Revenge movies are sometimes simple affairs, because, like, something bad happens to a person, and then that person is all like, “Argh! The people who did this are going to pay,” and then they make the people responsible pay. Revenge (2017) is this, and is upfront about it, because the movie is just called “Revenge.” It’s ultimately the style and the intensity that make the movie more than just its simple premise.
And then epic movies, on the other hand, tend to be about lots of different things or people at once, utilizing long runtimes to do a lot within a single film. Still, some epic movies manage to be long while being largely about revenge, perhaps by dealing with the surprising complexities that can come with certain acts of revenge. Or, as is the case with a couple of movies here, maybe one significant character is after revenge, but a few other characters might not be as concerned with such an endeavor.
10
‘Munich’ (2005)
There are lots of sentimental Steven Spielberg movies, but Munich sure as hell ain’t one of them. This one also stands out among revenge movies because it’s retaliation done by a government, rather than a single person or a core group of characters. It comes about because of the real-life killing of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, with Mossad agents being sent out to enact justice and/or vengeance on those responsible.
It’s tense, and it asks some difficult questions about how far the pursuit of justice should go after such an event, and there aren’t really any easy answers given. Munich also unpacks the psychological toll being involved in such a conflict would have, for those on either side, and it does so across a runtime of 164 minutes, with almost all of those minutes proving to be some combination of heavy, despairing, and unsettling.
9
‘Gangs of New York’ (2002)
Though he might’ve given a stronger performance a couple of years later, in his second collaboration with Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio is still better than some have given him credit for in Gangs of New York. It was the first time he starred in a Scorsese picture, and he plays a young man who is seeking revenge against a fearsome criminal who killed his father.
And then while that quest for vengeance is going on, Gangs of New York also paints a portrait of New York City’s history, especially regarding how so much of said history was dominated by violence and inequality. It’s a bit all over the place, and arguably, the revenge side of things could’ve been condensed into a movie without an epic-length runtime, but there’s also so much by way of spectacle, bombast, and broad emotions in Gangs of New York that it’s easy to get swept up in the entire thing regardless.
8
‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ (2012)
Like the similarly titled Gangs of New York, Gangs of Wasseypur is a crime movie that’s about more than just revenge, though there is a cycle of revenge at the center of its story that keeps on trucking. In fact, there are numerous acts of vengeance that take place across many years and generations, which is what makes Gangs of Wasseypur really feel like an epic.
It’s pretty bleak, in many ways, but Gangs of Wasseypur is also stylish and over-the-top at other points, ensuring it further works as a piece of entertainment.
In fact, it’s kind of two epic movies in one, and it takes more than five hours to experience the whole story, but it doesn’t feel that long while you’re actually watching it. It’s pretty bleak, in many ways, but Gangs of Wasseypur is also stylish and over-the-top at other points, ensuring it further works as a piece of entertainment. You get a lot here, and it all comes together within one gargantuan epic surprisingly well.
7
‘Braveheart’ (1995)
In Braveheart, revenge is the main thing on William Wallace’s mind early on, since the woman he loves is brutally killed, and so he, in turn, brutally kills those responsible. If that were all, then Braveheart would be a pretty good short film, but this act of vengeance/rebellion inspires others, and so the whole revolt against English rule soon escalates into an all-out war.
All the while, there’s a great deal of action, and the battle sequences staged here are some of the most impressive ever done. Braveheart is not a perfect movie, and even if you’re okay with the rewriting of history, you might find the whole thing a bit broad and simple, but there’s also something very satisfying about the whole thing. Also, to Braveheart’s credit, it is well-paced, feeling like it clocks in at a little under 2.5 hours, rather than just a couple of minutes shy of three hours.
6
‘Hamlet’ (1996)
The ambition of Hamlet (1996) can’t be denied, because even if Shakespeare’s play of the same name had been adapted before (and adapted very effectively before, at that), it hadn’t really been done on such an epic scale before. It’s a story of tragic revenge that’ll be familiar even to those who’ve not set foot in a theater before, but it’s done in its entirety, without scenes or characters being cut out.
