Let’s get real for a moment, revenge is a very ingrained idea in the human psyche since we tend to get emotional about certain things that happen in life and it’s a little too natural for some folks to fly off the hook so to speak, and become fixated on getting revenge for a wrong they’ve suffered. In the movies, this is fairly common since the people that have been wronged either have the means to do as they want or need to, and they don’t have any qualms about going after the person or people that did them dirty. There are usually complications that occur since it keeps the story flowing in the direction it needs to with just enough hurdles to clear, as it adds a layer of depth to the tale that people tend to like. Simple revenge isn’t always as satisfying since it might involve a one-and-done type of feel that isn’t really something that people want to settle with. A good revenge story has a fair number of twists and turns that keep people guessing, or at least keep them watching, until the bitter end. Here are ten of the best revenge movies ever made.
10. Unhinged
This might not have been seen as one of Russell Crowe’s best movies, but it’s one of those that could be called great since it’s the type that a lot of us could relate to when it comes to traffic and how it makes us feel when someone lays on their horn. This guy went off the rails, there’s no doubt, but admit it, he’s a lot of us during rush hour.
9. Law-Abiding Citizen
Even a simple explanation might not have been enough to make Clyde realize why the man that killed his family was set free on a lame deal cut by those who were presiding over the case. Clyde’s vengeance was bound to come no matter what, and to be honest, there are a lot of people that feel he was right to take it, at least on Darby.
8. A Man Apart
This story teetered between a revenge story and one in which the primary characters were seeking justice against the drug lord that they’d captured in the beginning. Plus, it was a kind of a twist to realize that the drug lord had orchestrated everything, including the deaths of his family.
7. The Foreigner
It’s definitely a stereotype to include the IRA in a revenge story like this, but that stereotype managed to get their butts handed to them by a Chinese gentleman whose daughter turned out to be collateral damage during one of their bombings. One thing you don’t do is ignore a man that has an ax to grind for the sake of his child.
6. Urban Legend
It’s tough to tell if this would have been better if it hadn’t been a revenge story, but it was easy to appreciate the fact that the story didn’t hinge on the revenge plot at every turn, since it kept people guessing right up until the final confrontation. Plus, the myth of Pop Rocks and soda pop gag was priceless.
5. The Crow
A revenge tale in the name of love is something that’s kind of common since the moment that someone has their love taken away from them by another individual, it’s time to plan one’s revenge and then take it. But being dead and able to take a serious amount of damage while healing in mere seconds, that’s a big bonus to be certain.
4. Kill Bill vol. 2
Arguably one of the best revenge stories of all time, Beatrix Kiddo is THE badass when it comes to female warriors since she can do pretty much anything that Tarantino needs her to do. Plus, she does get messed up every single fight, which proves she’s skilled, but not untouchable.
3. Man on Fire
Think about this movie this way, Creasey had pretty much given up and had nothing to live for, not even the job. When Pita broke through that hardened exterior she showed him it was okay to feel, and when she was kidnapped, that was taken away. That’s a serious mistake that couldn’t be forgiven.
2. John Wick
Granted, the guys that killed John’s dog and stole his car didn’t know about his wife, but the first two are so bad that it wasn’t going to be let go without punishment, and even the kid’s father knew that messing with John was the last thing that anyone should have done. Any guy that’s sent in to kill the boogeyman is someone you just don’t screw around with.
1. Faster
It would actually be kind of interesting to see how many people know about this movie since it was actually one of Johnson’s better performances even if he didn’t have a lot of lines. He just had to be a gun-toting badass that no one wanted to mess with, and he did that perfectly.
Hot or cold, revenge is a dish that no one should have a hankering for.
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