Top 10 Most Dangerous Movie Rescue Missions

Top 10 Most Dangerous Rescue Missions in Movies

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Most Dangerous Rescue Missions in Movies.

For this list, we’ll be looking at rescue missions from various films that had a high degree of difficulty and casualties. We will also be including movies based on real-life events. And since we’ll be discussing whether the missions were successful, here’s your spoiler alert.

Which rescue mission would you not want to undertake? Let us know in the comments below!

#10: Saving the President

“Escape from New York” (1981)
In this movie’s alternate history, Manhattan has been converted into a giant maximum security prison filled with dangerous life-term convicts. The President is kidnapped from Air Force One and taken to the prison, where he is to be used as a hostage during an escape attempt across the Queensboro Bridge. Convicted felon Snake Plissken is brought in to save him. Plissken must deal with violent criminals like the local crime boss’s henchman, a Queensboro Bridge littered with active mines, and even micro-explosives planted within his body by the Police Commissioner to keep him in line. Many people die along the way, and both Snake and the President barely escape with their lives.

#9: Rescuing Phillips

“Captain Phillips” (2013)
The Maersk Alabama hijacking saw four armed Somali pirates seizing the cargo ship and holding it for ransom, proving the first successful pirate seizure in hundreds of years. The United States Navy was eventually sent in to secure the ship, rescue the hostages, and dispatch the pirates. Phillips is rescued by the Navy destroyer USS Bainbridge and its captain, Frank Castellano. Castellano initially attempts a peaceful surrender, but the pirates’ continued resistance and repeatedly violent actions prevent them from doing so. Phillips is viciously beaten in the process, and he nearly loses his life at the hands of pirate Najee. The Navy faced many dangerous obstacles and cut it very close, but Phillips is eventually saved when three marksmen simultaneously take out the pirates.

#8: Saving the Black Hawks

“Black Hawk Down” (2001)
Another action film based on real events, “Black Hawk Down” covers the historic Battle of Mogadishu, which took place between the 3rd and 4th of October, 1993. During the Somali Civil War, the American military was sent in to capture advisors loyal to the Somali National Alliance. The Black Hawk helicopters are shot down during the escape, prompting a very dangerous and very deadly rescue mission. The rescue teams were greatly outnumbered and forced to contend with thousands of armed Somali soldiers, not to mention their roadblocks that effectively prevented rescue. They were forced to fight throughout the night, and while the rescue mission was a success, the battle claimed 19 American lives.

#7: The Canadian Caper

“Argo” (2012)
This thriller directed by and starring Ben Affleck tells the story of the Canadian Caper, a famous rescue operation undertaken by the CIA and Canadian government to rescue American diplomats from the Iranian hostage crisis. The crisis occurred in Tehran and saw armed supporters of the Iranian Revolution holding Americans hostage inside the U.S. Embassy. Six diplomats evade capture, and a rescue operation is launched to get them out of Iran. It’s led by Tony Mendez, who ventures into the powder keg that is Tehran to personally rescue the escapees. They are nearly captured on numerous occasions, and they just barely escape the Revolutionary Guards at the airport. The entire movie is an exercise in unbearable tension, and it makes for thrilling viewing.

#6: Stranded Astronauts

“Apollo 13” (1995)
Few things are scarier than being stranded in space. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened to astronauts Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise. They were the members of Apollo 13, a disastrous space mission that saw the service module floating through space after an oxygen tank explosion. The crew was forced to contend with a number of problems, including decreased oxygen supply, rising carbon dioxide levels, a lack of electric power, a shortage of drinking water, and a freezing cabin. Both the astronauts and ground control were forced to improvise solutions, and thanks to some quick thinking and incredible intelligence, the astronauts were able to make a safe return to Earth.

