There’s just something so satisfying about a good revenge story…
We’ve all been there. Someone wronged you, and all you’re left with is the empty, soul sucking feeling of injustice, and a pain somewhere deep inside your epigastrium that just doesn’t seem to go away no matter how much whiskey you consume. It’s a feeling many of us are familiar with. Heck, I’ve seen my fair share of betrayal over my short time on this planet. I’ve gained enemies in the spaces left by people I thought were friends. Some asshole even stole my writing once. I know, right? The gallows aren’t good enough for them.
Anyway.
Somewhere in the pain, somewhere deep in the shadows of our psyche, is a burning desire for revenge. The fantasy plays itself out in our darkest moments. Maybe you get to give them a right telling off in front of everyone you know, or openly shame them on social media with tons of evidence backing up your claim, and they can’t argue with any of it so they delete their profiles, and literally run away from you at a convention when you confront them in person about it. Maybe they even lose their publishing deal over it… One can dream.
Maybe the crime is something more heinous than art thievery. Maybe they did something much worse. Maybe they really, actually hurt you, physically and mentally. Maybe they hurt someone you care about. And despite what my therapist tells me about it “saying more about them than it does about me”, and that sometimes people are assholes, and we need to let it go and not let the fact that they stole our writing then posted it back into the writers group as their own, poison us, hatred is like holding a hot coal, etc etc etc… frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn. This hot coal is one that was forced onto me, and I won’t feel satisfaction until I crush it.
And yes, getting justice can be great n’ all, but sometimes, justice just isn’t enough. It’s not enough to mourn your dead dog and move on. It’s not enough to see your wife’s murderer go to prison. It’s not enough to avenge your ruined wedding day and the taking of your unborn child. It’s not enough to tell your close circle of friends about the art thief and have them console you. No. Sometimes, you need to see the asshole who wronged you get exactly what they deserve.
What’s that? We should forgive them?
Bah. Forgiveness? Forgiveness is for God, and we’re not him.
What is best in life?
Simply forgiving and moving on doesn’t exactly make for an exciting story.
We love revenge stories (well, I do. I don’t know about you, personally). Just check out this top 10 list of revenge novels from the Guardian. And movies (arguably my favourite form of media) about revenge give us all a taste of that sweet, sweet catharsis we desperately need, without actually resorting to violence. An eye for an eye leaves the world blind, and all that. Revenge fantasies help us cope with the wrongdoing, especially when for many of us, there is no satisfying outcome, no justice.
Just ask anyone who’s suffered at the hands of a violent partner, or is the victim of sexual assault. Too often the authorities are either indifferent, incompetent, or powerless to help due to lack of evidence. What then? In the real world, we have to learn to live with it. Some of us go to therapy. Some of us meditate, or practice radical forgiveness. Some of us drink or take recreational drugs, or descend into the depths of depression. For some, revenge is living well and overcoming their encounter (arguably healthier than some of the other options).
But, when we get to see a protagonist take vengeance in media, there is something deeply satisfying about it. Like I said earlier, there is a side of us that yearns for retribution.
What makes a sweet revenge plot?
So what makes a revenge plot so satisfying? There’s some common elements that, in my humble opinion, work very well. And I’m not talking about poignant, bitter-sweet revenge stories, where ‘an eye for an eye’ is the outcome. This is catharsis, not critical thinking damnit. I’m not saying poignant, thoughtful revenge stories aren’t good by the way; they are. But, sweet-sweet revenge isn’t a gourmet meal from a Michelin star restaurant. It’s twice-fried chicken from your nan’s house after eating nothing but salad for 2 weeks.
1) The protagonist suffers enough that their revenge, in whatever measure, can be fully supported by the audience.
2) The protagonist has been clearly wronged – the victim of infidelity, robbery or worse, someone kicked their cat etc etc… And, if the protagonist is avenging someone, the victim in this scenario is an innocent (such as a child, puppy etc).
3) There’s a moment where the audience thinks the protagonist might not succeed – tension adds drama and invokes powerful emotions.
4) There’s a ‘gotcha’ moment – gotcha moments could be as simple as the nerdy girl having a full ‘glow up’ and really sticking it to her high school bullies. Or, it could be the moment the villain whips off their mask and boasts about kicking the protagonists cat/puppy/baby.
5) The villain is a shit-eating douche. Like, we HATE what they did to the protagonist (and/or their loved ones), and we can’t wait to see them get exactly what’s coming to them.
6) The protagonist goes through hell to reach their destination/goal.
7) The ending is satisfying and the justice poetic. Like, jump out of my seat and fist-bump the air level of satisfying.
Let’s have a look at some sweet, sweet revenge moments, shall we?
Disclaimer: I’m not saying these are the best moments of revenge of all time, they’re some that I particularly enjoy. Also, if it wasn’t obvious already: spoiler alert.