That’s where the ambition of Hamlet is really felt, since you get everything here, and you also get one of the most impressive ensemble casts assembled in not just the 1990s, but maybe even of all time. If you want to argue it’s all a bit much, or overwhelming for one film, sure, knock yourself out. Or be brave and split it into a couple of viewings, throw in an intermission or two, yada-yada. You’ll survive (can’t say the same for most of the characters in Hamlet, though).
5
‘Die Nibelungen’ (1924)
A bit like with Gangs of Wasseypur, Die Nibelungen was released in two parts, but both those parts came out in the same year, and add up to tell the same story, so consider the whole thing one giant movie for present purposes. The first part, Siegfried, more has the feeling of an adventure/fantasy movie, but then it ends in a way that necessitates the second part playing out more like a revenge story.
It’s based on an epic poem written hundreds of years ago, so maybe suggesting there are any spoilers here is silly, but nevertheless, the second part of Die Nibelungen is named in a way that suggests what will happen in the first part. Anyway, the point is, the film is more about revenge in the second half than the first, but it’s still considerable enough to call Die Nibelungen, overall, an epic movie about vengeance.
4
‘Ben-Hur’ (1959)
Absolutely one of the best of all the classic epic movies for reasons that are probably obvious to anyone who’s seen it, Ben-Hur is sort of about revenge, but not entirely. At the risk of making it sound cheesy, the main character is someone who’s motivated to get vengeance on a childhood friend who wrongs him and his family, but then there’s a whole character arc about finding another way to seek justice and peace and all that.
But before it gets redemptive, Ben-Hur also delivers quite a bit by way of spectacle, especially with the legendary chariot race sequence, which remains pretty much untouchable as far as set pieces go. It’s another film that would risk feeling messy or overstuffed if it had a closer-to-average runtime, but thankfully, there are 212 minutes of movie here, and all those minutes are used well (similarly grand is the scale of the production, and the number of extras used throughout).
3
‘Gladiator’ (2000)
Gladiator is very much a crowd-pleaser, but that’s okay when it’s technically so well-made and structured in an undeniably straightforward and satisfying manner. It’s like the inverse of Braveheart, because instead of building into a war-centered story, Gladiator kicks off with a massive battle sequence, but then becomes more of a personal drama, and the action that follows is done on a technically smaller scale.
But not so small that the spectacle is thrown out the window or anything, by any means, given how impressive the gladiatorial sequences are in this. Gladiator might well be even more absorbing as a drama, even if the drama is simple (dead family needs avenging, bad guy has to be stopped, good guy has to inspire hope), though simple is not automatically a bad thing. It’s simple, but the execution makes it engrossing, and it ends up being a surprisingly moving film, too.
2
‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ (1968)
Sure, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly might be Sergio Leone’s best epic Western, but it really only beats out Once Upon a Time in the West by a hair, and in any event, the former can’t be included here, because it’s not really about revenge. Once Upon a Time in the West, on the other hand, is, since there are a couple of major characters here who’ve been wronged by a man of pure evil who goes by Frank (Henry Fonda in a career-best performance).
Since Once Upon a Time in the West takes its time, revenge doesn’t really come around swiftly, but it is satisfying once things fall into place, and certain truths about one character’s past come to light. And, until then, the movie is stunning to look at and listen to, to the point where it could really be about anything, or nothing (the characters speaking gibberish; why not?), and it would still be worth watching simply for how cinematic it feels.
1
‘Kill Bill: Vol. 1’ (2003) & ‘Kill Bill: Vol. 2’ (2004)
What else could go here, really, especially since Kill Bill got re-released as one movie, rather than two, as Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair? It’s easier than ever to go with Quentin Tarantino’s declaration that Kill Bill is one of his nine (soon to be 10, apparently) films, rather than two of his movies, which would mean that his long-awaited 10th film would actually be his 11th. Or something. Does anyone remember Four Rooms?
But back to Kill Bill. This goes for about four hours all up, and sees a woman initially known only as the Bride setting out on a quest to kill the assassins she used to work with, and then kill the titular Bill, all because they wronged her, ruined her life, and tried/failed to kill her. You get samurai action, martial arts chaos, a bit of a spaghetti Western feel at times, and the first half is also something of a Yakuza film. It’s so much style, and maybe more substance than you’d expect going in, too.
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