You really don’t want to get on the wrong side of CIA dad Bryan Mills. If you kidnap his daughter (or him or his wife, for that matter), he’ll get his ‘special skills’ out and you won’t know what’s hit you – it’ll definitely hurt, though. And chances are it will be his fist. Admittedly, he should probably learn to breathe and count to ten a bit more to control his ultra violent outbursts, but hey, at least he’s a family man.
He might be a master of archeology and a Nazi-bashing hero, but Indiana ‘Junior’ Jones still gets in trouble for blaspheming in front of his dad, bless him. The parent-big kid bickering is something we’re all familiar with, and it masks a deep level of affection that’ll make you smile.
Wheezy ol’ Darth (or D Viddy, as we like to call him) is far from ‘family man of the year’: he killed his own wife and kept some pretty life-altering secrets from the kids. BUT he does make a few amends for being the most evil man in a far away galaxy: he eventually sacrifices himself to save Luke, and he takes off that uncomfy mask so his son can actually see his face. We’re not sure the gestures will help Luke forgive him for the amputation issue, but it’s a decent effort, all the same.
Seeing your dad walking around in a dress might not be the norm (well, apart from Thursday nights, obviously), but it’s all character-building stuff – just ask Kendall Jenner. It might be unconventional for your pa to dress like your nan and set fire to his own breasts, but Daniel Hillard is only doing it out of love for his children. You can’t argue with that. And he looks better in a skirt than we do…
He’s father to a murdered son – and square-jawed gladiator Maximus isn’t the type of guy to take that lying down: as he likes to remind us, he will have his vengeance, in this life or the next. Turns out the film’s hero gets his payback in both. If your lip doesn’t wobble at this Hollywood conclusion, you’re made of stronger stuff than we are.
Some dads on film are so great, so handsome, so inspirational, you'd be happy to call them your own. Others (we're mentioning no names, Darth Vader), leave much to be desired, and make you realise that your own old man's actually not that bad after all.
From criminal masterminds to moralistic heroes, we give you the best – and most entertaining – movie dads of all time.
Click through the gallery above to see our selection...
