(from Wikipedia)
Nemesis and the Furies in The Remorse of Orestes (1862) by William Frederic Bouguereau
In olden days, the concept of revenge was synonymous with society's perception of 'justice.'
The Greeks worshipped a goddess named Nemesis, related to the Greek word for 'to give what is due,' and the Code of Hammurabi and later the Torah would set into stone the concept of 'an eye for an eye.'
"To give what is due.." sounds kinda nice when you say it like that.
Of course nowadays, our justice system is nowhere near as harsh as it was in the time of our ancestors.. and nowhere near as effective, as some would say. When those arise who are outside the reach of the law, so must they who rise above the law to deal appropriately with them: the rise of the modern vigilante- and the heart of every revenge film.
(from Batman Begins)
Bruce: My parents deserved justice.
Rachel: You're not talking about justice.
You're talking about revenge.
Bruce: Sometimes they're the same.
Rachel: No, they're never the same.
Justice is about harmony.
Revenge is about making yourself feel better.
It's why we have an impartial system.
Bruce: Your system is broken..
Rachel: You're not talking about justice.
You're talking about revenge.
Bruce: Sometimes they're the same.
Rachel: No, they're never the same.
Justice is about harmony.
Revenge is about making yourself feel better.
It's why we have an impartial system.
Bruce: Your system is broken..
A young Bruce Wayne huddled over the bodies of his parents in Batman Begins (2005)
Almost every contemporary movie has some element of revenge in it, perhaps the protagonist is wronged in some trivial manner, plot proceeds, and nearing the conclusion of the film, the protagonist finds some method to cleverly return the favor, the audience laughs heartily,
and all is right with the world.
This concept of harmony, this old-fashioned idea of justice, this 'giving of what is due.'
and therein lies the great irony-
for what is "right" in this world?
Justice is, after all, a rather relative term.
It's interesting to see not just in movies, but in the real world as well, how there exists a double standard when it comes to the concept of revenge. Whereas in the 'light side' of Hollywood, the world of romantic comedies and.. romantic dramas (?) the protagonist is usually allowed to, and even encouraged to take appropriate revenge on an antagonist who had previously wronged him/her. (Recently we've seen a change in this as Hollywood is becoming more aware of its power not only to extort massive amounts of money off the youth of this nation, but to instill some good values in them.) Now it gets interesting though, because in thrillers/action/mystery films, where the subject matter begins to involve the premise of life and death, naturally, revenge becomes a less pleasant, though for some reason, more necessary option.
Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in The Godfather (1972)
Revenge and/or the use of violence to achieve a means in a realistic setting is very rarely glorified in Hollywood. I'm not referring to half the crap that comes out in theaters every year- because in movies such as Mr. and Mrs. Smith, The Transporter, (1, 2, and 3.) Shoot 'em up, and Iron Man, everybody knows it's fun to shoot people + if somebody dies, then it's cool as long as you didn't know them. Those movies don't pretend to be realistic. That's fine with me, and that's fine with America because we know the difference. (Hopefully.) In films such as Coppola's The Godfather, the violence that surrounds the Corleone family is never characterized as pretty, and it certainly isn't. However, Hollywood draws a very fine line between violence and revenge.
Now, what is the difference between the two?
The act of revenge, like the use of violence, involves the choice between life and death. However, while violence can encompass the thousands of Persians felled by the Spartans in the movie 300, revenge will differ slightly in that there is only one choice to be made, and it is very, very personal. (รก la Xerxes) Even though the protagonist might have to kill a few people along the way, (It's just business.) there really is only one death that matters- again, this concept of a 'nemesis,' one who stands at the opposite end of justice from the protagonist, remembering, that justice is relative.
Uma Thurman as 'The Bride' in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
Even in stylized worlds such as Tarantino's Kill Bill, where it seems to be the social norm in Japan to have gigantic sword fights encapsulating an entire teahouse- the Bride's real struggle is never with the law, but with her own humanity.
That, is the real heart of every 'revenge' flick- the protagonist's humanity.
Life, death, and the ability to choose.
It's a pretty fascinating struggle that I think we can all relate to in some way or form, this battle between the goodness and darkness within our own hearts. In a classic example, in The Return of the Jedi, despite clear motives for revenge and displays of his emotionally driven nature throughout the original trilogy, Luke ultimately comes to the decision to spare Darth Vader's life. Yes, he could have achieved his revenge. But at what cost?
