Category Archives: Revenge

2006, Not Feel Good, Revenge

The Prestige (2006)

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From NetFlix:

At the dawn of the 20th century, rival magicians Robert Angier
(Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) are desperate
to reveal each other’s secrets. Obsessed by the escalating
competition, the two illusionists begin to perform increasingly
risky tricks — which soon turn deadly. Michael Caine, Scarlett
Johansson and David Bowie also star in this taut psychological
thriller from director Christopher Nolan.

Pay close attention while watching this film. I guessed half the
surprises at the end and had to suspend belief for the other
surprise.

This film is not only about magic, but also about revenge. Of the
two dueling magicians, in my humble opinion, Hugh Jackman is
a better actor than Christian Bale.

David Bowie plays Nikola Tesla. You should look up Tesla in
Wikipedia. He invented alternating current and was recognized
by congress as the inventor of radio. He died poor because he
paid no attention to money. He was ostracized because of his
bizarre personality. I do not know if Thomas Edison really
hired thugs to harass his competitors. Thomas Edison championed
direct current and invented the electric chair to prove how more
humane DC was over AC.

Is Scarlett Johansson really a good actress ?

Please also see “The Illusionist” which has a completely different
intent.

2006, Revenge, Unusual

Daratt (2006)

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From NetFlix:

As the Chadian government declares nationwide amnesty after years
of war, 16-year-old Atim (Ali Barkai) sets out to take revenge on
the man who killed his father. After traveling to the capital, Atim
locates the man, but instead of finding a coldhearted murderer, he
comes across something entirely different. From the director of Bye
Bye Africa, Daratt is a compelling moral standoff as piercing for its
visuals as it is for its narrative.

The NetFlix raves a bit too much. This is one S L O W W W W W film. Acting is more than understated. It is a chance to see Chad. I can only hope that the characters behave in a manner that real Chadians would do. I don’t regret watching Daratt, but it is definitely not for everyone. In some African language plus French. English subtitles.

2007, Musical, Revenge, Unusual, Violent

Sweeny Todd (2007)

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From NetFlix:

Johnny Depp (in an Oscar-nominated role) reteams with director
Tim Burton for this adaptation of the hit Broadway musical
about the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Depp plays Sweeney
Todd, a man who becomes a deranged murderer seeking revenge
after being falsely imprisoned. To add to the macabre nature
of his crimes, he enlists the help of his lover, Mrs. Lovett
(Helena Bonham Carter), who disposes of the victims by baking
them into meat pies — sought after by all of London.

Only Stephen Sondheim could write a musical about slitting people’s throats. This is one literally bloody film with an R rating. If any of you out there are under 17 then you will have to have your mommy or daddy accompany you to see this slaughter. I felt compelled to put this film in the “not for everyone” category.

If you can divorce yourself from appropriate squeamishness, all the very positive reviews of this film are justified. Everything about the film is electrifying.

My daughter Kate tells me that Johnny Depp after making this film vowed never to make another musical. And while we are on the topic of music, I offer you this challenge: After watching the film, can you remember and sing even one song from the film ? No fair taking notes during the watching.

2002, Not Feel Good, Revenge

Dirty Pretty Things (2002)

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From NetFlix:

Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor), an illegal immigrant working as
a night porter at a posh London hotel, stumbles across
evidence of a bizarre murder. He and Senay (Audrey Tautou),
a Turkish chambermaid — and fellow undocumented worker —
venture into the city’s seedy underworld to find out what
happened. Stephen Frears directs this gritty urban thriller.

This film is not for the squeamish. But if you are into revenge, the ending is very satisfying. Such a great villain! Not feel-good and not for children.

2007, Not Feel Good, Revenge

Reservation Road (2007)

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From NetFlix:

The lives of Ethan (Joaquin Phoenix) and his wife, Grace
(Jennifer Connelly), are thrown into chaos after their 10-year-old
son is killed in a hit-and -run accident. When the case stalls, Ethan
makes it his mission to hunt down and punish the person responsible.
Violence, revenge and justice collide head on when Ethan finally finds
the man who killed his son. Mark Ruffalo co-stars

I don’t remember seeing Joaquin Phoenix in a bad movie. Considering the good actors that are in this film, somehow the film seemed flat. It is NOT a feel-good movie. But it would probably teach a lot to a child. The story line is compelling and I can see just this sort of thing happening (although the relation between aggrieved father and guilty driver is a bit contrived). I begrudgingly give this film an A.

