The big payback: 25 of the best films about revenge

How could we forget about Memento? Christopher Nolan's breakout film was about a man who can't remember anything from his wife's murder, so he gets tattoos to help. It's one of those movies that makes you scratch your head and dart your eyes, trying to put the pieces together before anyone else can. 

It's like I always say: never leave a trained assassin at the altar. She'll come for you with a sword and a grudge. In Quentin Tarantino's action flick, a woman gets revenge on the man who left her — for dead — at the altar.

You can smell the mud and taste the blood in this 18th-century revenge flick. When a woman is raped and her baby is murdered, she gets revenge on the men who did it. It's not a fun adventure, but it's one you will never forget. 

Embedded in this fantasy is one of the great revenge stories . A swordsman is on a quest to avenge his father. His name is Inigo Montoya, and by the tenth time you've heard his story, you won't forget it. He tells it to everyone he meets, making it all the more moving when he tells it to the man who killed his father. 

After giving the genre its arguably most iconic character — the Man With No Name — Clint Eastwood decided to try his hand at directing Westerns. He plays Josey, an outlaw not unlike the ones he played in previous films. He fights for those in need, goes after bad guys and gets revenge on the people who killed his friends. It's what Eastwood does best on screen — standing up for those who can't stand up for themselves. 

You never mess with another man's shoes, his woman and most certainly, his dog. Those are the rules. When you break them, you might end up with a bullet in your head. In John Wick, a group of gangsters kill another man's dog, which might as well be the nail in their coffin. 

This 1960s crime thriller, which was inspired by a Richard Stark novel, sees a man get revenge on the former partner who tries to double-cross him. They both stole money together, but one of them stole more than they were supposed to. The only way to get even is with bullets — lots and lots of bullets.  

These ladies are tired of dealing with their sexist boss, so they deal with the situation like rational adults and give him a stern talking to. Well, kind of. They also kidnap him and make a bunch of changes around the office. It's a workplace comedy served with a side of rat poison (*I mean, 'sweetner').

In this story of revenge and regret, Clint Eastwood comes to terms with the ways of the West, which he helped invent in the 1960s with Sergio Leone. Unforgiven sees a man set out for one last job, which leads to the death of his best friend. What ensues isn't so much a rowdy adventure as a reflection on what the West can do to a man, and how those final sunsets are really just a mirror of blood-soaked towns.  

Car chases, shootouts, explosions — what more could you want from a revenge flick? Mad Max: Fury Road pushes the pedal to the metal and never looks back. As a bunch of fugitives go on the run, you honestly can't believe your eyes. George Miller turns the desert into a playground, where cars fly into each other like Hot Wheels in a child's sandpit.

A man spends 15 years in a sealed room and is released in an empty field with no answers as to why he was imprisoned nor who was responsible. Now what? In Park Chan-wook's movie, everything that can happen will happen. Revenge, romance, history, memory, hammers, skulls and brains collide in this South Korean masterpiece. 

Maybe don't murder a kid's family and leave him to die in the desert. It's not a nice thing to do, for one, but it's also not a bright thing to do when that kid can grow into a tough, harmonica-playing gunman. Charles Bronson has spent years of his life training to take on Henry Fonda, a showdown that sets the stage for Sergio Leone's triumphant Western.

OK, this rom-com probably isn't going to crack any Top 10 lists. But in terms of revenge movies, The First Wives Club is impossible to ignore. Watching Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton and Bette Midler get revenge on their cheating husbands is just so much fun. 

A word of advice to bullies: never mess with Sissy Spacek's titular character. She'll use her powers against you, burning down the school and everyone in it. 

New York has never looked worse than in Death Wish. And that's saying something, since the city has been trashed more times than any other. Director Michael Winner turns the city into a junkyard where every block has a murderer and every alley has a mugger. Charles Bronson's wife is raped and murdered, causing him to become a vigilante in this New Hollywood classic. 

I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse: watch The Godfather from the perspective of a revenge movie, as Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) uses the death of his wife and brother as motivation to climb the ranks. It makes the story that much richer. 

Barbara Stanwyck is dumped by a dashing millionaire, but instead of buying a tub of ice cream, she buys a disguise and tries to win him over as someone else. She's got him right where she wants him, with his entire day devoted to her scheme. 

True Grit is one of the Coen Brothers' best films. Considering they also directed Fargo, Blood Simple and The Big Lebowski, that's really saying something. The movie sees a lawman try to help a little girl, only to run into a number of obstacles along the way.

This is really just a chance to watch Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Matt Damon coexist on screen. Sure, the heist is fun and the revenge is sweet, but how often do you get to see this much star power on screen? It's like hitting the jackpot for acting. 

Liam Neeson has a very particular set of skills: he can shoot, he can punch and he can show up in about two revenge movies a year. The first of these was Taken, which saw Neeson track down the men who took his daughter. He's made about 20 versions of the same thing since, but this is the best one yet.

If you've never seen bounty hunters duke it out in the snow, you're in for a treat. In Sergio Corbucci's Western, a gunman named Silence gets revenge on the bounty hunters who murder innocent people, building to a showdown in the snow that would make Sergio Leone blush. This is a perfect Western, with all the cool visuals and operatic music you could ask for. 

Two brothers get revenge on their parents by taking a vow of silence. If they don't get the TV they want, they aren't talking. It's a cute comedy from Yasujiro Ozu that makes for a nice change of pace on our list. 

How can you not be entertained? During Ridley Scott's epic, we get to see sword fights, gladiator battles and a man rise from the ashes. He's out to murder the emperor who took his family, but not before he kicks some butt in the arena. 

Almost every sports movie is a revenge movie at heart. The entire genre is built on rivalries and underdogs, which The Karate Kid establishes right off the bat. The new kid in town is bullied until he learns karate and gets revenge on those who hurt him. It's the perfect setup for a showdown on the mat. 

Hustlers Johnny (Robert Redford) and Hendry (Paul Newman) get revenge on a crime boss who killed their friend. Their plan is genius, their vibe is joyous and their friendship is irresistible, making it one of the most entertaining titles on our list.