#5: Freeing the Citadel

“Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015)
This action classic takes place in a distant future in which the world has become a desert wasteland with limited resources. A dictatorial ruler named Immortan Joe runs the Citadel with his army of War Boys, providing his citizens with water only on rare occasions. Max Rockatansky and Imperator Furiosa decide to liberate the Citadel, leading Joe and his army on a thrilling chase through the desert. Many major characters die in the explosive pursuit, including Nux, Joe, and the Keeper of the Seeds. Furiosa herself is seriously wounded but is saved after Max performs a timely blood transfusion. They just barely get back to the Citadel, but they are nevertheless successful in its liberation.

#4: Nakatomi

“Die Hard” (1988)
Bruce Willis stars as action movie legend John McClane, a New York City police detective visiting Los Angeles for his estranged wife’s Christmas office party. While there, the building is overtaken by professional thieves looking to steal $640 million in bearer bonds. McClane is the only person not taken hostage, and he is forced to battle his way through the armed thieves. It’s a dangerous mission for all involved. McClane is severely battered and beaten, numerous police officers are shot after attempting a break-in, an armored car is blown up by an RPG, and some die in a massive explosion after Hans Gruber blows the roof.

#3: The Dunkirk Evacuation

“Dunkirk” (2017)
For his tenth movie, director Christopher Nolan went back to World War II to dramatize the events of the Dunkirk evacuation. Taking place from May 26 to June 4 of 1940, Operation Dynamo saw numerous Allied forces aiding in a retreat of trapped soldiers in Dunkirk, France. At the end of the nine-day ordeal, over 338,000 Allied forces had been rescued. “Dunkirk” portrays three different but concurrent stories. One sees a British private surviving numerous ship sinkings. Another concerns a Spitfire pilot defending the evacuation and engaging in numerous dogfights. The third sees a civilian vessel aiding in the evacuation and rescuing a traumatized soldier. Many people die in the ordeal, including teenage civilian George, and others are taken captive by the Germans.

#2: Luke Rescues Han & Leia

“Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back” (1980)
The final twenty minutes of this movie are an absolute rush of shocking plot developments. After experiencing a premonition, Luke abandons his training and flies to Bespin to rescue Han and Leia, who had been captured by the Empire and used as bait. Darth Vader has Han frozen in carbonite, and once Luke arrives, he engages his own son in a lightsaber duel. During the battle, Vader severs Luke’s right hand, and Luke nearly dies after falling down the massive air shaft. He is subsequently rescued by Leia and the Millennium Falcon, which is nearly overtaken by Vader’s Star Destroyer. They barely escape Bespin, and the movie ends on a famously dour note.


Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Rescuing Kidnapped Son, “Extraction” (2020)
A Mercenary Is Recruited to Rescue the Kidnapped Son of a Drug Lord

Crumbling City, “San Andreas” (2015)
A Helicopter Rescue Pilot Must Rescue His Daughter in the Midst of a Massive Earthquake

SS Pendleton, “The Finest Hours” (2016)
The Coast Guard Rescues the Crew of the SS Pendleton After the Ship Breaks in Half

Morpheus & the Agents, “The Matrix” (1999)
Neo Fights Agents & Blows Up Buildings While Rescuing Morpheus

Going After Newt, “Aliens” (1986)
Ripley Battles the Queen Alien While Rescuing Newt from the Hive

#1: Saving Private Ryan

“Saving Private Ryan” (1998)
This Steven Spielberg masterpiece concerns the rescuing of Private First Class James Ryan, the last living Ryan brother. His three brothers perish in action, two of whom died during the Normandy invasion. General George C. Marshall orders Captain John Miller to round up a team and rescue Private Ryan from Nazi-occupied Normandy so he can return home to his grieving mother. The mission proves just as dangerous as it sounds, ending in a massive battle in Ramelle involving tanks, knife-wielding Germans, and improvised sticky bombs. Most of Miller’s squad is lost, including Miller himself. Luckily, Ryan proves one of the few survivors, and he returns to Normandy as an elderly man to pay tribute to Miller.