2007, French, Not Feel Good, Revenge

The Page Turner (2007)

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From NetFlix:

As a child, pianist Melanie’s ( Déborah François) dream of
studying at a prestigious musical conservatory is shattered
when the chairwoman of the jury ( Catherine Frot) distracts
her during an audition. Years later, a coincidence leads to
Melanie’s employment in the woman’s household, and she
finds herself in the perfect position for revenge. Directed by
Denis Dercourt, this stylish psychological drama co-stars
Pascal Greggory.

Stephen King’s forte is revenge. But his revenge is usually
physically violent and just plain fun. On the other hand,
“The Page Turner” is French to the core. Subtle, quiet,
polite, it had me on the edge of my seat because I felt
that any minute something really awful was going to happen.

I strongly recommend this movie (NOT FOR CHILDREN)
and will only say “Don’t expect a happy ending”.

Stay alert.

2007, DO NOT MISS, Not Feel Good, Revenge

Sleuth (2007)

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From Netflix:

Aging detective writer Andrew Wyke (Michael Caine) squares off
against Milo Tindle (Jude Law), the struggling actor who stole Wyke’s
wife in this twisted — and twisty — plot of deception and double
crosses. Kenneth Branagh directs a gripping screenplay by Nobel
Prize laureate Harold Pinter, who stylishly updates the 1972
original — in which an Oscar-nominated Caine played the Milo
role opposite Laurence Olivier’s Andrew. Double feature anyone?

The movie feels like a play and is essentially talking heads. But what two heads !!!!!!! It is a pleasure to watch real time-honored acting. Michael Caine and Jude Law pair off in the most impressive performance I have seen in a long time.

Beware ! This is Harold Pinter and it doesn’t take long for things to get down and dirty. NOT FOR CHILDREN.

The plot twists are jolting. The ending is perfect. The updated 2007 setting works well.

Don’t miss it!

1990, Could Be Hard To Watch, Horror, Not Feel Good, Revenge, Stephen King, Suspense, Violent

Misery (1990)

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From NetFlix:

In this creepy thriller based on Stephen King’s book, Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) rescues her idol, romance novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan), after a horrible car accident. But she morphs from nurturing caregiver to sadistic jailer upon discovering that Sheldon plans to kill off his literary heroine, Misery, in his next volume. Bates’s disturbing performance as the psychotic Annie netted her a Best Actress Oscar.

The book is quite good especially compared to the movie. The movie vaguely resembles the book but still offers the same roller coaster ride. It’s just fun at a B level. Kathy Bates as the crazy captor and James Caan as the captive are a hoot. Bring along your strong stomach for some of the violence.

1001BeforeDie, 2007, Could Be Hard To Watch, Could Be Sad, Feel Good Not For Children, German, Redemption, Revenge

The Lives of Others (2007)

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From NetFlix:

Set in 1980s East Berlin, director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s debut feature (which earned an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film) provides an exquisitely nuanced portrait of life under the watchful eye of the state police as a high-profile couple is bugged. When a successful playwright and his actress companion become subjects of the Stasi’s secret surveillance program, their friends, family and even those doing the watching find their lives changed too.

For me this compelling film (recommended in “1001 Films To See Before You Die”) was a “feel good” because it has the most memorable and wonderful ending. In between there is a lot of sadness. Also the film is somewhat illustrative of the phrase “the banality of evil”. Not that those times were easy: the Stasi blackmailed ordinary people into spying on their neighbors.

The banality of evil is a phrase coined by Hannah Arendt and incorporated in the title of her 1963 work Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil. It describes the thesis that the great evils in history generally, and the Holocaust in particular, were not executed by fanatics or sociopaths but rather by ordinary people who accepted the premises of their state and therefore participated with the view that their actions were normal. This concept has it critics. See The Banality Of Evil

1001BeforeDie, 2000, Revenge, Underdogs win, Violent

Gladiator (2000)

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From NetFlix:

Oscar winner Russell Crowe is Maximus, whom Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) had picked to succeed him. But Marcus’s son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) snatches the throne, ordering Maximus dead. Instead, he’s enslaved and learns to be a skilled fighter. When the Coliseum opens for gladiator games, Maximus finally has the chance for revenge. Ridley Scott directs this vivid epic, winner of the Oscar and Golden Globe for best picture.

This film (recommended by “1001 Films to See Before You Die”) was the first film in which I ever saw Russell Crowe and every time I see him I think of this film. In fact the same is true for Joaquin Phoenix who makes a wonderful warped bad guy. By its nature this epic is violent. But just as important as the pomp and fighting is the human side of the story.

Interesting side fact: Oliver Reed (who plays Proximo) died during the filming and his remaining scenes were generated using a stand-in and computer-enhanced filmwork.