5 Best Revenge Movies Nobody Talks About Anymore

This article contains discussion of child abuse and sexual assault.

As the saying goes, revenge is a dish best served cold ... and there are a lot of huge, super-popular movies that center on this very concept. In the "John Wick" movies, the titular character, portrayed by Keanu Reeves, kicks off his murderous rampage after his puppy Daisy is killed and his vintage car is stolen. Across two "Kill Bill" movies, Uma Thurman's Bride mows down enemies left and right, culminating in her revenge against her former boss and lover Bill (David Carradine). "Memento" centers around a man trying to avenge the death of his wife, "Promising Young Woman" sees Carey Mulligan's Nina tormenting men in the memory of her lost friend, and Ralph Fiennes' master chef in "The Menu" attempts to right societal wrongs through revenge. The list goes on and on and on.

Still, what about movies that aren't quite as popular as those picks? The "revenge movie" genre is more varied and diverse than you might think; not only are there great revenge films that center around, say, teenaged girls, there are even revenge films that are part of trilogies that include other revenge films. (You'll see what we mean shortly.) From some scathing Netflix original movies to a dark revenge film that features two major actresses before they became huge stars, here are five underrated, underhyped revenge movies that'll have you making a list of enemies (and checking it twice).

Cory Finley's 2017 film "Thoroughbreds" might be his directorial debut, but his steady hand and excellent work on this film definitely made him a director to watch. With a script also written by Finley, "Thoroughbreds" centers around estranged best friends Amanda (future "House of the Dragon" standout Olivia Cooke) and Lily (future Emmy-winner and major movie star Anya Taylor-Joy), who end up reconnecting despite their social differences at school. (Lily is popular and a straight-A student, while Amanda is ... not.) We also see some signs that something's not quite right straight away; in the opening of "Thoroughbreds," Amanda kills an injured horse with a knife and is accused of animal cruelty.

Before long, the two start plotting something deeply sinister. As it turns out, Lily absolutely despises her stepfather Mark (Paul Sparks), so Amanda and Lily start wondering if they might be able to get away with his murder ... as revenge for his dislike of her and his cruel treatment of her mother Cynthia (Francie Swift). We won't tell you what happens from that point on, but rest assured that "Thoroughbreds" is a darkly funny and deeply unsettling film that features brilliant performances from Cooke and Taylor-Joy ... and a posthumous one from the late Anton Yelchin, who plays a drug dealer named Tim. In fact, the film is dedicated to Yelchin's memory.

Very few people "do revenge" as well as wronged teenage girls, which is precisely what makes writer-director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson's ("Someone Great") Netflix movie "Do Revenge" such an absolute delight. This 2022 film stars "Riverdale" standout Camila Mendes as popular Rosehill Country Day High School student Drea, who's horrified to watch her social standing crumble after her boyfriend Max (future "Weapons" standout Austin Abrams) spreads an intimate video of her. Furious and suddenly at the bottom of the high school social structure, Drea spends a summer working at a tennis camp where she befriends total outcast Eleanor (Maya Hawke) who was branded as a "loser" for trying to kiss a girl named Carissa (Ava Capri). Together, they vow revenge on Max and Carissa ... and send each other to do their dirty work.

Mendes and Hawke are splendid together as two girls who become best friends under the least likely of circumstances, and as an added bonus, "Game of Thrones" veteran Sophie Turner gets the chance to deliver an absolutely blistering albeit brief performance as Erica Norman, another girl who wronged Drea and ends up in the line of fire. Want to laugh and watch two empowered teens destroy their enemies? Check out "Do Revenge," a fantastic modern entry into the teen movie hall of fame.

Oscar nominated actor Michael Fassbender and legendary director David Fincher make an excellent pair; in fact, you could say it's a killer combination. In Fincher's 2023 Netflix movie "The Killer" — adapted by Andrew Kevin Walker from a French graphic novel written by Alexis "Matz" Nolent and drawn by Luc Jacamon — Fassbender plays the titular role, and we mean that literally, as he's only ever referred to as The Killer. An in-demand hitman who begins the movie working a job in Paris, The Killer — who's a big fan of The Smiths, meaning that their music is featured quite prominently throughout the movie — works alongside his handled Eddie Hodges (Charles Parnell) but returns home from his Parisian hit job to find his apartment burgled and his girlfriend Magdala (Sophie Charlotte) hospitalized.

What this ultimately means for The Killer is that he must face off against his fellow assassin known only as The Expert (Oscar winner Tilda Swinton) and her cohort The Brute (stuntman Sala Baker). Wanting vengeance for Magdala, The Killer stalks his enemies and eventually manages to hunt them down ... and what happens next? Well, you'll have to watch "The Killer" and see for yourself.

When it comes to David Slade's 2005 thriller "Hard Candy," tread carefully — but if you can handle this film's intensely difficult subject matter, you're in for a bizarre, unsettling, and horrifically satisfying journey. When 20-something photographer Jeff Kohlver (Patrick Wilson) meets a young woman — Hayley Stark (Elliott Page), who's only 14-years-old — in an online chatroom, the two arrange to meet at a coffee shop before they go back to Jeff's house. Obviously, every single thing about this is horrendous and wrong; Jeff is explicitly targeting a minor. Hayley, however, is a more formidable young woman than he could have ever expected.

At Jeff's house, Hayley mixes laced drinks ... and when Jeff regains consciousness, she tells him that she's been tracking him as a sexual predator for some time, and this is her way of getting revenge for all of the other children he's targeted and assaulted. (She even accuses him of murdering some of those young girls.) Brian Nelson's script for "Hard Candy" takes several upsetting twists and turns, so again, be sure to brace yourself ... but even while you're horrified, you'll be absolutely riveted by the two powerful performances from Wilson and Page.

Even if you're familiar with "Oldboy," you might not know it's part of a frankly underappreciated three-part structure known as the Vengeance Trilogy, which includes the aptly named "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance." The first movie in acclaimed South Korean director Park Chan-wook's unsettling trilogy, which hit theaters in 2002 centers around a deaf-mute man named Ryu (Shin Ha-kyun) who's desperately trying to make enough money working at a factory to pay his sister's hospital bills until she can get a kidney transplant. After Ryu himself is scammed by a black market organ dealer who steals one of his kidneys, his girlfriend Cha Yeong-mi (Bae Doona) suggests that he kidnap the daughter of a wealthy man, Park Dong-jin ("Parasite" star and frequent Bong Joon-ho collaborator Song Kang-ho) and hold her for ransom. Predictably, everything devolves from there.

"Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" sends Ryu on a quest to avenge his sister after his plan with Yeong-mi goes horribly awry, and thanks to stunning performances from Shin and Song, among others, this movie handily proves that it's just as impactful as "Oldboy." Plus, since this is part of a trilogy, you can treat yourself to three revenge movies; it's preceded by "Oldboy" and "Lady Vengeance."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.