2000 AD Online Forum

me and the mrs love revenge films (1 million interweb points why we call the rewengay films)

our favourites are

Taken
death wish 3
i saw the devil
dead man's shoes
out for justice
death sentence

she is so excited at taken 2 I've told her to calm herself. the only problem we have is that we are wimps in that the initial 'crime' that warrants the revenge can't be too much as we hate the rape stuff which is invariably featured (death wish 2, i spit on your grave, last house etc)

Take it from me we've trawled all the internet lists so seen almost anything rewengay -ish. any obscure ones we've missed or the hive mind is aware of

Angel, and more pertinently, Avenging Angel- the latter of which i bought today on vhs from a meerkat for 50p, and which is in my bag along with Titan's Judge Dredd 1, as i type.

SBT

Or from a market, even.

SBT

Are you referencing the bad guy from Blackadder 2, who returned to vreak his rewengay?

Appo-logueys if I'm wrong...

Peep Show? Super Hans reference?

Audition.

Rewengay sounds a little too close to ruin gay. That's a type of revenge film I've not seen.


Seriously though... You've probably seen it but I'm surprised it's not on your favourites list already:

Get Carter  :o


Also, some excellent Duvall action in The Outfit

And another Parker adaptation Point Blank


Edit: Those last two probably lean more to crime film than revenge, but while I'm listing crime films... Walter Matthau is at his best in Charley Varrick  :)

Noisyblast is the winner! sorry to inconwenience you.

Get Carter is top, oddly mrs wasnt too keen.

The Wizard of Oz is a good one and the best bit is that the baddie doesn't get her revenge  ;)

V

Is TAKEN a revenge flick? The Big Man only kills and maims because he needs to, doesn't he? Not because he's seeking retribution.

I would suggest IRREVERSIBLE but . . .

Today I was almost hit by a young guy driving a red Micra car as I drove to work. He came out of one of those small one way side streets and straight onto the main road as I slammed on my brakes. He carried on as if nothing had happened happily chatting to someone else in the car.

I could feel the malign hatred of road rage fill me but thankfully he was way out of sight before I could rush after him. Ah the red hot wrath of fury and the bloody reaping of revenge. Dangerous in large doses and as I calmed down I wonder what might have happened if he had hit me. Temper, temper System. Rather scary how even the most passive of us can be filled with such thoughts of violent retribution in literately the blink of an eye.

Too return to the subject matter. Once upon a time in the West anyone? One long revenge story there.

The western is definitely a very fertile genre when it comes to tales of revenge - Django, Today It's Me... Tomorrow It's You, High Plains Drifter - to name a few crackers of the genre.

Quote from: Greg M. on 04 July, 2012, 10:18:43 PM
The western is definitely a very fertile genre when it comes to tales of revenge -

Yes, I think Unforgiven is one of my favourite Westerns. I wouldn't actually put it into the category of 'revenge films' though, but the vengeful stuff at the end was very powerful.

Well if Taken counts then Commando must count as well and Commando is the best film ever (with the best baddie).

Quote from: JamesC on 04 July, 2012, 11:24:39 PM
Well if Taken counts then Commando must count as well and Commando is the best film ever (with the best baddie).

John, I'm not going to shoot you between the eyes. I'm going to shoot you between the balls.

Let off some steam, Bennett.




V

Quote from: John Matrix
You're a funny guy Sully, I like you. That's why I'm going to kill you last.

Rewengay, starring Kevin Costner and Madeline Stowe is surely the most obvious contender?  Or ABC's Rewengay, a tv series - also starring Madeline Stowe - based on the premise of the Count of Monte Cristo being a rich white girl, which kind of went shit(er) in the last couple of episodes when they rewrote some stuff to accomodate the fact they were getting another season, but until then was screamingly camp nonsense you either loved or hated.  The bit where they're crying over a dying dog who "used up everything he had to crawl back here" and then the bloke breaks down and sobs "THANK YOU FOR TEACHING ME HOW TO LOVE" is one of the tv highlights of the year for me.

Straightheads I watched accidentally (I didn't know beforehand that Danny Dyer was in it) climaxes with Agent Scully screaming and crying while she bum-rapes an old man with a shotgun, which pretty much tells you all you need to know.  It's fantastically terrible.

