When most people think of revenge movies, they think of violent action thrillers, but this only scratches the surface. There are all sorts ofgreat revenge movies, ranging from crime dramas to teen comedies. Vengeance and justice are universal themes, so it makes sense that they’re important to more than just the action genre.
Although movies likeJohn WickandKill Billhave come to exemplify revenge cinema, they offer just one of many interpretations of the theme. Audiences often find violent, bloody revenge to be cathartic, even if it’s just a fantasy. Other types of revenge movies can be just as satisfying.
Many of thebest heist movies everdistinguish themselves from the competition by adding a personal element to the capers, like Danny’s love for Tess inOcean’s Elevenor Hanna and McCauley’s dynamic inHeat.WhetherThe Stingcounts as a real heist movie or not, it certainly has a similar tone.
As Redford’s character states plainly, he resorts to the big con only because he has no experience of murdering people.
Robert Redford and Paul Newman star as two con artists who seek revenge against a violent Chicago-based mob boss for killing a close friend. As Redford’s character states plainly, he resorts to the big con only because he has no experience of murdering people, but the intent is the same, and this leads to a rapturous finale.
The current wave of feminist revenge thrillers has a lot to thankGone Girlfor. Based on the best-selling book by Gillian Flynn,Gone Girlfollows the chaos that erupts after a woman fakes her own kidnapping to frame her husband for a crime he didn’t commit.
10 Great Film Noir Movies About Revenge
Revenge has been a consistent theme across the history of cinema, with film noirs being the perfect vehicles for stories of retribution and vengeance.
Gone Girlis one ofDavid Fincher’s best movies, putting a twist on his ongoing exploration of criminal psychology.Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike are both fantastic, which is important for a movie that’s so often about how people act and how they’re supposed to act.
Promising Young Womanis another thriller in the tradition ofGone Girl,one in which a woman takes violent revenge against the men who have ruined her life, but it also feels like a timely social document produced at the height of the #MeToo movement.
Promising Young Womanstars Carey Mulligan as a woman who seeks revenge against the man whose sexual violence contributed to her friend’s suicide. She delivers a compelling performance as a righteous agent of twisted justice, offering just enough ambiguity to avoid being too blunt. In this way,Promising Young Womanis the type of film that’s sure to spark debate and give audiences a lot to think about.
Mean Girlsis a hilarious teen comedy, dissecting the absurd political melodrama that takes place in many high schools. To the characters involved, there’s nothing more important or more dramatic than people forming new relationships and shunning old friends, but from the outside it’s entertainingly low-stakes.
Mean Girlshas a great script, packed with memorable quotes and scathing put-downs. The comedy is all rooted in riotously bad behavior, which contributes to the toxic environment of the high school that Cady finds herself sinking into. This explains why she’s willing to sink to Regina’s level when targeting revenge.Mean Girlshas the broad strokes of a much more serious drama, but the story is told with piquant humor and a focus on fashion.
The first movie inKenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot seriesadapts a true Agatha Christie classic.Murder on the Orient Expresshas been adapted for film and TV before, andmany people watching Branagh’s version for the first time would already have known the twist, but it’s still a fun adaptation nonetheless.
10 Best Martial Arts Revenge Movies
Heroes avenging their teachers and loved ones is a big theme in many martial arts films - we rundown the 10 best martial arts revenge movies.
Murder on the Orient Expresssees Poirot stumbling into another perplexing mystery. As usual, his investigation must first address any possible motives among his limited pool of suspects. To say much more would risk spoiling the ending, but revenge plays an important factor.
Many ofMartin Scorsese’s moviesdeal with the theme of revenge in some way, whether it’s tied to honor, personal pride or guilt.Cape Fearaddresses revenge head-on, remaking a Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum movie from 1962 with just as much bite.
Robert De Niro shines as Max Cady, a newly-released convict who returns to torment the lawyer he blames for his incarceration. Rather than simply killing the lawyer, he goes about terrorizing his entire life, even seducing his teenage daughter. De Niro’s slimy, contemptuous performance is vital, as he gives off the air of a supernatural beast.
The Menuis a strange and captivating movie, mostly because the script is designed to gradually drip-feed the audience information about the true nature of Chef Slowik’s mysterious restaurant.It doesn’t reveal his motives for revenge until relatively late in the story.
Chef Slowik seeks revenge against those who have profiteered off his art without ever fully understanding or appreciating it. This is an artist’s diatribe against the way wealthy elites commodify and quantify the work of other people. There’s also a hint of self-flagellation, as Slowik chastizes himself for his complicity.
Do Revengeis clearly inspired by Patricia Highsmith’sStrangers on a Train,in which two people enter a mutual agreement to help each other with grave problems so that their crimes can’t be traced back to them. However, it’s also a teen comedy that pays homage to the likes ofMean GirlsandHeathers.
10 Best Western Movies About Revenge
Some of the best Westers in the history of the genre are about revenge, a theme that can make for compelling, engaging stories when done right.
By incorporating elements of popular teen comedies, complete with a brightly-colored aesthetic,Do Revengeputs a comedic spin on Highsmith’s noveland its famous Hitchcock adaptation. The essence of the story is still there, butDo Revengeis a more playful tale of unlikely friendship.
Like allWes Anderson movies,The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissouis gorgeous to look at. However, in this case, the brightly colored settings, stop-motion creatures and stylish backdrops are all contrasted by the main character’s quest for bloody revenge against the shark that killed his best friend.
The Life Aquaticis a story about the wild things that grief can make people do.Steve Zissou faces personal and professional troubles, but his single-minded pursuit of vengeance is never far from his mind. It drives him to the depths of the ocean, and through dangerous side missions. Ultimately, he comes to understand that his rage is a poor salve for his grief.
Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd make a great comedic duo inTrading Places.They play two men who are used as pawns in a twisted game by two billionaire stockbrokers. Although these characters bicker for a while, they soon team up to plot their revenge against the men who treated their lives like nothing.
Trading Placesis so satisfying because the nature of the revenge is proportionate to the transgression.
Trading Placesis so satisfying because the nature of the revenge is proportionate to the transgression. Through their immoral wager, the stockbrokers prove that the only thing that matters to them is money, soseeing them being stripped of their assets and beaten at their own game is just as cathartic as any violent, action-packed revenge thriller.
