Better Served Cold: 10 Best Movies About Bloody Revenge

10. Léon: The Professional (1994)

Among the most famous tales of revenge is the story of little girl Mathilda and professional hitman Léon. Their friendship is unique as it’s just as tender as it is cruel: the killer cares about the girl and teaches her his craft, but their ultimate goal is avenging her parents. Together, they go on a bloody rampage against the culprits. Watch Léon: The Professional on Netflix and Apple TV.

9. Gladiator ( 2000)

A fall from grace is reason enough to proclaim vengeance, but family’s murder? A brilliant Roman general is betrayed by his Emperor who kills his loved ones and sends the warrior into slavery. The general’s plan is simple and ruthless: rising through the ranks as a gladiator, he’ll reach the top and kill the Emperor himself.

Watch Gladiator on Netflix and Prime Video.

8. The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)

Once a simple man preparing to marry his beloved, he was wrongfully imprisoned and sent far away when a powerful man fancied his fiancée. Years later, he finally escapes his island prison and, with the help from a friend, finds a treasure. Now, with a new identity and the power of his money, he returns to avenge himself and his love.

Watch The Count of Monte Cristo on Apple TV and Prime Video.

7. Oldboy (2003)

For seemingly no reason, a man is kidnapped on the way home. For fifteen long years, he’s locked in a hotel room, learning that he’s been framed for a crime he didn’t commit. One day, the door unlocks, and he gets his freedom — but that’s not the end of the tale: now, he’ll find his captors and punish them for what they did to him.

Watch Oldboy on Netflix and Prime Video.

6. Kill Bill (2003–2004)

The pinnacle of the bloody revenge story genre, Kill Bill follows The Bride — a professional killer who was betrayed by her own people. Years later, she returns to the world of living and seeks vengeance for her groom, herself, and the life she’ll never have. Everyone who served her former boss and traitor is now sentenced.

Watch Kill Bill on Netflix and Prime Video.

5. V for Vendetta ( 2005)

In an alternate reality, a ruthless dictatorship is established in Britain after a deadly virus plunges the country into chaos. Only one man can effectively fight the tyrants: he’s hiding behind a Guy Fawkes mask, calls himself V, and delivers blow after blow to the corrupt system. But he also has personal reasons to hate his enemies…

Watch V for Vendetta on Netflix and Prime Video.

4. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

Wrongly imprisoned, a young barber loses everything he held dear: his wife, his daughter, and his very life. After years in hell, he returns to London under a fake identity, like the Count of Monte Cristo, and he only has one goal in mind: killing the judge who destroyed his family. He doesn’t care how much blood he’ll have to spill.

Watch Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street on Netflix, Apple TV, and Prime Video.

3. I Spit on Your Grave (2010)

A young author rents a cabin in the woods to write her novel in peace, but the publisher never gets it as four men brutally violate her and leave her to die. By a sheer chance, the woman survives, and the terrible attack has driven her insane: all she now wants is to make them pay, and they will — in the most gruesome way ever.

Watch I Spit on Your Grave on Netflix and Prime Video.

2. Django Unchained (2012)

When a family of slaves is sold, a man is separated from his beloved wife. Luckily, a whimsical German man not only frees him but also decides to aid him in his quest for vengeance. Together, they will travel the Wild West to find the slave owner who took away the former slave’s wife and rescue her… And kill the cruel bastard, as well.

Watch Django Unchained on Netflix, Apple TV, and Prime Video.

1. John Wick ( 2014–2023)

At first glance, John Wick is your average American citizen. He recently lost his wife; he loves his dog; he leads a peaceful life. But once some young pricks kill his dog, Wick loses it and unleashes his rage. The thing is, he was once the best assassin in the world — and now that he sees red, everyone who’s ever wronged him will die.

Watch John Wick on Netflix and Prime Video.