Catharsis, satisfaction, schadenfreude…
There are a lot of words to describe the feeling people get when bad things happen to bad people.
While revenge dominates mainstream cinema (seeKill Bill vol.
Image via Universal
2andJohn Wick) there is an endless number of revenge films that don’t get enough love.
Believing the couple to be wealthy, the group kidnap them and attempt a robbery.
Things go south quickly, when Matvey launches a vicious attack against Andrey.
Image via Anchor Bay Entertainment
Unfortunately for Matvey, Andrey is a police officer and is more than capable of defending himself.
But the status and success he garners from his work isn’t enough.
His latest mark is Clas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), a tech executive with a desirable art collection.
Unfortunately for Roger, Clas used to work as a highly-skilled special-forces operative.
A nearly comical cat and mouse game of revenge is elevated by a dry Scandinavian sensibility inHeadhunters.
Shortly after being named citizen of the year, his son is found dead from a drug overdose.
Nils insists the cause of death must be wrong, but the police dismiss his concerns.
With the teacher confined in a dark basement, he is questioned about his suspected crimes.
Big Bad Wolvesexplores a hypothetical that many people have pondered over the years.
AlthoughBig Bad Wolvesrequires a strong stomach, the Israeli film is slick, confronting and enthralling.
The pair get coffee before going back to Jeff’s house, where he offers to make them drinks.
Meanwhile, Patrick Wilson’s almosttoo-goodlooks muddy the waters of audience expectations of what a predator should look like.
Image Arrow Films
The combination of these performances results in a revenge-driven tete-a-tete that asks as many questions as it answers.
Kid parlays the meeting into a job offer, and uses his position within the club to orchestrate revenge.
He scavenges for what he can but has little in the way of money or resources.
Image via Nordisk Film
This hard truth is rendered on screen inBlue Ruin, the debut feature fromGreen RoomdirectorJeremy Saulnier.
However, when a job goes wrong and Bradley refuses to snitch, he’s sent to prison.
Most modern exploitation filmmaking leans heavily into a knowing tongue-in-cheek tone.S.
Craig Zahlercouldnt be less interested in such expressions.
Much like exploitation filmmaking in general,Brawl in Cell Block 99is sickeningly violent and cruel.
After finding a rich gold deposit, Aatami heads towards the capital city.
Image via Nordisk Film
While traveling, Aatami crosses paths with some retreating Nazis who are taking a scorched-earth approach to their retreat.
Watching Nazis be systematically murdered on screen will simply never get old.
This WWII-eraJohn Wick-esque revenge film is tight, brutal andoh so satisfying.
Image via Magnolia Pictures
Image via Lionsgate
Image via Universal Pictures
Image via RADiUS-TWC
Image via RLJE Films
Image via Nordisk Film
