Revenge movies can be some of the most emotionally satisfying films when done right. Each will open with the protagonist getting wronged in some form or another (usually left for dead or due to the death of a loved one), and the entire movie is bent on them getting justice. Many of these movies are brutal, bloody action movies, with an incredible amount of high energy to them. The plot are intrinsically simple, yet very effective because the movie has one goal for its entire run time, and we’re waiting to see that goal get met. Most of the characters in these films are usually very likable and easy to root for, so to see them get their way makes for a very enjoyable experience.
The John Wick movies - the third of which saw release this week - are all built on the foundation of revenge, and have been one of the most successful and all-around fun action movies in recent years. To coincide with the release of John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, here are ten of the best revenge movies (in alphabetical order).
Mild Spoilers to Follow:
1) Commando
Forget Taken. If you want to see a great movie about someone coming after his daughter’s kidnappers, there’s no better place to turn than this underrated 1985 Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. The premise is simple. A group of mercenaries kidnap Arnold’s daughter (played by Alyssa Milano) and ask him to carry out a political assassination for them in exchange for his daughter back. Unfortunately, Arnold has other plans. Arnold quickly wiggles his way out of carrying out the task assigned to him and comes hunting for his daughter’s kidnappers, finding many of the grunts and disposing of them one by one before being faced with an onslaught of men that leads to a bloody, non-stop third act. The film is full of every quintessential Arnold Schwarzenegger cliche, filled with cheesy one-liners and over-the-top action. Probably one of his most underrated films, this is easily one of Arnold’s best.
2) The Crow
The film that will always be remembered more for the controversy surrounding it - that being the untimely death of star Brandon Lee on set - than for the quality of its story. That’s not to say this is a forgotten film, but it is more of a cult classic than anything. Lee plays a man brutally murdered but comes back to life a year later and extracts revenge on those who killed him, leading him to scour the streets of Detroit, disposing of low level street criminals associated with his killers. The film is one of the most visually appealing entries on this list, with its dark, gothic undertones. Still, it was never grim, and Lee gave a gleeful performance that sometimes injected bits of levity to make for a fun action movie. The film is also very emotionally resonant, as it focused immensely not just on dishing out justice, but also honoring the lives that were taken at the beginning of the movie. This allowed the film to also pay tribute to the fallen Lee, whose career unfortunately was only just starting and would have easily flourished.
3) Death Wish
The film that popularized the genre and also made Charles Bronson the original middle-aged action star, which Liam Neeson is now all too known for. What makes Death Wish one of the most interesting entries on this list is that Bronson never goes after the attackers who originally wronged him in this movie. After his family is initially attacked and his wife dies as a result, his attackers are never seen again, which adds a sense of realism, considering it’s so incredibly easy to never have a chance encounter again after the initial incident. Instead, Bronson just snaps and resorts to a life of vigilantism, so that no one else will have to go what he wen through at the beginning of the movie. He simply just mercilessly takes down low level criminals throughout the movie. The film was heavily criticized for its promotion of vigilantism, with characters in the movie even positively commenting how crime has gone down since Bronson goes on his killing spree. And while its morals may seem somewhat askew to some, it’s still a fun action movie with a cat-and-mouse element to it, as it also focuses on the cops who try to track Bronson down. A great movie that inspired many of the movies that are on this list, and more, Death Wish is a classic revenge movie.
4) Django Unchained
Revenge is one of the main themes of many Quentin Tarantino movies, and while some of them only touch on that element for select scenes, Django Unchained is a movie fully bent on dishing out justice. The film follows Jamie Foxx as the title character, a slave freed by a dentist-turned-bounty hunter, played by Christoph Waltz. Foxx helps Waltz track down some men for a bounty and in exchange, Waltz helps Foxx find his wife, who’s currently residing as a slave on a plantation known as Candy Land, owned by Leonardo DiCaprio in one of his most over-the-top performances to date. Unlike many of the films on this list, Django Unchained’s plot is a bit more complex than the average revenge movie, with its run time spanning to well over two and a half hours. Though the film is dripping with all of Tarantino’s usual elements that make his films so enjoyable to watch, with dark humor and slow-burning tense sequences of suspense that lead to some bloody, violent action scenes. At this point, Tarantino had already been making movies for twenty years, but this is easily one of his very best.
5) Get Carter
For those who know Michael Caine now as the kindly philosophical mentor figure - as seen predominantly in Christopher Nolan’s movies - here’s a whole other side to him. The film follows Caine as the title character, a gangster whose brother dies under mysterious circumstances. When he goes to investigate, he finds many of his old associates, who seem to dodge him when he inquires about his brother. When he finally gets some information, he flies into an emotional rage and vows revenge. Another entry on this list that’s slightly more complex than most revenge movies, as Caine spends most of the movie trying to figure out what happens to his brother and encountering other unsavory types along the way. Though the film isn’t short on emotion or action, at times almost feeling like a documentary, as Caine and director Michael Hodges looking to produce a movie that was more of a detailed look of crime in Britain. The film plays more like a high-stakes “whodunit” in its first half before diving into an explosive second act that signified that Caine - then, still somewhat early in his career - can be a great action hero.
