Top 10 Movie Revenge Plots That Backfired
#10: “Oldboy” (2003)
Following a fifteen-year imprisonment, Dae-su tries to figure out who kept him trapped. His journey ends up being part of an elaborate scheme by the villain that leads to him falling for Mi-do. When the mastermind later reveals that Mi-do is actually Dae-su’s daughter, it completely breaks the hero’s spirit. The antagonist ends his own life after exacting his revenge and leaves his adversary grappling with his complicated future. Seeking out the help of a hypnotist, the lead’s only hope is to forget that he heard the horrible news in the first place. It’s one of the more devastating twists in modern cinema that leaves nobody unscathed.
#9: “Strangers on a Train” (1951)
In this Hitchcock classic, tennis player Guy Haines meets Bruno Antony on a train, and the latter man proposes that they help each other pull off the perfect crime. The idea is for each to kill a hated person in the other’s life and escape with no one the wiser. While Haines thinks it’s a joke, his fellow passenger takes it seriously and murders the man’s cheating wife Miriam. Things only get more complicated from there as Haines never follows through on his end of the deal, but instead becomes a suspect in his wife’s murder. The film ends in a final showdown on a carousel that leads to Antony’s demise. Everything comes crashing down, including the scheme and the carousel itself.
#8: “The Prestige” (2006)
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Powered by their egos, magicians Borden and Angier start as friends, but become sworn enemies during the course of this movie. Each attempts to outdo the other with his magic show, eventually leading them to resort to sabotage. Their blind hatred for one another fuels a rivalry that only makes each man more miserable, and culminates in the deaths of their loved ones. The film’s final act goes on to explain the extraordinary lengths they went to perform their illusions. Through a surprising collection of twists, director Christopher Nolan shows that the characters’ revenge plots are all for nothing.
#7: “Prisoners” (2013)
When two young girls disappear, the initial investigation fails to bring about any leads and pits the authorities against the grieving parents. Hugh Jackman’s character decides to take the law into his own hands to find the truth. But the distraught father slowly becomes a monster as he searches for answers, even kidnapping and torturing an intellectually disabled man who he believes to be a prime suspect. He finally confronts the mastermind behind it all only to end up a prisoner himself. This grim and disturbing film shows how the thirst for revenge can drive anyone to desperation.
#6: “Blood Simple” (1984)
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The Coen brothers certainly know how to craft a darkly hilarious crime drama. After discovering that his wife Abby is cheating on him with bartender Ray, bar owner Julian Marty hires a private detective to have the couple murdered. However, the would-be assassin has no intention of going through with it – at least at first. Just about everyone gets stabbed in the back at least once throughout the course of this twisted tale. In a movie full of revenge, betrayal, and doctored evidence, that concludes with everyone but the leading woman dead, nobody realizes what’s actually going on until it’s too late.
#5: “Heat” (1995)
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Most of “Heat” is a tense heist movie, but the final act turns into a revenge thriller as professional thief Neil McCauley ties up some loose ends among his backstabbing crew. Although he could just leave the country and live freely with his girlfriend, instead he risks his life to take down a treacherous former associate. McCauley’s decision to seek revenge puts him directly in the path of Detective Vincent Hanna. After a tense chase, the two rivals end up in a gunfight that leaves the thief dead. He just couldn’t resist the chance to get payback, no matter the personal cost.
#4: “Get Carter” (1971)
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Returning home after his brother Frank’s death, Jack Carter doesn’t mind breaking a few laws to dish out revenge. This leads him on a long journey of threats, extortion, betrayal, and murder in order to learn the truth about his sibling’s suspicious demise. Along the way, the gangster runs afoul of local syndicates that don’t want him interfering in their criminal activities. In the end, he executes the killer but only gets a moment to celebrate before being taken out by a sniper who brings his life to an abrupt close.
#3: “Blue Ruin” (2013)
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This bloody thriller proves that revenge can have unintended consequences. After learning that his parents’ killer is being released from prison, Dwight Evans decides to hunt the man down. Following the murder, Dwight has to avoid the deceased man’s family as they try to avenge their loved one. The events that follow lead him down a rabbit hole with far more dead bodies than he expected. Showing that violence creates more violence, this plot concludes with most of the principal players dead. At no point does anyone truly find closure as the resulting brutality destroys multiple families.
#2: “Unforgiven” (1992)
Formerly a murderous outlaw, William Munny doesn’t have the best reputation. The anti-hero takes a job hunting down a pair of cowboys for a bounty. In the process, he recruits his old friend Ned to be his partner, but their plan soon comes crashing down and Ned gets killed. Without any remorse, Munny enters the town saloon and opens fire on anybody that gets in his way. This includes shooting the sheriff played by Gene Hackman. The revenge is swift and brutal, coming from a character who knows he’s bad. After all is said and done, the gunslinger accepts his fate as a broken man.
#1: “The Godfather Part II” (1974)
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After surviving an assassination attempt, Michael Corleone spends most of this epic sequel hunting down those responsible. His personal and legal problems only make things more complicated, leading him to become more ruthless with each passing scene. He later learns the heartbreaking news that his brother Fredo took part in the plot to kill him. The mob boss murders several rivals before the film’s end and alienates his wife, finally dishing out revenge on his older sibling. It’s among the more heartless decisions in movie history that proves Corleone has lost any remnants of his soul. In the final moments of the story, the character sits alone as he contemplates his descent into evil.
