E.C. Henry at 2009-05-13 09:36:00:

"Revenge": (1990) Kevin Cosner/Anthony Quinn/Madaline Stowe

"Cape Fear" (1990) Robert DeNiro/Nick Nolte

"Ransom" (late 90s) Mel Gibson/Rene Russo/Gary Sinise

"The Empire Strikes Back" (it's all in the name - joke)

- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA

Jeff at 2009-05-13 10:26:00:

The king, master, grand poobah revenge film(s) of all time...

Quentin Tarantino's KILL BILL.

Our main character has a spiral notebook with five people's names etched in it and a felt pen. The next 4 and a half hours are spent eradicating those people and, of course, spilling, splashing, and spraying rivers of blood.

THAT is the ultimate revenge movie! In fact, after I saw it, I recall telling my wife, "Well, I guess that pretty much puts a capper on the 'vengeance picture' genre, where do you go from there???"

Tom Murphy at 2009-05-13 14:09:00:

Flying the flag, how about Get Carter (the original, naturally): a criminal gangster (Michael Caine) returns from London to the grim streets of Newcastle and cuts a murderous swathe through the underworld as he looks for the truth behind the 'accident' that killed his brother.

I've often pondered why Jack Carter is such an effective anti-hero. Even though he's an unpleasant and damaged character, the relentless way he goes about his task is appealing to those of us who find ourselves constrained by the social rules that govern our lives.

I think what makes revenge films so compelling is that they appeal to a very primal urge within us, but - if they're done skillfully - they'll also make us think about the moral and ethical questions relating to revenge.

I'm trying to achieve something similar in the feature script I'm working on at the moment. I want the audience to get sucked in and root for the main character as he finds himself drawn into a violent environment, but then to find themselves complicit when their 'blood lust' calms down and they realise that he - and they - went too far over to the dark side.