They say revenge is a dish best served cold. In our opinion, a revenge story served with cinematic genius is the best. This is a list of the best revenge movies of the 21st century.
As always, it is important to keep in mind that this is a subjective list, and that there may be other good revenge movies out there. Happy reading.
The 10 Best Revenge Movies
Memento (2000)
Dir.: Christopher Nolan ▪ Starring: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss ▪ Duration: 113 min.
IMDb: 8.4/10 ▪ Letterboxd: 4.2/5
A man with short-term memory loss follows clues to find his wife’s killer. But can he trust himself to figure out what the truth is?
The Vengeance Trilogy (2002-2005)
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)
Dir.: Park Chan-wook ▪ Starring: Song Kang-ho, Shin Ha-kyun ▪ Duration: 129 min.
IMDb: 7.1/10 ▪ Letterboxd: 3.6/5
Ryu, a hearing-impaired factory worker, tries to raise money for his sister who is awaiting a kidney transplant. But things go wrong and Ryu decides to kidnap the daughter of a wealthy businessman and demand a ransom. This decision will have tragic consequences for both Ryu and the businessman.
Oldboy (2003)
Dir.: Park Chan-wook ▪ Starring: Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae ▪ Duration: 120 min.
IMDb: 8.4/10 ▪ Letterboxd: 4.3/5
Imprisoned for 15 years for an unknown reason, Oh Dae-su seeks to find the person who did this to him after he is freed. As Oh Dae-su unravels the secrets of her past, she finds herself in a game of revenge.
Lady Vengeance (2005)
Dir.: Park Chan-wook ▪ Starring: Lee Young-ae, Choi Min-sik ▪ Duration: 112 min.
IMDb: 7.6/10 ▪ Letterboxd: 3.9/5
After serving 13 years in prison for accidentally killing a child, Lee Geum-ja is released. She plots revenge to punish the real killer. At the same time, she searches for her lost daughter.
Kill Bill Duology (2003-2004)
Kill Bill: Vol1 (2003)
Dir.: Quentin Tarantino ▪ Starring: Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu ▪ Duration: 111 min.
IMDb: 8.1/10 ▪ Letterboxd: 4.0/5
After her ex-boyfriend tries to kill her on her wedding day, a woman awakens from a coma five years later and seeks revenge. Her first target is O-Ren Ishii, a yakuza leader in Tokyo.
Kill Bill: Vol 2 (2004)
Dir.: Quentin Tarantino ▪ Starring: Uma Thurman, David Carradine ▪ Duration: 137 min.
IMDb: 7.1/10 ▪ Letterboxd: 3.6/5
The sequel to the first movie follows the adventures of The Bride as she seeks revenge. The Bride faces new enemies and the secrets of the past as she struggles to get rid of her ex-lover Bill and his team of assassins.
█ İlgili İçerik: What is Inverse Ninja Law?
Dead Man’s Shoes (2004)
Dir.: Shane Meadows ▪ Starring: Paddy Considine, Gary Stretch ▪ Duration: 90 min.
IMDb: 7.6/10 ▪ Letterboxd: 3.8/5
Richard, an ex-soldier, wages war against a gang that mistreats his mentally disabled brother and hunts them down one by one. But the price of revenge will be heavy.
Dead Man’s Shoes (2004) is one of the best revenge movies.
Let the Right One In (2008)
Dir.: Tomas Alfredson ▪ Starring: Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson ▪ Duration: 115 min.
IMDb: 7.9/10 ▪ Letterboxd: 4.1/5
Lonely and bullied, 12-year-old Oskar befriends his mysterious new neighbor Eli. When he learns that Eli is actually a vampire, Oskar is forced to question his bond with him.
Harry Brown (2009)
Dir.: Daniel Barber ▪ Starring: Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer ▪ Duration: 103 min.
IMDb: 7.2/10 ▪ Letterboxd: 3.3/5
Harry Brown, a retired sailor, lives in the slums of London. When his best friend is murdered by street gangs, he takes justice into his own hands and fights against them.
Harry Brown (2009) is one of the best revenge movies ever made.
I Saw the Devil (2010)
Dir.: Kim Jee-woon ▪ Starring: Lee Byung-hun, Choi Min-sik ▪ Duration: 141 min.
IMDb: 7.8/10 ▪ Letterboxd: 4.1/5
When her fiancé is murdered by a serial killer, secret agent Soo-hyun starts a bloody game to find the killer. However, the killer will not leave him alone.
We shared a scene from I Saw the Devil (2010), one of the best revenge movies, on our Instagram page.
El Cuerpo (2012)
Dir.: Oriol Paulo ▪ Starring: José Coronado, Belén Rueda ▪ Duration: 108 min.
IMDb: 7.6/10 ▪ Letterboxd: 3.6/5
Among the best revenge movies there is also a Spanish film: El Cuerpo (2012). The body of Mayka, the wife of a wealthy businessman, disappears from the morgue. Investigating detective Jaime gets involved in a tense game of cat and mouse as he tries to uncover the secrets of Mayka’s husband Alex.
Blue Ruin (2013)
Dir.: Jeremy Saulnier ▪ Starring: Macon Blair, Devin Ratray ▪ Duration: 90 min.
IMDb: 7.1/10 ▪ Letterboxd: 3.6/5
When homeless Dwight learns that his family’s killers are about to be released, he sets out for revenge. But things don’t go as planned and he is dragged into a blood feud.
Blue Ruin (2013) ranks high on our list of the best revenge movies.
The Equalizer (2014)
Dir.: Antoine Fuqua ▪ Starring: Denzel Washington, Chloë Grace Moretz ▪ Duration: 132 min.
IMDb: 7.2/10 ▪ Letterboxd: 3.1/5
Robert McCall, a former CIA agent, leads a quiet life. But when he sees a young girl being exploited by the Russian mafia, he uses his old skills to help her.