What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedColombiana
Olivier Megaton · Film · 2011
If you loved Colombiana, start with My Name (Kim Jin-min, 2021) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Colombiana across media.
What hooked you in Colombiana is the cold, calculated precision of a protagonist systematically dismantling the lives of those who destroyed their family.
Books on the same thread
Shibumi
Trevanian · Book · 1983
Shares a thread with Colombiana: Revenge.
Like the protagonist in Colombiana, Nicholai Hel is an elite assassin defined by his lethal training, and you will appreciate how he navigates a dangerous conspiracy to exact his revenge.
Lethal
Sandra Brown · Book · 2011
Explores: Protective Motherhood, Wrongfully Accused, Forced Proximity.
If the stakes of Colombiana kept you engaged, you will find a similar intensity here as a mother fights through a dangerous manhunt to protect her family from corruption.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Millennium Trilogy)
Stieg Larsson · Book · 2010
Explores: corruption, conspiracy, abuse of power.
You will recognize the same drive for vigilante justice found in Colombiana as characters expose deep-seated conspiracies and dismantle powerful criminal networks through their own relentless, calculated actions.
The Color Purple
Alice Walker · Book · 2011
Explores: female resilience, intergenerational trauma, sisterhood.
While different in tone from Colombiana, this story mirrors the central theme of enduring childhood trauma and provides a powerful look at the resilience required to survive systemic abuse.
Series on the same thread
The Queen of Flow
Andrés Salgado · Series · 2018
Explores: Wrongful Imprisonment, Musical Prodigy, Drug Trafficking.
This series captures the core vengeance arc of Colombiana, following a woman who transforms her life after personal tragedy to systematically strike back against those who killed her family.
Revenge
Mike Kelley · Series · 2011
Shares a thread with Colombiana: Revenge.
The meticulous planning and social infiltration seen in Colombiana are mirrored here as the lead character systematically ruins the lives of the people who destroyed her family years prior.
My Name
Kim Jin-min · Series · 2021
Shares a thread with Colombiana: Organized Crime.
This show mirrors the exact path of the protagonist in Colombiana, focusing on a woman who infiltrates a crime organization to hunt down the person responsible for her father's death.
Brazil Avenue
João Emanuel Carneiro · Series · 2012
Shares a thread with Colombiana: Revenge.
Just as in Colombiana, this story centers on a young woman whose destiny is forged by cruelty, driving her to reclaim her power through a long-term, calculated revenge plot.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Cleaner
Voyage Media · Podcast
Explores: estranged family, moral ambiguity, redemption arc.
Fans of the assassin lifestyle in Colombiana will appreciate this exploration of a professional killer who must reconcile his lethal trade with the existence of his own estranged daughter.
To Live And Die In New Orleans
Voyage Media · Podcast
Explores: betrayal, accidental espionage, family secrets.
This story echoes the family-focused stakes of Colombiana, pulling an unsuspecting protagonist into a dangerous world of espionage and betrayal sparked by the sudden arrival of long-lost kin.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Colombiana a story about a professional assassin?
Yes, Colombiana follows the life of Cataleya Restrepo, who becomes a stone-cold assassin after witnessing the murder of her parents as a child. She works as a hitman for her uncle while conducting her own vigilante missions to find the mobster responsible for her family's death.
What is the primary motivation for the protagonist in Colombiana?
The protagonist in Colombiana is driven by revenge. After her parents are murdered in Bogota when she is a child, she spends her adult life working as an assassin to track down and eliminate the specific mobster who was responsible for the death of her parents.
Does Colombiana focus on the character's childhood?
Colombiana begins with the protagonist witnessing the murder of her parents as a child in Bogota. The narrative then follows her transition into adulthood as she grows up to become a stone-cold assassin who uses her skills to hunt down the people responsible for her parents' deaths.
Who does the main character work for in Colombiana?
In Colombiana, the main character works for her uncle as a hitman during the day. She balances this professional work with her personal time, which she spends engaging in vigilante murders to track down the mobster who killed her parents when she was a child.