Since humanity started telling stories, revenge has been one of the most universal plot devices across all of storytelling. That includes, of course, cinema. one can find out there. It can be argued that some of the greatest films ever made belong to this genre.

As such, it's hard to pick the best ones. From period epics like the World War II satire to contemporary masterpieces like , these are revenge movies that prove that vengeance isn't black and white. They're stories that blur the moral lines between hero and villain, usually packed with jaw-dropping twists that change the course of the whole narrative.

Throughout the 20th century, was one of the most groundbreaking and important filmmakers in Hollywood. He closed off his filmography for the period with , a film so great that . Thrilling, epic, and anchored by a terrific lead performance, it's still one of the best movies of the 2000s, as well as one of .

The story of Maximus Decimus Meridius going on a harrowing journey from general to slave to gladiator to get retribution against the man that wronged him is a riveting one. It definitely helps that the action sequences are so brutal, exciting, and visually stunning, but it's Gladiator's quieter character moments that really make the narrative's emotional dimension shine through.

Master of the Hong Kong action genre, has also done a few things in Hollywood here and there, but his work in his home country remains by far his best. , in particular, is one of his best films, as well as one of . For those who love stylish assassin movies, this one is a must-see.

This bombastic flick about a hard-boiled action hero nails all of its technical qualities to perfection. The action scenes are delightfully over-the-top in full John Woo fashion, but dealing with themes of honor, redemption, and friendship that the experience is unforgettable. The Killer redefines the heroic bloodshed subgenre, all through a gripping story of revenge.

No one does . One of their best of the 21st century is , a cat-and-mouse thriller more intense and brutal than most. Bloody, relentless, and psychologically complex, it's a movie that's seething with rage, but knows how to perfectly channel that anger into a story that flows beautifully and perfectly justifies its nearly 2-and-a-half-hour runtime.

Movies that show the toxicity of revenge for all parties involved are aplenty, but . Absolutely harrowing, visually striking beyond description, and with an ending so shocking that it's hard to close one's mouth by the time the credits roll, it's one of the biggest South Korean masterworks of recent years.

Although many see them as two separate films, conceived of and as a single 4-hour epic: , easily one of the director's best works. With the first chapter's focus on stylish, bloody violence and the second chapter's focus on dialogue and thematic work, it doesn't matter whether you see it as one or two films: Either way, it's .

Paying homage to classic revenge and martial arts films, Kill Bill is , a career-defining epic with the perfect balance between showstopping action and conversations that are every bit as riveting—and, arguably, even more brutal. 's Bride is one of the genre's most iconic characters, and her journey to... well, kill Bill () is impossible to look away from.

. Indeed, Tarantino's war satire , and that's just one of the things it has going for it. Other stunning factors include the incredible cinematography, the perfectly-paced story, and the powerhouse cast—including one of the greatest performances of the 21st century in 's portrayal of the terrifying Hans Landa.

It's the demonically villainous Landa that serves as the fuel that keeps this riveting story going forward. Inglourious Basterds is historical revisionist cinema at its best and most creative, reimagining WWII in all sorts of ways that are as funny as they are meaningful. Scenes like the opening sequence and the bar sequence are so full of tension that you can almost slice through it with a butter knife, showing that Tarantino pretty much owns the revenge genre.

is the perfect Western for people who don't like Westerns. , it's probably 's best movie as a director. It's a stripped-down yet sometimes gruesome study of how the genre painted violence and revenge throughout its history, with a beautifully thoughtful script that finds in the friendship between Eastwood and 's characters its beating heart.

It's one of , a film that perfectly knows how to twist its genre on its head to deliver a revenge tale that's not just about escapist entertainment. It's incredibly fun to watch it unfold, that's for sure, but it's also profoundly thoughtful and executed with the utmost artistry. It's revenge cinema at its most deliberate and intense.

The legendary Swedish auteur is one of the most important and influential filmmakers in history, a master of arthouse cinema who didn't make a single forgettable movie throughout his career. Some of his films are certainly better than others, though, and is undoubtedly one of his greatest and most emotionally impactful works.

Bergman, who mostly loved to tell stories focused on female characters, practically invented the rape-revenge genre—to bring it to horror (where it's usually found nowadays) with . The Virgin Spring is a controversial study of divine justice, but one as one can expect from any Bergman masterpiece.

Once upon a time, —nowadays arguably the leading blockbuster filmmaker in Hollywood—was an up-and-coming indie director. His second feature film ever was Memento, which today many still call the best movie he's ever made. One of , it's a classic revenge tale told in reverse chronological order.

This might sound like a cute but distracting gimmick, yet it's anything but that. Memento's structure is the entire foundation of its story and themes, and . It's also what gives the film such high rewatch value, as it's fascinating to revisit the movie and find all the subtle ways in which Nolan constructs this cautionary tale about the lengths people will go to in order to lend their lives some semblance of meaning.

, father of the Spaghetti Western subgenre, and depending on who you ask, probably even the greatest Western filmmaker of all time, made many masterpieces throughout his career. One of his best, though, was , a unique and game-changing epic that may just have the genre's best twist.

While surprisingly humanistic, the film's story is a riveting examination of violence and revenge. The performances are all amazing (particularly Henry Fonda's cast-against-type take on a Western villain), the world-building is shockingly immersive, and Leone's meticulous filmmaking techniques make the whole thing feel like a carefully concocted masterpiece.

Perhaps the greatest South Korean movie ever made, Oldboy was the second chapter in Park Chan-wook's Vengeance Trilogy; and if ever a revenge film has been deserving of being called absolutely flawless, it would have to be this one. Though its shocking plot twists and squirmy violence don't appeal all cinephile palates, it's a must-see of the action genre.

Oldboy is as visceral and effective as a cautionary tale against the all-encompassing destructive power of revenge could ever hope to be. It's one of the greatest foreign psychological thrillers of all time, full of messy but thoughtfully put-together action scenes and emotionally devastating character moments. It's Park's timeless magnum opus, and for those who like revenge films, this is one that they can't miss.

KEEP READING:The Worst Revenge Movies of All Time, Ranked