A Time To Kill is admittedly more interesting in theory (black guy in the Deep South murders two men in cold blood rather than accidentally or in self defence or whatever) than in practice, but it's worth a look.  Matthew McConaughey basically tries to act and fails and this becomes a paradigm for the film itself, which is a courtroom drama where the main character gives up trying to defend his client on the charge of murdering two men in rewengay because he actually did it and won't stop saying so, even going so far as to drag someone into court who witnessed the act just so he could apologise to him for accidentally shooting him while murdering those other two dudes.  McConaughey at one point looks right at the camera and it's like he's pleading with the audience to give him a chance rather than making the ballsy Hail Mary Pass of asking the jury to just let his client go even though he did it.  I suspect it's just compellingly awful, all the same.

Mad Max.  Not a post-apocalyptic series at this point, it's still a pretty good rewengay flick if you haven't seen it yet.

Ben Hur, the Charlton Heston version is fantastic stuff, especially when you consider that Heston wasn't yet a conservative loon when he made it and was known for taking breaks from filming to fly to wherever he'd been told American businesses practiced segregation and then having himself a protest.  It's not a cold-hearted rewengay flick because Judah pussies out in the end and surrenders to pity for his adversary, but in his defence he meets Jesus - the nice Jesus, not the vindictive one who likes people to cover up pedophile rings and victimise women.

Licence To Kill is a terribly under-rated 007 outing about Bond masterminding the destructing of the drug lord who murdered the wife of Bond's best buddy and then maimed him with a shark.  The plans come off the rails and Bond goes "fuck it" and decides to just straight-up murder the guy instead, but then that comes off the rails when ninjas attack - it is still a Bond film, after all.  It's pretty entertaining hokum.

I have a soft spot for Payback. For all his foibles, Mel Gibson is pretty convincing as a stone-cold hardass who'll demolish anyone who crosses him.

Quote from: auxlen on 04 July, 2012, 09:14:31 PM
Noisyblast is the winner! sorry to inconwenience you.

Awesome. I'll have to have think about what to do with all these points...

Quote from: vzzbux on 05 July, 2012, 12:11:55 AM

Quote from: JamesC on 04 July, 2012, 11:24:39 PM
Well if Taken counts then Commando must count as well and Commando is the best film ever (with the best baddie).

John, I'm not going to shoot you between the eyes. I'm going to shoot you between the balls.

Let off some steam, Bennett.




V

Commando isn't a revenge film, it's about the unrequited love of a man with the gayest moustache/string vest combo ever commited to celluloid for his former commanding officer.

He wants Arnie sooooooo baaaaaad.

Best Kung-fu revenge movie - Old Boy. Best westerrn revenge movie - The unforgiven.

ooh, and definitely Commando!

Quote from: Dandontdare on 05 July, 2012, 12:24:33 PM
Best Kung-fu revenge movie - Old Boy.

But...there's absolutely no kung fu in that film whatsoever.

It is a good revenge flick though, as is Lady Vengeance by the same director.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRBwvIX7Sao&feature=related

Heh, wouldn't have spelt it that way perhaps but me and a mate have always said that too, probably cos of Blackadder. I do love a good revenge fantasy.

Having been reminded about Taken, yes, that was a good one.

Some good British ones. Harry Brown of course and wow, thanks google, put "british revenge film" in and the top result was spot on...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0419677/  :D

So yeah, Dead Man's Shoes, stunning film.

Watched one with Jodie Foster (fairly recent) as a radio host, can't remember the name of it. Yes, The Brave One, enjoyed that.

Quote from: Lee Bates on 05 July, 2012, 12:32:19 PM

Quote from: Dandontdare on 05 July, 2012, 12:24:33 PM
Best Kung-fu revenge movie - Old Boy.

But...there's absolutely no kung fu in that film whatsoever.

yeah I guess you're right. Okay, amend that to best 'pissed-off-Korean-bloke-with-a-clawhammer' revenge movie (admittedly a narrower field).

