Skip to main content
Close

Top 10 Revenge Films

By Ally Sinyard · May 17, 2012

You’ve had a hard day at work. You’ve had an argument with your partner. Your kids are giving you hassle. The Sky man didn’t turn up when he said he would, and you are still left with no television. You’ve run out of tea bags. When these situations happen, nothing can be more satisfying than sitting down and watching someone unleash all hell upon those who have wronged them. Tales of revenge are as old as time and often come with the simplest yet most enjoyable of plotlines.

Ok, so maybe we should turn the other cheek, maybe if you took an eye for an eye, the world would go blind. But this is cinema. This is make-believe. This is escaping into your own fantasy world, where it’s ok to smile to yourself as Jean Reno opens up his coat and reveals a shitload of grenades to the villainous Gary Oldman.

Below are the ten most enjoyable and well-executed (no pun intended) revenge stories in film. You’ll notice some glaring omissions, such as Carrie, Sin City, Inglourious Basterds and, I’m sure, many more. The reason for this is that I consider such films to be using revenge as more of a subplot or secondary focus. In the films below, revenge is the sole aim of the game. So there you go, a whole introduction on revenge films without any mention of an old Klingon Proverb…whodda thunk it?

10. Law Abiding Citizen (2009)

For me, one of the best features of Law Abiding Citizen is its pacing. It all kicks off within the first couple of minutes, and it doesn’t let up for the subsequent 106. You never feel overwhelmed by what is going on and you are never bored by it. If you’re the kind of person that tends to find themselves looking at their watch, go and rent this film. I’ve already sat my dad and brother down to watch it, and they almost immediately shared it with friends. And they normally HATE the films I make them watch, being a “film geek” and all that. I guess the word I am looking for is “accessible,” it can be enjoyed from everyone from us geeks to those nutters who “don’t have time” for films. It is about Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler), your (seemingly) average Joe who decides to take on the US legal system after they fail to bring to justice the men who killed his wife and daughter. And I don’t mean he just writes an angry letter to the paper; the film features such brilliant lines as, “this is for your penis…but we’ll get to that later” as Shelton brandishes a boxcutter. It has a 25% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and I know everyone’s entitled to their own opinion…but what does this “everyone” know? It may not be the perfect film, but I think it’s a great story that is clever, well-executed and asks a lot of interesting questions.

9. Man on Fire (2004)

In Man on Fire, Denzel Washington plays “equal parts tortured soul and semi-automatic enthusiast” John Creasy, a former Marine Force Recon officer and CIA operative hired to protect Dakota Fanning (Phil Pirrello and Jesse Schedeen, IGN.) When she is kidnapped, he sets out to take revenge on those who took the only person who made him complete. What works best here is the carefully crafted relationship between Creasy and young “Pita.” It is an unlikely friendship which finds its way into your weak spots, which makes the eventual comeuppance of the baddies all the more enjoyable. The performances of Washington and Fanning are the major highlight, with Washington’s “brooding emptiness” commanding the screen and Fanning succeeding as the “precocious but never overbearing dream child” (Todd, McCarthy,“Variety.) If these characters had been as extreme as the violence, there would have been very little to charm us. The critical reception of the film was not so great with many deeming the vigilante violence a little OTT. However, the author of the 1980 novel was more than pleased with the result and, after all, surely he is one we should all listen to?

8. Irréversible (2002)

A controversial choice for many reasons, yes, but I really do believe it both qualifies for and deserves a place on this list. If you haven’t seen it, Irréversible is a French film that is most well-known for having a reverse structure like Memento and for 9 of the most painful minutes you will ever experience in your whole film-viewing life. No other film has ever left me in such total discomfort and such blissful amazement at the same time. It really is a brilliant, brilliant film. Anyhoo, on the subject of revenge, Irreversible distinguishes itself by “exposing the male thirst for vengeance as totally irredeemable” (Metro Magazine.) At the start of the film, we see a man have his head caved in with a fire extinguisher. Was it justified? Well, its way too complicated and way too good a revelation to write here. The way we discover the truth is in one of the most unique ways a story has ever been told. Irréversible’s reverse structure gives a fresh new perspective on rape-revenge films that I have nothing but absolute praise for. I know it seems like I’m hyping the structure up way too much, like people did with Memento, but it is so important to the power of the film.  The way that information is affected by being given to us AFTER events have happened makes it both horrendous and satisfying as a revenge film.

