Vengeance is a dish best served in the movies... Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for cinematic antiheroes who were all but consumed by their desire for vengeance.
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00:00I'm retired.
00:02Not if you're drinking here, you're not.
00:05Need you up?
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo.
00:09And today we're counting down our picks for cinematic anti-heroes who are all but consumed by their desire for vengeance.
00:16But I never thought you would or could do that to me.
00:24Number 10. Omleth, The Northman
00:27William Shakespeare's Hamlet is a pensive character, even a little emo.
00:32Despite his mother and uncle conspiring to murder his father and steal his kingdom, Hamlet is indecisive.
00:38Should I fall by the enemy's sword, you must avenge me or forever live in shame.
00:46I will father, I will.
00:48He racks his brain and conscience over every move.
00:51Prince Omleth, the character who inspired the tragic Prince of Denmark, however, has no such qualms.
00:57He is a warrior, devoting his life to wreaking bloody vengeance on those who killed his father.
01:03My heart knows only revenge.
01:07Show it to me.
01:09Trained from childhood to become a berserker, Omleth leans into savagery and brutality to reach his goal.
01:16Unlike his more refined Shakespearean counterpart, Omleth will do anything it takes,
01:21even going to the gates of hell itself, to achieve his bloody ends.
01:33Number 9. Erik Draven, The Crow
01:36The Crow is a ghostly neo-gothic revenge story tempered by sadness.
01:41But sometimes, something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can't rest.
01:49Then sometimes, just sometimes, the Crow can bring that soul back to put the wrong things right.
01:56It stars Brandon Lee in his final role as Erik Draven, a kind of musician who is murdered along with his fiancée.
02:04One year later, Erik is resurrected by a mystical crow to exact revenge on the gang responsible for their deaths.
02:11Driven by love and sorrow, his quest is marked by poetic justice as he methodically hunts down his killers.
02:18I'm not going to kill you.
02:20Your job will be to tell the rest of them that death is coming for them, tonight.
02:25The film's dark stylistic visuals and haunting soundtrack amplify the sense of loss and retribution.
02:32Brandon Lee's poignant and nuanced performance highlights the film's theme that love can transcend anything, even death.
02:39It's funny, little things used to mean so much to Shelly.
02:45I used to think they were kind of trivial.
02:47Believe me, nothing is trivial.
02:50Number 8. Leonard Shelby, Memento
02:54Memento, directed by Christopher Nolan, stands as one of cinema's most innovative revenge stories.
03:00I finally found him. How long have I been looking?
03:06Find anything?
03:09Didn't think so.
03:10Trapped in a unique amnesiac loop, Leonard Shelby must go to great lengths to avenge his wife's murder.
03:17His condition forces him to rely on a combination of Polaroids, tattoos and notes to track down the killer.
03:24The story is as fragmented as Leonard's life, using non-linear storytelling to mirror his disoriented perspective.
03:32As Leonard pieces together clues, the audience is drawn into a complex web of deception and uncertainty.
03:39You know what? I'm going to use you.
03:41I'm telling you now because I'm going to enjoy it so much more if I know that you could stop me.
03:45Memento's unique approach to storytelling not only intensifies the suspense,
03:50but also explores themes of memory, identity and the subjective nature of truth.
03:55As such, Leonard's story is a compelling and thought-provoking examination of vengeance and the human psyche.
04:02So you lie to yourself to be happy. There's nothing wrong with that.
04:05We all do it. Who cares if there's a few little details you'd rather not remember?
04:09Number 7. William Money, Unforgiven
04:13At the start of Unforgiven, William Money is many things.
04:17He's a widower and a father, a terrible pig farmer and a reformed killer.
04:22I ain't like that anymore, kid.
04:24In desperate need of money, he has lured back to his violent ways to avenge an injustice against a woman in a town where the law failed her.
04:32As Money reluctantly resumes his gunslinger role, the story delves into the complexities of his character and the consequences of his actions.
04:40You think we killed him?
04:45He shot me, Forbes.
04:50Yeah.
04:52We killed him. I guess.
04:55Its stark realism and moral ambiguity challenge traditional Western tropes,
05:00portraying revenge not as a righteous act, but as a cycle of violence that leaves lasting scars.
05:07Unforgiven is a powerful meditation on the true cost of vengeance and the struggle for redemption.
05:13I've killed women and children.
05:16Killed just about everything that walks or crawls at one time or another.
05:21And I'm here to kill you, little Bill.
05:25For what you did to Ned.
05:27Number 6. Carrie White
05:29Carrie, based on Stephen King's novel, is one of cinema's greatest revenge stories.
05:35The film follows Carrie White, a shy, socially awkward teenager with telekinetic powers.
05:41I didn't see him, Mama.
05:43Say it!
05:44I didn't see him, Mama!
05:45Carrie is an exploration of the humiliation of relentless peer tormenting, of which Carrie is a victim.
05:52Worse, she's oppressed by her fanatically religious mother.
05:55The story reaches its peak at the prom, where a cruel prank pushes Carrie to her breaking point.
06:02I'm sorry, Cassie.
06:05I'm sorry, Cassie.
06:07Trust me, Carrie. You can trust me.
06:09Her suppressed rage and newfound powers unleash a devastating wave of fire and death against those who wronged her.