Quote from: Professah Byah on 05 July, 2012, 12:36:26 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRBwvIX7Sao&feature=related

That's not really kung fu is it? I think kung fu is defined by more than 'Oriental blokes having a scrap'.

@ mudcrab. heard of the brave one but mrs heard she gets sexually assaulted so wont watch it. is it explotative or sit-throughable.(if you get what i mean).

Rather than PAYBACK should we not be recommending POINT BLANK.

And TAken is a bit racist surely?

Quote from: auxlen on 05 July, 2012, 03:57:42 PM
@ mudcrab. heard of the brave one but mrs heard she gets sexually assaulted so wont watch it. is it explotative or sit-throughable.(if you get what i mean).

Hmm, I don't think she does actually. Certainly not in the same way as the "classic" raped on a pinball machine film that I can't remember the name of. The Accused? I think that's the one. No, nothing like that, the revenge isn't for that in particular at least, so I think you'll be ok there. It is fairly brutal, but not in that way.

It's more that someone tries to, rather than actually does.

 I agree with Dead Man's Shoes and Taken but what about the Kill Bill films? And has anyone seen Lady Vengeance? I'm not a fan of the Death Wish movies. I never got into them as I found Micheal Winner a hopeless director who should have stuck to making Frankie Howerd vehicles.

Quote from: ZippoCreed on 05 July, 2012, 05:59:34 PM
I agree with Dead Man's Shoes and Taken but what about the Kill Bill films? And has anyone seen Lady Vengeance? I'm not a fan of the Death Wish movies. I never got into them as I found Micheal Winner a hopeless director who should have stuck to making Frankie Howerd vehicles.

I mentioned Lady Vengeance a couple of posts back. It's a beaut. Not sure about Kill Bill. I have a love hate relationship with Tarantino. For every cool scene, there's a cringe-worthy, annoying line of dialogue or a rip off- sorry, 'homage' -from another film or genre.

Kill Bill
I Spit on Your Grave
Lady Snowblood
Ip Man
Martyrs
Machine Girl
Conan
RoboCop
The Prestige

If the vigilante/revenge angle works:

Punisher
Hobo with a Shotgun

This seems a decent list I stumbled across, even if I might quibble with some entries:

http://www.imdb.com/list/Bn3LLHiuIbg/

Actually this seems a shorter but more solid list:

http://www.imdb.com/list/ZTAPgqRNHqQ/

The string of  Charles Bronson films 'Deathwish'.
Cant get any more batshit crazy revenge than them.




V

I  spit on your grave - the original - was absolute shite.  I saw it a week before it was banned. It wasn't worth the fuss or the video rental fee. I also watched another video nasty revenge film soon after - Last House On The Left. Not one of Craven's best. I remember coming home to find that my Dad had watched it. He went ballistic; informing me if I ever brought such filth into the house again, he would throw it out with me following it!

Quote from: Tiplodocus on 05 July, 2012, 05:27:33 PM


And TAken is a bit racist surely?

No it's not- it's massively racist.

I liked that about Taken because it's old-school action movie racism.  You know the kind of thing: all terrorists may be Arabs, but you're trusted to know that not all Arabs are terrorists in the same way that the most jingoistic of WW2 movies assumes you already know not all Germans are Nazis without having to cast a comedy German team member or something.

Crossing over with the Kung Fu Fighting thread, Showdown In Little Tokyo is an awesome no-budget martial arts rewengay flick [spoiler]("EYEEE KILT YO FADAH!")[/spoiler] that's impossible to take seriously, starting as it does with the premise of lumbering galoot Dolph Lundgren as a samurai poet police detective battling professional panto villain Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa who has a terrible habit of not only chopping people's heads off while in the process of bumming them, but filming himself doing this.  It also features at least three Batman 1966-style death traps and a bit during a gunfight where Dolph Lundgren picks up a car and throws it at someone - combined with the short length (only 70-odd minutes, including credits sequences at the start and end), I would not be surprised if the guy who directed it came out and said that it only got made because one night everyone was sitting around a table drunk having a few laughs and someone suggested they all go out to the parking lot and make a film right now.  There's beheadings, people exploding, one guy who breaks his own neck, god knows how many shootings and stabbings, and none of it ever registers as anything other than panto-level, it is just daft, camp nonsense.

