10 Fantastic Revenge Movies That Aren’t Action Films

When most people think of revenge movies, they think of violent action thrillers, but this only scratches the surface. There are all sorts of great revenge movies, ranging from crime dramas to teen comedies. Vengeance and justice are universal themes, so it makes sense that they’re important to more than just the action genre.

Although movies like John Wick and Kill Bill have come to exemplify revenge cinema, they offer just one of many interpretations of the theme. Audiences often find violent, bloody revenge to be cathartic, even if it’s just a fantasy. Other types of revenge movies can be just as satisfying.

10

The Sting (1973)

The Sting Pits Two Con Men Against A Violent Mob Boss

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The Sting

PG

Comedy

Crime

Drama

9/10

Release Date

December 25, 1973

Runtime

129 minutes

Director

George Roy Hill

Writers

David S. Ward

Cast

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  • Paul Newman

    Paul Newman

  • Headshot Of Robert Redford In The North America Rights Only

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Many of the best heist movies ever distinguish themselves from the competition by adding a personal element to the capers, like Danny’s love for Tess in Ocean’s Eleven or Hanna and McCauley’s dynamic in Heat. Whether The Sting counts as a real heist movie or not, it certainly has a similar tone.

As Redford’s character states plainly, he resorts to the big con only because he has no experience of murdering people.

Robert Redford and Paul Newman star as two con artists who seek revenge against a violent Chicago-based mob boss for killing a close friend. As Redford’s character states plainly, he resorts to the big con only because he has no experience of murdering people, but the intent is the same, and this leads to a rapturous finale.

9

Gone Girl (2014)

David Fincher’s Revenge Thriller Has Influenced A Whole Subgenre

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Gone Girl

9.50

Drama

Documentary

Mystery

Thriller

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8/10

10

8.8/10

Release Date

October 1, 2014

Runtime

2h 29m

Director

David Fincher

Writers

Gillian Flynn

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Ben Affleck

    Ben Affleck

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The current wave of feminist revenge thrillers has a lot to thank Gone Girl for. Based on the best-selling book by Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl follows the chaos that erupts after a woman fakes her own kidnapping to frame her husband for a crime he didn’t commit.

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Gone Girl is one of David Fincher’s best movies, putting a twist on his ongoing exploration of criminal psychology. Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike are both fantastic, which is important for a movie that’s so often about how people act and how they’re supposed to act.

8

Promising Young Woman (2020)

Carey Mulligan Shines In A Gripping Thriller

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Promising Young Woman

R

Crime

Thriller

Drama

ScreenRant logo

8/10

6.7/10

Release Date

December 25, 2020

Runtime

113 minutes

Director

Emerald Fennell

Writers

Emerald Fennell

Cast

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  • Headshot of Jennifer Coolidge In The 96th Academy Awards Vanity Fair Party

    Jennifer Coolidge

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Promising Young Woman is another thriller in the tradition of Gone Girl, one in which a woman takes violent revenge against the men who have ruined her life, but it also feels like a timely social document produced at the height of the #MeToo movement.

Promising Young Woman stars Carey Mulligan as a woman who seeks revenge against the man whose sexual violence contributed to her friend’s suicide. She delivers a compelling performance as a righteous agent of twisted justice, offering just enough ambiguity to avoid being too blunt. In this way, Promising Young Woman is the type of film that’s sure to spark debate and give audiences a lot to think about.

7

Mean Girls (2004)

Mean Girls Finds The Humor In Petty Revenge

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Mean Girls

PG-13

Comedy

ScreenRant logo

9/10

6.7/10

Release Date

April 30, 2004

Runtime

97 minutes

Director

Mark Waters

Writers

Tina Fey

Sequel(s)

mean girls 2

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Amy Poehler In The 2024 CinemaCon Big Screen Achievement Awards

    Amy Poehler

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    Lacey Chabert

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Mean Girls is a hilarious teen comedy, dissecting the absurd political melodrama that takes place in many high schools. To the characters involved, there’s nothing more important or more dramatic than people forming new relationships and shunning old friends, but from the outside it’s entertainingly low-stakes.

Mean Girls has a great script, packed with memorable quotes and scathing put-downs. The comedy is all rooted in riotously bad behavior, which contributes to the toxic environment of the high school that Cady finds herself sinking into. This explains why she’s willing to sink to Regina’s level when targeting revenge. Mean Girls has the broad strokes of a much more serious drama, but the story is told with piquant humor and a focus on fashion.

6

Murder On The Orient Express (2017)

The Classic Poirot Mystery Is All About Revenge

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Murder on the Orient Express

PG-13

Mystery

ScreenRant logo

6/10

9/10

Release Date

November 10, 2017

Runtime

114 Minutes

Director

Kenneth Branagh

Writers

Michael Green

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Michael Pena

    Michael Pena

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    Michelle Pfeiffer

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The first movie in Kenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot series adapts a true Agatha Christie classic. Murder on the Orient Express has been adapted for film and TV before, and many people watching Branagh’s version for the first time would already have known the twist, but it’s still a fun adaptation nonetheless.

