You will like the Top 10 Revenge Movies on Netflix, Amazon Prime & Co. at a glance.
The best Revenge Movies on Netflix, and Amazon Prime:
1. Braveheart
- Directed by: Mel Gibson
- Duration: 2h 58m
- Cast: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan
In 13th-century Scotland, the death of the then-king stirs unrest. The English Edward I. senses the chance to gain his power and moves with his men, plundering and murdering through the country to subjugate the people. One of the murder victims: the wife of William Wallace (Mel Gibson) – and killing her was a mistake. Wallace seeks revenge, gathers an army of like-minded people, and sets out to defeat the huge English army of soldiers, Edward I. in a seemingly hopeless battle. Braveheart is a somewhat pathos-laden but no less gripping and poignant historical epic that tells much about the unbridled desire for freedom and self-determination.
Available on Disney+.
2. The Brave One (2007)
- Directed by: Neil Jordan
- Duration: 2h 2m
- Cast: Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Naveen Andrews, Nicky Katt.
Erica Bain’s (Jodie Foster) fiancé (Naveen Andrews) is killed by a group of thugs in Central Park. Bain then runs amok in the streets of New York and shoots down every outlaw who comes before her gun. It sounds like a revenge film, and it is, but a very special one. Because here it’s not just about the motif, but above all about the psychology of the characters. In combination with the great dramaturgy, an impressive leading actress, and the atmospheric production, The Brave One is a revenge film that is well worth seeing.
Available on Amazon Prime (paid).
3. Unforgiven (1992)
- Directed by: Clint Eastwood
- Duration: 2h 10m
- Cast: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris.
This pessimistic late western from 1992 is one of the great Clint Eastwood films – and the first for which he even won two Oscars. One for the best film, one for the director. In the film, he plays a reformed gunfighter who has long since finished his time as a notorious killer until he takes on the task of avenging a desecrated prostitute and sets off with his two companions Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman) and Kid (Jaimz Woolvett) to carry it out. In this masterpiece, Eastwood adds a depth that was not thought possible to the character of the snarling killer that was coined in the Dollar films.
Available on Amazon Prime (paid).
4. Death Wish (2018)
- Directed by: Eli Roth
- Duration: 1h 47m
- Cast: Bruce Willis, Vincent D’Onofrio, Elisabeth Shue, Dean Norris.
If there is such a thing as an absolute revenge film classic, then it is A Man Sees Red from 1974. In it, Charles Bronson plays the well-off family man and architect Paul Kersey, whose wife is murdered in a robbery and whose daughter is raped.
But the police seem completely desperate in their investigation. When Kersey himself falls victim to an attack one day, he shoots his tormentor in self-defense – and from that moment on, as a self-proclaimed avenger, he sets out to search for New York criminals to put an end to them. Legendary revenge flick!
Available on Amazon Prime (Filmtastic Channel).
5. Django Unchained (2021)
- Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
- Duration: 2h 45m
- Cast: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson.
The main protagonist of Django Unchained is the slave Django (Jamie Foxx), who is freed from his captivity by the bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz). Together they go on a hunt for criminals – and search for Django’s wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington). The trail leads them to the plantation owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), who forces slaves on his farm into brutal fights to the death.
Reason enough to take revenge on Candie. Tarantino’s Western jumps as usual between genres. Django Unchained offers grand slapstick moments, uncompromising hardness, touching emotions, and of course, loads of pop-cultural quotes and references. Great and visually powerful revenge cinema.
Available on Netflix.
6. True Grit (2010)
- Directed by:Joel Coen , Ethan Coen
- Duration: 1h 50m
- Cast: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper, Hailee Steinfeld
Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) is just 14 years old when her father is shot by the notorious gangster Tom Cheney (Josh Brolin). Mattie seeks revenge, but she knows that alone she will not be able to deal with Cheney. So she hires the alcoholic Marshall Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to fulfill the revenge. And Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) joins them. But Cheney is prepared.
The Coen Brothers’ neo-Western is a remake of The Marshal with John Wayne – so the bar was set high. But the Coens have once again succeeded, and with True Grit, they have presented a technically flawless, outstandingly acted revenge film that also passes as a perfect example of the Western genre. Top!
Available on Netflix.
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7. The Revenant (2015)
- Directed by: Alejandro G. Iñárritu
- Duration: 2h 36m
- Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter
The first thing that comes to mind when most people think of The Revenant is that it is the film that finally won Leonardo DiCaprio his long-awaited Oscar. What is often overlooked is that this is also because the film itself is incredibly good. DiCaprio plays the trapper Hugh Glass, who wants to explore the Missouri River as part of an expedition in 1820.
When Glass is attacked by a grizzly in a careless moment and is close to death, his companions decide to leave him behind because they believe he has little chance of survival. But they are wrong – and Glass swears revenge. The Revenant is a visually stunning and excellently acted survival Western revenge drama that will completely blow your mind.
Available on Netflix.
8. Payback (1999)
- Directed by: Brian Helgeland
- Duration: 1h 40m
- Cast: Mel Gibson, Gregg Henry, Maria Bello, David Paymer
After a successful robbery, Porter (Mel Gibson) is betrayed by his partner Resnick (Gregg Henry): Resnick takes Porter’s $70,000, his wife, and almost his life. But Porter is not dead and is, therefore, seeking revenge. He gets back what is rightfully his. In a great film noir aesthetic with faded colors, Mel Gibson presents himself as a fate-stricken lone fighter who always stays true to his principles and, if necessary, will kill himself. This makes Payback a very entertaining, well-acted, and darkly humorous revenge film.
Available on Amazon Prime (paid).
9. John Wick (2014)
- Directed by: Chad Stahelski
- Duration: 1h 41m
- Cast: Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Adrianne Palicki, Bridget Moynahan
Keanu Reeves‘ Hollywood star had already faded when he suddenly crashed onto the screen as the killer comet John Wick in 2014. In it, he plays a retired hitman who falls into mourning after his wife dies due to illness. But when adversaries from old times first kill his dog and then steal his car, his collar bursts, he seeks revenge and celebrates a brilliant comeback like Jesus on Easter Sunday.
Yes, the two directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch prioritize form over content, but the whole thing is so smart and uncompromisingly implemented that this revenge film provides tons of feel-good moments.
Available on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Sky & Joyn.
10. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
- Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
- Duration: 1h 51m
- Cast: Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Vivica A Fox, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah.
What was supposed to be the most beautiful day of their lives ended in a massacre: four female killers massacred everyone present on behalf of gang boss Bill (David Carradine). Only the bride (Uma Thurman) survived, seriously injured. And from then on, she only had one thing on her mind: revenge. Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill was once again an excellent nod to cinema in general and martial arts movies in particular.
At the time, Der Spiegel described Tarantino as a kind of DJ who puts one layer of sound from different records on top of the other and thereby creates a new sound that goes beyond mere quotation – and this description fits it perfectly.
Because Kill Bill is without question a highly concentrated quote as such; a kind of sampling in which something unique and new is created. In this case, it’s a crazy revenge film bursting with ideas with great martial arts scenes, which is without question one of the best in Tarantino’s oeuvre.
Available on Netflix & and Sky.