1) The Princess Bride: “Hi! My name is…”
The moment Inigo Montoya finally gets to slay the man who murdered his father, thus avenging him. The battle is tense, with Inigo repeating the phrase “My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” Just before striking the killing blow, he utters “I want my father back you son of a bitch.” It is iconic, and every bit as satisfying as finding a £20 note in your coat pocket. But, with his revenge also comes freedom. He’s dedicated his life to avenging his father, and now he is finally free to be his own man, to pursue his own interests.
2) Kill Bill 1: Silly rabbit, tricks are for kids
There are many satisfying moments in the Kill Bill movies, with the first films entire run through dedicated to Kiddo’s intense fight with Yakuza boss O’ren Ishii’s army, the ‘Crazy 88s’ in what I can only describe as a fierce love letter to old school Japanese martial arts movies. The film ends in a visually stunning fight scene, with protagonist Beatrix Kiddo finally taking down Ishii. The scene is so tense that even though Kiddo’s the main character, there’s a part of you that thinks “hang on, she might not make it!”
3) Kill Bill Volume 2: “Bitch, you don’t have a future.”
Since it’s one of my favourite movies of all time and the entire story is literally about a woman’s revenge, there are obviously many great moments in the plot. The most satisfying for me isn’t the moment Kiddo finally kills Bill. It’s when Kiddo utters the iconic line “bitch, you don’t have a future”, before plucking out the eyeball of rival assassin, and killer of her mentor Pai Mai, Elle Driver.
4) “That f*cking nobody is John Wick.”
There’s just something so righteous about taking down the scumbag who stole your car and killed your dog, especially when said scumbag is a feckless, spoiled man-child who thinks daddy will protect him from everything. The entire nightclub scene is extremely good watching for any action movie aficionado, but there’s something so unsettling and satisfying about seeing a man gut punch his own son and tell him that the boogey-man is real, and “you will do nothing, because you can do nothing.” John Wick hasn’t even begun his revenge yet, and they’re already terrified.
5) Jackie Brown: The ol’ switcheroo
Another one of my all time favourite movies, with another case of getting sweet, sweet revenge. Jackie (portrayed by the incredible Pam Grier) is disrespected, sexualised, and mistreated by almost every man she encounters in this film. And even in the direction, she isn’t portrayed as a badass. She’s just an ordinary flight attendant who smuggles drug money. And she’s scared. She’s scared of getting older, of having nothing to show for her years of hard work. She’s tearful, hesitant, and she’s made mistakes. She’s utterly human in every scene. And she outsmarts everyone. With a slick music score and a masterclass in dramatic irony with multiple POVs showing the bag switch, the audience knows exactly what’s going on, and you’re cheering for her as she drives away, free as a bird.
6) Logan: little nightmares
Raising kids can be a nightmare, especially when they’re kids with mutant superpowers… and they’re hellbent on escaping your secret government lab. The most satisfying moment in Logan is watching the children fight back against their captors in glorious, visceral detail.
7) Leon the professional: A gift from Matilda
Another one of my all time favourites. As Leon (played by Jean Reno) lays dying after a gruelling battle to save 12 year old orphan Matilda from a full on assault from corrupt cops, he hands villainous detective Stansfield (played by Gary Oldman) something, whispering, “this is from Matilda”. By the time Stansfield has figured out that it’s a grenade pin, he’s blown to smithereens, and the audience knows that Matilda is finally safe.
8) Full Metal Alchemist: A roast to Envy
Roy Mustang, manliest of all men btw, is having the stomach rumblies that only homunculus hands can satisfy – and if you get that reference, congratulations, you’re old! And wouldn’t you know it, Envy just happens to be there, and just happens to be the homunculus who killed Maes Hughes. What can only be described as a cremation ensues. And it is satisfying.
9) Tokyo Ghoul: All this for one lousy date?
Our sweet boy 17 year old Ken Kaneki just cannot catch a break in the brutal and depressing anime that is Tokyo Ghoul. The series starts with him just discovering that he’s a ghoul after a freak accident leads to his blood becoming mixed with his date Rize. What follows is an absolute pile on from hungry ghouls and human ghoul hunters alike. Just when you think Kaneki’s suffering is over, he’s kidnapped and brutally tortured by Ghoul Jason (and these scenes actually made me feel ill). Much in the way that Ned Flanders had to endure the friendship of Homer Simpson, eventually, Kaneki snaps. Leaving the sweet innocence of his youth behind, he embraces the “kill or be killed” mantra, and goes fully feral on his torturer.
10) Blue Eye Samurai: don’t run afoul of Mizu
The entirety of Blue-eye samurai is a shout out to the great classic Ronin/samurai revenge movies – and I could have put them here just on the basis of them being the classics, but this is my list and I get to choose what’s on it. Anyway. Mizu, a blue-eyed, half-white orphaned woman, has literally cut her way through the toughest warriors Edo era Japan has to offer. And she’s about to get her revenge on 1 of the 4 men who might be her father: Irish born gun smuggler, Abijah Fowler. Fowler has a fearsome reputation himself, and hasn’t made it easy for her. Initially he stabs her, but like a true demon, she gets up, setting fire to the room. Fowler, for the first time, shows genuine fear as he turns to face her.
Jesse B Writes 