What martial arts does Bryan Mills use in the Taken movies?

Bryan Mills is the star of the Taken movie franchise and is played by Liam Neeson. Here, the Northern Irish actor redefined what it meant to be an action star, due to being an older gentleman at the time and still managing to kick ass and take names. Since its creation, quotes such as “I will find you and I will kill you!” became instant classics.

Away from the dialogue, Bryan Mills is also a man of action which is to be expected from an ex-CIA operative. Throughout Taken, he is known for using his fighting skills which became a big hit with viewers due to their intensity and gritty nature. Read on to learn more about the martial arts used by Bryan Mills in the Taken movie series.

Bryan Mills uses Nagasu Do

This is a hybrid martial art created by Mick Gould and combines Aikido, Judo and Ju Jitsu together. As you may have figured, this is a grappling based system that aims to get people from standing to the ground by a variety of throws. Many of these throws are done by controlling the wrist (using Aikido), or by using a standing joint lock (using Ju Jitsu), or by using a general throw taken from Judo.

As seen in the clip above, the starting scene uses a bit of Aikido and Ju Jitsu where Neeson manages to divert his enemy’s attack into a chop and takedown of his own. These principles are commonly found in the aforementioned martial arts and this is an example of how Nagasu Do works on the big screen.

Bryan Mills uses Krav Maga

When fighting, Neeson is also skilled in Krav Maga. On a few occasions, he gets into tricky exchanges where his knowledge is needed to disarm pistols from close range and turn them on his enemy in a split second. Obviously, a big part of Krav Maga involves training with weapons due to its Israeli military background.

If Mills didn’t learn Krav Maga in the CIA, then there’s every possibility that he at least learned some kind of US equivalent and can apply it expertly when fighting his opponents. Another key part of Krav Maga is its ability to fight dirty and use unorthodox methods such as groin strikes if needed. This is possibly what makes Taken so great, as sometimes the fight scenes are ugly and aren’t always for Hollywood in this sense. Examples of Krav Maga include mouth smothers, rear naked chokes, and other attacks.

Bryan Mills uses Karate

Whilst Nagasu Do is great for grappling, it still leaves Mills short in the striking area, which has to be addressed if he’s to fight such dangerous mercenaries. This is where his Karate comes in. Whilst he isn’t much for applying Karate kicks, what Mills does excel at is blocking with Karate and even using traditional Karate chops too.

Often, he isn’t afraid to block with the bone of his forearm and then start punching after gaining the offensive ground. Whilst it isn’t explicitly stated that Mills is a Karateka, it’s pretty obvious at times where the choreography comes from. Often movies tend to either go with Karate or boxing, and in this case, his main striking discipline seems to be Karate.

Bryan Mills uses Tactical Shooting

Some may argue that Tactical Shooting isn’t a real martial art, but as it’s a skill that can be taught to defend yourself, it seems to fit the bill in terms of its definition. In terms of Tactical Shooting, Bryan Mills’s skills are second to none and he can easily take out targets. You would expect his opponents to be pretty skilled themselves, seeing as they’re professional killers and goons.

Still, Neeson manages to get the better of them and is very handy with his weapon of choice…the pistol. Whether it’s sneaking shots around a tight corner or firing whilst looking for cover, it’s fair to say that Bryan Mills is very handy with firearms and this would have been from his CIA training which makes sense.

Conclusion

It’s fair to say that Bryan Mills is a very skilled martial artist and is well rounded in various areas. Firstly, he is extremely gifted at Nagasu Do which is a grappling based martial art. Secondly, he is great at Karate which is good for striking, and lastly, he’s an expert marksman with firearms. When you throw in his Krav Maga skills, you’ve got a very talented martial artist.

One thing that should also be added about Neeson’s character is his mental intelligence too. In many ways, he is a master tactician and strategist. This doesn’t just apply for fights where quick thinking is required, but also for life in general. To gather the information needed to recover his kidnapped daughter proves that Bryan Mills is capable of thinking outside of the box, which is a key requirement of any martial artist. He doesn’t panic under pressure either which shows even more credit to his character.