7. The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)

This is the tenth adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ (also of Three Musketeers fame) book of the same name. That’s right…TENTH! You know you’re onto a juicy story when filmmakers just cannot leave it alone. In the case of Kevin Reynolds, director of this 2002 version, the story has also been tweaked a fair bit. Relationships between characters have changed, the ending has changed, and various other aspects have been shifted or simplified or even added. For those of you who, like myself, have heard of The Count but have never looked into it, it is a story about a young and successful merchant sailor named Edmond Dantès who is betrayed and imprisoned. After locating some lost treasure, he then disguises himself as the Count of Monte Cristo in order to take revenge. It’s a bit more complicated than that, but we’re a little pushed for time and space here. Anyway, in Kevin Reynold’s version, a solid cast leads the way with Jim Caviezel as Dantès and Guy Pearce playing Fernand Mondego, his supposed friend and betrayer. The inclusion of new action sequences gave this swashbuckler an exciting new direction and the film was met with generally favourable reviews and box office success. What works best in this case, though, is how we see our hero grow. Whereas a lot of revenge films will focus on the action, Reynold’s Count contemplates suffering and raises questions such as God’s use of evil for good’s sake. An action-adventure with a brain!

6. Gladiator (2000)

“My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.” If that moment doesn’t give you tingles, then quite frankly you’re just not human. Gladiator follows Maximus (Russell Crowe), a loyal Roman General who is betrayed when the Emperor’s son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), kills his father and seizes the throne. Knowing that the Emperor favoured Maximus, he has his wife and son killed and Maximus is reduced to a slave. The film revolves around his rising through the ranks of the gladiators in order to avenge himself and his family. There is something about setting a story of revenge in the classical era that makes it both more symbolic and earthier, and more brutal then any other period. Perhaps, in the case of Gladiator, this is highlighted by the grandeur of the sets, the awesome score, the fantastic action sequences. Or it could be something within the era itself; that sense of the omnipresent higher powers, the stripping back and overexposure of such themes as family, loyalty and, of course, vengeance. Gladiator is one of the greatest epics to have come out of the 21stCentury so far and is already regarded as one of the best films of all time (Channel 4.) It’s cliché, but…ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED??

5. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 & 2 (2003/2004)

You were expecting it, but that’s OK. I don’t mind if you think it’s too obvious a choice, because somehow, sadly, Tarantino has become some sort of pariah for obvious film list choices. One of the reasons I am including Kill Bill (to be clear, that’s the whole shabang, parts 1 and 2) is because of the way that the antagonists treat the idea of revenge. None of the five killers on the Bride’s (Uma Thurman) list attempt to dodge the inevitable. Bill (Michael Madsen) even admits, “that woman deserves her vengeance.” So we’re not caught up in the chase, because we pretty much know from the get-go that she’s going to track down every single one. Instead, we can focus on enjoying the ride and, along the way, piecing together how we got to this place. With its “eclectic use of music and inventive mix of genres,” we have a highly-stylised, hugely enjoyable revenge movie that, minus the animated sequence, wouldn’t look out of place amongst the films it is paying tribute to (Urban Cinefile.) Like most of Tarantino’s work, it is visually and culturally rich with outstanding editing and sharp dialogue. I’m such a fan of his work that I never quite know where to place it on a list, because I find most of his films, including Kill Bill, to be extraordinary. Halfway will suffice. Kill Bill, without a doubt, deserves a spot on here as one of the great revenge movies. I look forward to the third instalment, predicted to be released in 2014!

4. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

If you’re looking for a revenge film, you can never fail if you look for a western. However, Once Upon a Time in the West is not the film you should go for if you’re looking for something fast-paced and bloody as hell. This is by no means a criticism! It is EPIC, and with epic films often come long, slow scenes with very little dialogue or action. These scenes are then broken by sudden violence, often packing more of a punch than any bloody film we’ve looked at so far! This is because Sergio Leone was not interested in the violence itself; he was interested in the way violence is preceded and how these quests for vengeance lead to such moments. As if often the case with carefully constructed, thoughtful and lengthy films, it was a financial flop and received mostly negative reviews. Interesting how it is now considered a masterpiece and probably the best western of all time! Once Upon a Time is a rather tangled affair, with several characters all seeking retribution, but the main focus is the murder of a family caught up in a land ownership quarrel. Henry Fonda is famously cast against type as villainous hired gun Frank, with Charles Bronson as his nemesis, the enigmatic “Harmonica.” The subplot focused on these two is my personal favourite of the film, with Harmonica’s motive for vengeance withheld until the end in an awesome showdown. What makes this film so fantastic is that it is not spread thinly; it is not “part-this, part-that.” It combines many genres and many themes superbly, satisfyingly covering a revenge story, a land struggle, a tart from the east seeking a new life and a coming together of the west and civilization. It is “the ultimate western” (onceuponatimeinthewest.net).

3. Leon (1994)

Leon is an anomaly on this list, as it is what I would consider a Marmite Film. For those of you unaccustomed to the yeasty treat, it means that you “love it or hate it.” For a lot of people, the tone of the film was ruined by one man and one man alone: Gary Oldman. Many found his portrayal of the drug-chomping corrupt cop Normal Stansfield to be ridiculously overdramatic. However, having watched this film post-The Dark Knight, I think newer audiences would agree that in the fantasy world of goodies and baddies, you can never go too crazy. I loved it because I love me a good villain. His performance also works well alongside the astonishing debut by 12-year-old Natalie Portman, who plays young-girl-seeking-bloody-vengeance Mathilda. These characters and the world they like in are deliberately fantastic! It is a shame that so many overlook this! It also means that Jean Reno’s minimalist performance of Leon gives the film an incredibly fresh perspective. For once, our hero in a revenge film isn’t on the warpath. He is quiet, withdrawn, and at his most appealing in such moments as when he is watching an old Gene Kelly movie – “he has the rapt expression of a boy watching his first Disney” (Rob Gonsalves, EFilmCritic.com). I personally love films that deal with new perspectives and are wonderfully original, and Leon quickly shot its way up into my Top 10 films as soon as it finished. For something different, look no further!

2. Oldboy (2003)

South Korean Oldboy is number two of Park Chan Wook’s “Vengeance Trilogy,” which also includes Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Lady Vengeance. Businessman Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) is mysteriously abducted and locked away in a hotel room for 15 years. During this time, his wife is killed and his daughter adopted. Then, one day, he is suddenly released and immediately sets out for revenge. Everything about this film is stunning and unique, from the strong emotional core, to the great, twisted mystery to the cinematography. It has such iconic moments as a fight scene in a hallway, shot in one long take and not dissimilar to a video game. Oh Dae-su is armed with just a hammer and his own fists. Oh yes. And if you think that’s toe-curling, just wait for the plot twists! It doesn’t get much more horrendous. Oldboy also stands out as a film that can hold its own as a thriller in the Western world, offering “a breath of fresh air to anyone gasping on the fumes of too many traditional Hollywood thrillers” (James Berardinelli.) I’m not saying that all world cinema is therefore amazing by default, but if you haven’t yet crossed over into foreign films, Oldboy is my first and most beloved.

1. Death Wish (1974)

“No other movie embodies the theme of revenge more perfectly than "Death Wish" does” (John Coon, “Screen Junkies.”) “The mother of all revenge movies” (Gary Susman, “Entertainment Weekly.”) These are bold statements to make, but is there any weight in them? I definitely think so! Charles Bronson plays Paul Kersey. His wife is murdered and his daughter is sexually assaulted. When the police are unable to bring justice, he takes the law into his own hands. For the 1970s, this kind of bold and brutal film was unheard of and yet Kersey’s vigilantism was embraced by the public as crime rates slowly began to creep up. Most critics, however, were horrified by this support and considered the film an “immoral threat to society.” Regardless of whether or not you fancy yourself as a bit of a vigilante, Death Wish has done for revenge films what Night of the Living Dead did for zombie films and what Jaws did for the blockbuster. The genre has never been the same since and no amount of god-awful sequels, re-hashings or remakes will ever recapture the sheer rawness of what Bronson and director Michael Winner created here.