6) Gladiator
This one’s much more of an emotional experience than it is a non-stop, bloody action movie. The film follows Russell Crowe as a Roman general who was chosen by the Emperor (Richard Harris) to succeed him, rather than picking his unruly son, played by Joaquin Phoenix. Upon hearing this, Phoenix murders his father, as well as Crowe’s family, leaving Crowe for dead. Crowe is eventually captured as a slave and sold to fight in gladiator battles, where he comes face to face with Phoenix once again. The driving force behind this film is Crowe’s crowd-pleasing performance, as well as Phoenix’s performance as the hateful antagonist. And when I say this guy is hateful, I mean he is easily one of the most despicable villains in movie history, and the hopes of seeing him get his just desserts is intensified with each passing scene as he finds more reasons to get under everyone’s skin. While it’s more performance heavy, the film still has moments of intensity in terms of action, with the gladiator battles not just entertaining, but at many points emotionally resonant. The only entry on this list to win an Academy Award for Best Picture, Gladiator is a modern classic.
7) Inglourious Basterds
Another Tarantino movie where revenge is the overarching theme. Set in an alternate history, the film takes place in World War II and tells multiple plot lines that involve a Jewish woman, played by Melanie Laurent, whose family gets murdered at the beginning of the film by the Nazis, led by Christoph Waltz. As she sets to extract her revenge, unbeknownst to her, there’s also a group of American soldiers, led by Brad Pitt, who seek to dish out their own brand of justice on the Nazis. The film can sometimes be a bit exposition heavy as it does a lot of setting up at times, but each time it goes to set something up, the payoff is well worth it. Like in many of Tarantino’s other movies, the film is filled with plenty of dark humor, and contains some explosive action scenes after minutes upon minutes of suspense built upon two people just sitting and talking. The “basement sequence” with Michael Fassbender in the film’s halfway point is the perfect example of just how masterful Tarantino can be at creating tension. Hilariously, bloody fun, this is another fantastic entry in Tarantino’s filmography.
8) I Saw the Devil
Easily one of the most twisted entries on this list, and also the only foreign-language entry on this list. The film follows a secret service agent, played by Lee Byung-hun, whose finance is brutally murdered by a serial killer, played by Choi Min-sik. Vowing revenge, the twist is Byung-hun tracks down the killer early on in the film and places a tracker inside him so he can toy with him for the whole movie, not before beating him to a bloody pulp. The film turns into a cat-and-mouse, with the agent tormenting the killer, and not the other way around. While nearly all the movies on this list can be quite bloody at times, I Saw the Devil is flat out gruesome, almost towing the line of being uncomfortable at times. Though the film is another one that lends itself to being emotionally engaging, with much of the film focused around the two main characters’ relationships, in addition to partaking in some grisly violence. The one movie that will make my of the other movies on this list feel as tame as a Disney movie, I Saw the Devil sees the revenge genre at its finest.
9) John Wick
The original John Wick is easily the best of the trilogy, as much of the film’s plot is driven by a personal, emotional experience, which is found less in the film’s sequels. The film follows Keanu Reeves as the title character, a retired assassin whose home is broken into one night, resulting in his car stolen and dog killed. And now, he’s out for revenge, diving back into the life he thought he’d left behind. The film takes its inspiration from martial arts films as well as anime, being the closest thing to a great live-action anime film that we’ve gotten so far. It’s highly stylistic, with many of its action scenes being very over the top, and its subtitled moments containing text that jumps out at the screen. This movie also benefits from a fantastic, emotional performance from Keanu Reeves, who before this hadn’t been seen in a great movie since starring in The Matrix. A film so successful that it spawned a successful franchise, John Wick is easily one of the best action movies in recent memory.
10) Kill Bill (Vol. 1 and 2)
Tarantino once again makes his way onto this list. I’m cheating a little by including both Kill Bill movies in the same entry, but technically this was meant to be one film, and was only cut in two due to the four hour run time. Kill Bill was the first time Tarantino made revenge the primary focus of his films, having dabbled with the theme in his previous three films. The premise is simple, as it follows a woman simply known as The Bride, played by Uma Thurman, who’s left for dead by a group of assassins, led by David Carradine as the titular Bill, only to come back years later and vow revenge on all of them. What’s interesting is that while this was meant to be one film, the two halves are drastically different from one another. Volume 1 is the more explosive action movie, while Volume 2 is a more methodical, exposition heavy film that focuses more on world building. Despite the stylistic differences, they are both fantastic watches, boosted by Uma Thurman’s standout performance as the Bride, as well as both films’ influence from martial arts and samurai films. Epic in scope, well-acted, and high in energy, Kill Bill is a defining entry in the revenge genre.
Comments