Movies - TV
The 15 Best Revenge Movies Ranked
By GINO ORLANDINI
15. Taken
While “Taken” starts like a cringe TV movie of the week, it evolves into one of the most violent and best thrillers, turning almost 60-year-old Liam Neeson into a franchise action star. Director Pierre Morel purposefully pieces the action scenes together and the fight choreography is reminiscent of what one may see from martial artist Donnie Yen in "Ip Man.”
14. Oldboy
Korean movies push the envelope in violent and psychological ways that wouldn’t fly with Hollywood studios, and 2003’s Oldboy is no exception. Both the villain and anti-hero are seeking revenge in this fantastically bloody martial arts-tinged film.
13. True Grit
This modern remake of the 1969 John Wayne classic is more faithful to the novel’s grittier tone. Hailee Steinfeld’s Mattie is more determined than haunted in her quest to get revenge and in this female-centered story, she relies on her wit and grit rather than her physical strength.
12. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
It's hard to say which version is better: the original Swedish adaptation, or the more polished David Fincher remake from 2011. The original has the better Lisbeth Salander; actress Noomi Rapace so perfectly captured the darkness inside this cyberpunk hacker, but it's really worth watching both.
11. John Wick
As much as this film looks like a graphic novel adaptation, it is that rare thing in Hollywood: an original idea. However, it makes great use of the comic genre's exaggerated noir textures to create an Earth-adjacent universe and more action franchises should borrow the unreality of "John Wick" to halt those nitpicking critics Alfred Hitchcock dubbed "the plausibles."