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Murder on the Orient Express sees Poirot stumbling into another perplexing mystery. As usual, his investigation must first address any possible motives among his limited pool of suspects. To say much more would risk spoiling the ending, but revenge plays an important factor.

5

Cape Fear (1991)

Martin Scorsese Remakes A Classic Revenge Story

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Cape Fear

R

Crime

Thriller

ScreenRant logo

8/10

9/10

Release Date

November 15, 1991

Runtime

128 minutes

Director

Martin Scorsese

Writers

John D. MacDonald, James R. Webb, Wesley Strick

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Robert De Niro In The 35th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Night

    Robert De Niro

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Many of Martin Scorsese’s movies deal with the theme of revenge in some way, whether it’s tied to honor, personal pride or guilt. Cape Fear addresses revenge head-on, remaking a Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum movie from 1962 with just as much bite.

Robert De Niro shines as Max Cady, a newly-released convict who returns to torment the lawyer he blames for his incarceration. Rather than simply killing the lawyer, he goes about terrorizing his entire life, even seducing his teenage daughter. De Niro’s slimy, contemptuous performance is vital, as he gives off the air of a supernatural beast.

4

The Menu (2022)

The Horror-Comedy Is About One Man’s Artistic Revenge

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The Menu

R

Comedy

Horror

Thriller

ScreenRant logo

7/10

19

8.8/10

Release Date

November 18, 2022

Runtime

106 minutes

Director

Mark Mylod

Writers

Seth Reiss, Will Tracy

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Ralph Fiennes

    Ralph Fiennes

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    Anya Taylor-Joy

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The Menu is a strange and captivating movie, mostly because the script is designed to gradually drip-feed the audience information about the true nature of Chef Slowik’s mysterious restaurant. It doesn’t reveal his motives for revenge until relatively late in the story.

Chef Slowik seeks revenge against those who have profiteered off his art without ever fully understanding or appreciating it. This is an artist’s diatribe against the way wealthy elites commodify and quantify the work of other people. There’s also a hint of self-flagellation, as Slowik chastizes himself for his complicity.

3

Do Revenge (2022)

Do Revenge Mixes The Old With The New

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Do Revenge

TV-MA

Comedy

ScreenRant logo

8/10

10/10

Release Date

September 16, 2022

Runtime

118 minutes

Director

Jennifer Kaytin Robinson

Writers

Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, Celeste Ballard

Cast

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  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Camilla Mendes

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Do Revenge is clearly inspired by Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train, in which two people enter a mutual agreement to help each other with grave problems so that their crimes can’t be traced back to them. However, it’s also a teen comedy that pays homage to the likes of Mean Girls and Heathers.

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By incorporating elements of popular teen comedies, complete with a brightly-colored aesthetic, Do Revenge puts a comedic spin on Highsmith’s novel and its famous Hitchcock adaptation. The essence of the story is still there, but Do Revenge is a more playful tale of unlikely friendship.

2

The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (2004)

Wes Anderson’s Colorful Adventure Is Fueled By Revenge

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The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

R

Adventure

Comedy

Action

Release Date

December 25, 2004

Runtime

119 Minutes

Director

Wes Anderson

Writers

Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach

Cast

See All

  • Headshot Of Bill Murray In The 65th BFI London Film Festival: 'The French Dispatch' premiere

    Bill Murray

  • Headshot Of Owen Wilson In The 2006 MTV Movie Awards

    Owen Wilson

  • Headshot Of Cate Blanchett In The Giorgio Armani Prive Haute Couture Fall/Winter

    Cate Blanchett

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    Anjelica Huston

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Like all Wes Anderson movies, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is gorgeous to look at. However, in this case, the brightly colored settings, stop-motion creatures and stylish backdrops are all contrasted by the main character’s quest for bloody revenge against the shark that killed his best friend.

The Life Aquatic is a story about the wild things that grief can make people do. Steve Zissou faces personal and professional troubles, but his single-minded pursuit of vengeance is never far from his mind. It drives him to the depths of the ocean, and through dangerous side missions. Ultimately, he comes to understand that his rage is a poor salve for his grief.

1

Trading Places (1983)

Trading Places Dishes Out The Best Possible Revenge

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Trading Places

R

Comedy

Release Date

June 8, 1983

Runtime

116 minutes

Director

John Landis

Writers

Timothy Harris, Herschel Weingrod

Cast

See All

  • Headshot Of Eddie Murphy In The Los Angeles premiere of Amazon Prime Video's 'Candy Cane Lane'

    Eddie Murphy

  • Headshot Of Jamie Lee Curtis

    Jamie Lee Curtis

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Ralph Bellamy

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    Don Ameche

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Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd make a great comedic duo in Trading Places. They play two men who are used as pawns in a twisted game by two billionaire stockbrokers. Although these characters bicker for a while, they soon team up to plot their revenge against the men who treated their lives like nothing.

Trading Places is so satisfying because the nature of the revenge is proportionate to the transgression.

Trading Places is so satisfying because the nature of the revenge is proportionate to the transgression. Through their immoral wager, the stockbrokers prove that the only thing that matters to them is money, so seeing them being stripped of their assets and beaten at their own game is just as cathartic as any violent, action-packed revenge thriller.

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