06:16Carrie's transformation from a timid girl into a vengeful force of nature is tremendous.
06:21It underscores the tragic consequences of cruelty and the destructive potential of unchecked power.
06:27Hold me, Mama. Please, hold me.
06:30Number 5. Deadpool – The Deadpool Franchise
06:34In Deadpool, mercenary Wade Wilson embarks on a quest for revenge.
06:39Why the fancy dirt suit, Mr. Poole?
06:41Oh, that's because it's Christmas Day, Dopinder. And I'm after someone on my naughty list.
06:46Looking to cure his fatal illness, he was subjected to a torturous experiment that leaves him disfigured but with accelerated healing powers.
06:54He adopts the Deadpool persona to track down and exact revenge on Ajax, the man responsible for his suffering.
07:00Despite his irreverent and comedic nature, Wade's mission is deeply personal.
07:05Lookin' good, Francis. Well-rested. Like you've been pitching, not catching.
07:09Ringing any bells? No?
07:11He's driven by a desire to reclaim his old life and reconnect with his love, Vanessa.
07:16In the sequel, Vanessa's tragic death leaves Wade devastated.
07:20Struggling with grief and a sense of purposelessness, he seeks to fill the void by doing one good thing.
07:26Saving Russell, a troubled mutant boy.
07:29Fight for what's right, and sometimes you gotta fight dirty.
07:32Number 4. Oh Dae-su – Old Boy
07:35If Korean director Park Chan-wook's Vengeance trilogy has taught the world anything, it's this.
07:41Never give a Korean cause for revenge.
07:44The most famous of these films is 2003's Old Boy.
07:48Lee Yong-sam.
07:50Lee So-young or Kang Chang-suk.
07:53Whoever it is, wait.
07:55In it, we follow Oh Dae-su, a boorish businessman who has kidnapped and imprisoned for years.
08:01Never knowing why, Dae-su ultimately devotes his days to becoming an instrument of destruction.
08:07After his unceremonious release, he goes about the task of seeking his captors.
08:19Eventually, he learns that both his imprisonment and release are themselves part of a convoluted revenge plot.
08:26The ultimate lesson of the film is that retribution is a raging fire that can consume anyone nearby.
08:32At the end of the day, it's less valuable than peace.
08:48Why? Is it bland?
08:50But it's true. You just forgot.
08:54Number 3. Furiosa – The Mad Max Franchise
08:58The two-film arc of Furiosa and Mad Max Fury Road tells the story of profound loss and pain.
09:04Initially, Furiosa suffers the trauma of being torn from her home, the Green Place.
09:15Her mother is slain before her eyes.
09:17After which, she must endure being the slave of the man who did it.
09:21Eventually, she is traded into the oppressive reign of Immortan Joe.
09:41Her life as a warrior under Joe's command is fueled by a desire for revenge against her captors.
09:46After achieving her vengeance, she is left as barren inside as the Wasteland.
09:51Her only path forward is redemption, as she seeks to free Joe's wives and return to the Green Place.
10:09Number 2. John Wick – The John Wick Franchise
10:14One of the key lessons of the John Wick movies is don't mess with Keanu's dogs.
10:34He stars as John Wick, a retired assassin drawn back into the underworld after his wife's death.
10:40When his old boss's son beats him, steals his car and kills his dog, he goes on a four-film revenge tour.
10:55Wick is no normal killer. He's Baba Yaga, the boogeyman.
10:59Over the course of four movies, he takes the lives of 439 people as if he were the Grim Reaper itself.
11:07Wick is a force of nature.
11:09The most unbelievable thing about the franchise is that almost nobody learns to just leave the man alone.
11:22Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
11:26Harmonica – Once Upon a Time in the West
11:29Gunslinger takes down the gang of the man who murdered his brother.
11:38Brian Mills – The Taken Franchise
11:41A man with special skills rescues his daughter and kills those who took her.
11:57Hugh Glass – The Revenant
11:59A fur trapper survives a frozen hell to kill the man who left him for dead.
12:07V – V for Vendetta
12:17A victim of a fascist Britain takes revenge on those who made him a monster.
12:22Rorschach – Watchmen
12:38An unstable vigilante is willing to sacrifice his life to bring truth to the people.
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13:08Number 1. Beatrix Kiddo aka The Bride – Kill Bill
13:14As one of the world's foremost movie nerds, Quentin Tarantino was inspired by 1973's Lady Snowblood.
13:22In it, a woman was raised to be an assassin to take revenge on the monsters who assaulted her mother and killed her father and brother.
13:33Tarantino adopted the film's out-of-sequence narrative style for his homage, the Kill Bill movies.
13:39Beatrix Kiddo, The Bride, was a member of an all-female assassin squad.
13:44She wakes up from a coma after her ex, Bill, sends the squad to annihilate her wedding, leaving her for dead.
14:01She systematically works her way through the deadly vipers, leaving dozens of corpses in her wake.
14:10The Black Mamba lived up to her name, slaughtering all who dared to wrong her.
14:15Is our list a little lukewarm or appropriately stone cold? Let us know in the comments below.
14:21Do you know the Klingon proverb that tells us revenge is a dish that is best served cold?
14:30It is very cold.
14:33It is very cold in space.