I caught a newish flick this week on Netflix, A Bad Day for the Cut.
Its essentially a revenge thriller set in Northern Ireland. The Troubles are only mentioned peripherally, as its largely about one ordinary man hell bent of avenging his old Mum's death. I really enjoyed it.
It reminded me of other single-man-on-an-avenging-rampage films and in particular Blue Ruin, an American indie that hosts a brilliant performance from its central beachbum character.
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead is another humdinger of a vengeful flick, starring Clive Owen and I suppose The Punisher himself is the daddy of wrath, especially when played by Thomas Jane.
But for me the best revenge thriller I've ever seen has to be Dead Man's Shoes. Directed by Shane Meadows, it hosts Paddy Considine as the brilliantly played angel of death and Gary Stretch as the bumbling local Midlands hoodlum who leads a bunch of goons. The ensuing tension is transfixing and the images in the film will stay with you a long time.
Another flick I'd like to now track down is Deadbeat by Dawn from 1988.
Do you like revenge thrillers readers?
I dont really know what a revenge thriller is, Woodsy.
ReplyDeleteGive me an obvious example.
Gladiator and Braveheart are revenge films Mish. One man seeking satisfaction after the slaughter of his loved ones, the classic foundation of these types of films. Other modern ones include Kill Bill and Death Wish. An older classic from 1967 is Point Blank with Lee Marvin, which I think was remade as Payback with Mel Gibson. They are never pleasant but always tense, hence my phrase revenge thriller.
DeleteHow about Michael Douglas in Falling Down and Bronson in Death Wish? Arnie in almost all his films?
ReplyDeleteYes Khusru. Falling Down is a good film and the best bit for me is in the fast food joint when he wants some breakfast. Douglas does a good job portraying a man falling apart. Arnie is the Terminator for sure and Bronson sort of defined the revenge film. For me its movies where very ordinary people seek revenge that are the most effective and most chilling. Blue Ruin and Dead Man's Shoes are great examples of this.
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