The film to see in theatres right now is Robert Eggers’ Viking revenge flick THE NORTHMAN (read Reel Speak’s review HERE). The blood-for-blood tale of vengeance has entered the discussion of the best revenge movies of all time, which brings us to Reel Speak’s first crack at the topic.
The dictionary tells us that revenge is a retaliation; to inflict injury or death in return, and the movies have told us that revenge is a dish best served cold. Cinema has made careers out of revenge stories that have crossed every genre, including Westerns, sci-fi, superheroes, and crime. Classic films such as THE CROW (1994), and Martin Scorsese’s CAPE FEAR (1991), and GANGS OF NEW YORK (2002) have capitalized on it, horror flicks such as CARRIE (1976) have spilled more than once of blood in return, and Charles Bronson had a second career in his DEATH WISH franchise. STAR WARS had a film based around payback in REVENGE OF THE SITH (2005), and in recent years the JOHN WICK franchise has proved to be very popular. The best films about revenge are the ones that best use vengeance as a driving force in the plot, and takes the time to see how the thirst for blood effects the characters. Other factors to be considered is that the film must be good (of course), and have a fair amount of longevity.
So, let’s get some payback…
10. THE LADY EVE (1941)
Director Preston Sturges is one of the founders of the cinematic screwball comedy, and THE LADY EVE is one of his best. Barbara Stanwyck plays a con artist who falls in love with a man she’s trying to swindle (played by Henry Fonda), and tries to get back at him after he discovers her ruse. The film has several ups and downs as the two fall in and out love and get back at each other after one betrayal after another. It’s not nearly as dark or bloody as most revenge flicks that we’re used to, but it shows that payback can be fun, too.
9. KILL BILL VOLUME 2 (2004)
Quentin Tarantino’s two-part crusade is a masterstroke in understanding the need for revenge. VOLUME 1 from 2003 could easily have been selected here, but where the first film was a full-throttle bloodbath, the sequel hit the brakes and dug into the characters for a surprising character study…getting into the depths of those who do the killing. Uma Thurman as the vengeful Bride is electric, and her showdown with Bill (the late great David Carradine), turns the tables on how we expect final battles to play out.
8. PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN (2020)
Winner of Best Original Screenplay at the 93rd Academy Awards, this Emerald Fennell-directed drama sees Carey Mulligan (who earned a Best Actress nomination), playing the long-game as she gets revenge against predatory men. Full of twists and turns, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN makes darn sure that we are on the side of the wronged, topped off with a shocker of an ending.
7. ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1968)
Arguably the best Old West yarn from Sergio Leone, which sees a hired gun doing battle to gain control of a frontier town. Hollywood legends Charles Bronson, Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, and Claudia Cardinale lead the cast, and the best part about the film is that it isn’t revealed as a revenge story until the very end…making the slowly unfolding plot worth every one of its 166 minutes.
6. THE NORTHMAN (2022)
The only reason this doesn’t rank higher is because it hasn’t had the test of time put to it yet, and the years may see it rise or even fall, but for now it deserves to be here. Robert Eggers, in only his third feature film, fashions a masterpiece which sees an exiled prince-turned-Viking (Alexander Skarsgard), seeking revenge against his own uncle. Brutal and bloody with fantasy elements that sends our heads spinning, THE NORTHMAN is surprisingly intimate and keeps close to our main character to make sure he doesn’t lose his humanity in his quest for blood.
5. V FOR VENDETTA (2005)
The Wachowski Siblings produced, and James McTeigue directed this adaptation of the popular and iconic graphic novel by Alan Moore and David Lloyd. Hugo Weaving dons the mask and hat of the mysterious “V”, who plays the long game in getting even with the fascist and authoritarian government who ruined a country and took away his life and many others. What makes it special is that V’s mission isn’t just for himself but for others, making this vengeance tale about more than just one man. Weaving is backed by excellent performances by Natalie Portman and a towering John Hurt in this film which has become a cult classic and a new symbol for resistance in today’s age.
4. OLDBOY (2003)
This neo-nor thriller directed by Park Chan-wook sees a man (Choi Min-sik), seeking revenge against his captor of 15 years…a path that leads him into a deep tangle of conspiracy and violence topped off with one of the most shocking twists ever in cinema. Often regarded as one of the best films of the 2000’s, OLDBOY shows us that revenge can be the hardest on those seeking it.
3. GLADIATOR (2000)
Sir Ridley Scott’s Best Picture winner about the Roman general Maximus (Russell Crowe), who loses his rank and family and enters a life of slavery and gladiator-battles to get back at the Emperor (Joaquin Phoenix), who did the taking. Epic in scale and in the telling, Maximus also plays the long game in his quest for payback, and his chilling monologue of “I am Maximus…” is the essence of revenge.
2. CONAN THE BARBARIAN (1982)
John Milius introduced the world to Arnold Schwarzenegger, who donned the sword and muscle of Conan in this adaption of the literary hero. Conan is on a mission of revenge against Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones), the man who murdered his parents and razed his village. CONAN is not as deep as most revenge tales go, but its larger-than-life characters, dialogue, and battles make it iconic and towering over any film that swung a sword.
1. STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN (1982)
We’ve spent a lot of time with the heroes getting payback, but what happens when the bad guy gets a shot at it? For the second big-screen voyage of the Starship Enterprise, director Nicholas Meyer dove into STAR TREK’s rich TV history and dug up the superior intellectual and iron-strong Khan, reprised by the late great Ricardo Montalban. On mission of payback against Admiral James T. Kirk, Khan slits throats, hijacks Starships, puts creatures into crew members bodies, and most importantly, he inflicts a wound into Kirk that lasts throughout the rest of his life. In this tale of payback, the bad guy actually wins, and his actions would set a new standard that all STAR TREK, and nearly every cinematic villain, has been measured by since. This is cinematic revenge that is wide-reaching, brutal, bloody, and cold. And as Khan told us, revenge is a dish best served cold.
Reel Speak's Top 10 Best Revenge Films
- STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN
- CONAN THE BARBARIAN
- GLADIATOR
- OLDBOY
- V FOR VENDETTA
- THE NORTHMAN
- ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST
- PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
- KILL BILL VOLUME 2
- THE LADY EVE
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