There’s something about revenge movies that just makes us want to watch more. Whether it’s the morally grey main character or the action that brings them to their enemy’s door, movies about revenge are perfect for watching with friends or family. If you enjoy films like John Wick, check out these six scathing movies about revenge and plan your next movie night.
6. John Wick (2014)
One of the most well-known movies about revenge is John Wick, prompting a total of four movies so far about the ex-hitman. After the untimely death of his wife, John Wick receives one last gift from her in the form of a puppy. Wick finds light in the small bundle of fur, until one fateful night. Russian mob prince Iosef Tarasov and his men visit Wick, robbing him of his prized Mustang and his puppy’s life. Blinded by rage and pain, Wick unleashes a wave of destruction against the kingpin Tarasov’s family, with blood being the only payment.
–IMDb score: 7.4
5. Upgrade (2018)
Technology and implants take over our fifth selection for movies about revenge, Upgrade. Grey and Asha live in a near future full of technology. One day Grey needs help from his wife Asha to return a car he was working on to a client, but a malfunction in their self-driving car causes Asha to bleed to death and Grey to become a quadriplegic. Grey suffers from depression and desperation at his wife’s death and the inability to find their attackers until he gets a second chance, in the form of an experimental chip implant.
–IMDb score: 7.5
4. Taken (2008)
Some movies about revenge focus on kidnapping, like the 2008 film Taken. In the movie, Bryan Mills is a retired CIA agent traveling across Europe with his daughter Kim, to try and reconnect with her. His worst fears become real when traffickers abduct Kim and her friend shortly after they arrive in Paris. With only four days before Kim gets auctioned off to the highest bidder, it’s up to Bryan to use every skill he’s learned in black ops to get her back.
–IMDb score: 7.7
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3. The Revenant (2015)
Our third selection for movies about revenge is The Revenant, where a frontiersman is left for dead in a freezing tundra. It’s the 1820s and Hugh Glass is on a fur trading expedition with his hunting team. After being mauled by a bear, he is left in the wilderness by his crew and must utilize his survival skills to find a way back home. Fueled by revenge, Glass makes his way through the dangerous countryside to track down John Fitzgerald, the man who betrayed and abandoned him.
–IMDb score: 8.0
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2. Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)
Uma Thurman stars as “The Bride” in the second selection for movies about revenge, Kill Bill Vol. 1. Codenamed “The Bride,” the woman is part of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, led by her love “Bill.” Once she realizes “Bill” has gotten her pregnant, “The Bride” escapes her life as a killer and finds a new beginning in Texas with another man. “Bill” manages to find her on the day of her wedding rehearsal, gunning down her fiance and putting “The Bride” in a four-year coma. When she awakes and realizes her child is gone, “The Bride” seeks revenge on those who destroyed her life and her baby.
–IMDb score: 8.2
1. Gladiator (2000)
Our final selection for movies about revenge is one of the best of all time, soon to be getting a sequel. Gladiator is set during Roman times and reveals the power struggle between two men that will lead to a lot of carnage. Maximus is a powerful Roman general loved by the Emperor Marcus Aurelius and his subjects. Before his death, Aurelius chooses Maximus to be his heir over his own son Commodus, but everything goes wrong when Maximus and his family are condemned to death. Unable to save his family Maximus is plunged into the Gladiator games to fight until his death, but his desire for revenge will help him rise to the top.
–IMDb score: 8.5
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