Does the rather marvellous MEMENTO count?

Got one on the way from Lovefilm, Columbiana (A woman becomes a professional killer in order to seek revenge against the ruthless gangster who murdered her parents). Will let you know if it's up to much.

Interesting list from Emperor's post. Didn't really consider Desperado, but I guess that counts in a vendetta way. Also Shogun Assassin (or Lone Wolf and Cub films preferably) most definitely.

Cheers for the list, I need to see Hobo with a Shotgun.

Leon.

Quote from: Mudcrab on 06 July, 2012, 01:00:36 PMInteresting list from Emperor's post. Didn't really consider Desperado, but I guess that counts in a vendetta way. Also Shogun Assassin (or Lone Wolf and Cub films preferably) most definitely.

Yeah about a third of samurai films count (and a higher percentage of the 70s and 80s more exploitationy ones) and half of all westerns ;)

Quote from: Professah Byah on 06 July, 2012, 09:18:56 AMCrossing over with the Kung Fu Fighting thread, Showdown In Little Tokyo is an awesome no-budget martial arts rewengay flick [spoiler]("EYEEE KILT YO FADAH!")[/spoiler] that's impossible to take seriously, starting as it does with the premise of lumbering galoot Dolph Lundgren as a samurai poet police detective battling professional panto villain Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa who has a terrible habit of not only chopping people's heads off while in the process of bumming them, but filming himself doing this.  It also features at least three Batman 1966-style death traps and a bit during a gunfight where Dolph Lundgren picks up a car and throws it at someone - combined with the short length (only 70-odd minutes, including credits sequences at the start and end), I would not be surprised if the guy who directed it came out and said that it only got made because one night everyone was sitting around a table drunk having a few laughs and someone suggested they all go out to the parking lot and make a film right now.  There's beheadings, people exploding, one guy who breaks his own neck, god knows how many shootings and stabbings, and none of it ever registers as anything other than panto-level, it is just daft, camp nonsense.

Consider this on the watchlist.

Then you'll want to check out Showdown co-headliner Brandon Lee's first foray into western chop-sockies  Rapid Fire.  It's no classic, but there's a ton of good scraps and the odd decent stunt, as well as some in-fight nods to Jackie Chan and Lee Sr.

Again with Brandon Lee, The Crow is a lovely-looking zombie rewengay flick, but then it's directed by the much under-rated Alex Proyas.  If you don't know the plot already: a musician is returned to life one year after his own murder to seek rewengay through the meddling of a supernatural crow who apparently does this sort of thing a lot.  There's some minor flickers of promise from the late Lee in his final role, but nothing terribly meaty character-wise to definatively say he'd have gone on to better things, as evidenced by the latter career of Mark Dacoscos, a contemporary of Lee with a similar career path of low-budget actioners and good-boy looks who does pretty much naff all these days bar the odd guest turn in the shrinking number of action tv shows coming out of the US these days.  Anyway: two generations back, Brandon Lee's  Crow was what Heath Ledger's Joker is today, and the original film is well worth a look if you haven't seen it already.

I have fond memories of playing 'spot the Crow' on halloween in the late 90's. Lots of goth types who wanted to stand in the corner looking all mysterious would put black electrical tape around their hands and use their mum's eyeliner to get the desired effect.
There are few things as tragic as seeing a fat boy dressed as The Crow.

Never go to a Gerard Way book signing.

Rancho Notorious 1952, hate, murder and rewenge.

Quote from: Mudcrab on 06 July, 2012, 01:00:36 PM
Got one on the way from Lovefilm, Columbiana (A woman becomes a professional killer in order to seek revenge against the ruthless gangster who murdered her parents). Will let you know if it's up to much.

Yep, I enjoyed it. Written/produced by Luc Besson so fairly styish in the way that his films are. The fact that the main character was played by Zoe Saldana helped tremendously too  ;) Some great fight scenes and cool sneaky assassination stuff.

By coincidence I'm watching Line of Duty on the BBC at the moment (cop drama thing) and the Detective under investigation in that plays the main FBI guy in Columbiana (with an accent). Also fairly confused over the title, which isn't her name in the film.