts at dismantling Teri’s tormentors are challenged by the whole host of enemies he gains in his pursuit of justice and redemption for his sketchy past. The film is based on the 1985 TV series of the same name.
McCall and Eddie are burdened with a sense of altruism for those they deem are weak and need their help. Just like Jamie, when Teri falls into trouble, McCall sets the whole world on fire in an attempt to rescue and protect her from the animals who would seek to disturb even a hair on her head. With a surgical set of skills, they prepare to dismantle their foes by carefully annihilating them one by one. Both protagonists also feature a dark past in the military, where they witnessed all manners of atrocities and find it a difficult transition to fit back into civilian and everyday existence. Their attempts at saving their charge are their only way of gaining redemption.
3. John Wick (2014)
The action blockbuster ‘John Wick’ centers on its titular protagonist’s return back to the world of cold-blooded assassination and death after he loses his puppy and his car. Developed by Chad Stahelski, we follow John’s mourning phase after the loss of his wife and then his eventual reentry into the assassination life that he promised he would give up and was a part of his past. After a couple of youthful Russian gangsters upend the sanctity of his home, kill the puppy his wife gifted him in front of his eyes, and steal his car, John is left with no choice but to seek out his vendetta against those who would trespass on his coat tails.
‘John Wick’ explores the personal journey of redemption through the lens of a brutal, well-designed, well-choreographed action epic that doesn’t let go of you until the very end. John’s past as a retired hitman lends him skills beyond the norm in a similar fashion to Eddie’s military past. Both men have an emotional core that they protect through an exterior of coldness and hard-edged violence. Wick’s revenge mission and Deacon’s quest to protect Jamie are both driven by an internal sense of justice, morality, and doing what’s necessary. Their relentless determination highlights just how incredibly skillful and mentally resolute both protagonists can be when the going gets tough.
2. The Raid: Redemption (2011)
‘The Raid: Redemption’ is a riveting Indonesian action thriller directed by Gareth Evans set in a single decadent apartment building in Jakarta, Indonesia. The film follows Rama, a rookie officer who is part of an elite squad of police personnel tasked with launching a raid on a building in the heart of the capital city. Rama has to fight his way through waves of enemy foes, thugs, and goons using his highly-trained martial arts skills and combat readiness, all in an attempt to apprehend the crime lord who hides at the top of the building. A high-octane, unrelenting climb up the building faced by adversaries from all directions, Rama has to complete his mission at all costs.
Trapped in the claustrophobic enclosure of the apartment building, ‘The Raid: Redemption’ serves as a complementary setup to the Ridgeside Mall in ‘Security.’ The protagonists of both films must fend off numerous deadly enemies in the confines of a tight, limited space where anything could be turned into a weapon. While the premise is an essential part of achieving groundedness in both action films, the desperation of the central characters’ fight for survival is highlighted even further in the intense battles of the Gareth Evans directorial. Showcasing some of the best one-on-one action sequences ever filmed, ‘The Raid: Redemption’ is the next level of an enclosed space action heart-pounder.
1. Die Hard (1988)
Considered by many to be the father of all action thriller films, the John McTiernan-helmed ‘Die Hard’ centers on John McClane, an NYPD officer, who is left fighting for survival in his heroic quest to thwart a terrorist attack on Christmas Eve. Set in the Nakatomi Plaza, John’s attempt at reconciling with his estranged wife, Holly, is brought to an abrupt end when a group of terrorists, led by the villainous Hans Gruber, seizes control over the tower and takes its inhabitants hostage. John escapes the criminals by hiding, but stuck within the confines of the Nakatomi, he has to use all his resources, willpower, and intelligence to carefully dismantle them with no help arriving from the outside.
Adapted from the pages of the 1979 novel ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ by Roderick Thorp, the film depicts a one-person crusade against evil as John transcends his human limitations through sheer courage and a will to act. In that, both Eddie and John are very similar protagonists who are thrust into situations where, despite their internal and external struggles, they have to rise to the difficult situation taking precedence around them. Both go from ordinary individuals in mundane circumstances — Eddie as a security guard and John as a policeman — to heroic acts of bravery and self-sacrifice that put them in the way of mortal danger. Stuck within the confines of their battlefield, they both emerge as warriors seeking to protect the innocent, even at the cost of their own lives.