The climactic showdown between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi (1983)
Very rarely does Hollywood get away with casting heartless anti-heroes as the protagonist, but when they do, it's usually a refreshing, albeit frequently unsettling, change of pace from the norm. Movies such as Nolan's Memento features such a protagonist in Leonard, and reflect the real toll that revenge takes on the human psyche.
Obsession.
Delusion.
Insanity.
Revenge can drive a man mad, it consumes them until they have nothing left. For Leonard, his whole life was about revenge- a choice that wasn't driven so much by his condition, which left him unable to retain new memories, but by the fact that revenge was the only thing he had to live for. Leonard wasn't so much a heartless hero, than a truly tragic one.
It's funny, because one of the few times that Hollywood does get away with casting a heartless antagonist as the protagonist is when that person happens to be Johnny Depp, who, after Pirates of the Caribbean, can basically get away with anything. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street just happens to be a personal favorite though, because it so beautifully draws out the cycle of revenge in all its bloody glory- and that is the key to understanding revenge in movies; revenge is not of a linear nature, but a cyclical one. Again, this can be taken literally in the case of Memento, but its connotation tends to allude to the fact that there is a course that revenge has to take, a path that usually doesn't end with the death of one person.. and does it ever end?
Shakespeare's Macbeth himself remarked of those "bloody instructions, which, being taught, return to plague the inventor," and, well.. need I say more?
"An eye for an eye, and soon the world is blind."
-Mahatma Gandhi
Johnny Depp as Sweeney Todd and and Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett in The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
Musings aside, Todd also happens to serve as an exemplary example for another rather well-known aphorism, that being: 'Revenge is a dish best served cold.' Made popular again with the release of the original Kill Bill, this proverb traces its roots as far back as 18th century France in the novel 'Les Liaisons Dangereuses' by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, though its true origins remain unknown. Essentially, what this saying seeks to impress upon the reader is that- in order to carry out his/her revenge with the highest chance of success, the avenger must not be blinded by any emotions, and must have their revenge "cold." It's an unsettling idea to swallow, that there exists an actual methodology to committing the act of revenge, but it certainly holds true in film, for it was emotion, be it bloodlust, or hubris- his pride that proved to be the bane of Sweeney Todd.
In film, certain prominent vindicators come to mind when pondering those that chose to take their revenge "cold," though it's ironic that the most well-known icon to come out of Hollywood had to have such a ridiculous tagline in: "It's not revenge, it's punishment." Agh, that alone causes me no end of sleepless nights, but having to sit through two hours of the movie itself really did make me believe that it was punishment. (For what crime, I remain oblivious.) However, The Punisher does serve its purpose in giving us a glimpse into what happens when revenge becomes something greater than just "making ourselves feel better" as was so quaintly put by Rachel Dawes earlier. Even though Frank Castle and Sweeney Todd both have nothing to lose (seemingly) as their lives are completely devoted to achieving their revenge, they differ fundamentally; they differ not only in methodology ('hot' vs. 'cold') but in their fundamental values.
Thomas Jane as Frank Castle in The Punisher (2004)
Thomas Jane as Frank Castle in The Punisher (2004)
'Sometimes revenge is justice.' That thought is certainly what drove Peter Parker during the early part of the original Spiderman; that is, until he truly came to know the meaning of his uncle's parting words: "With great power comes great responsibility." At the climax of Se7en, time stands still for Detective Mills and John Doe as Mills looks his wife's killer directly in the eyes. Doe's eyes stare calmly back, telling him what he wants to do, needs to do, to take justice for himself, to "become wrath." He doesn't just want Mills to be a man with a gun, he wants him to 'become' vengeance itself, to become the avatar of justice on earth. The difference between all the power in the world is the trigger of his 9mm pistol.
"With great power comes great responsibility." And that is what our heroes have, is it not? The power over life and death- the power of a god. But what exactly is their responsibility?
To restore justice to the world.
"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
A cynical outlook on what happens when men try to play god- the price of which is the vindicator's life, or their humanity.
When does revenge bring life?
Never.
Because we will never get back those we have lost.
Forgiveness is the only way we can start living again.
To think that Sweeney Todd would have cried to be with his wife again, to think that Beatrix Kiddo didn't lose everything after all, to think that V was not an idea, but a man after all, to think that John Creasy would have laid down all his weapons for the sake of a little girl.
Is revenge worth so much, to bring death
in exchange for all hope for life?
Justice is never achieved through the use of violence- it is destroyed by it.
"To err is human, to forgive, divine."
forgive those that have wronged you.
forgive yourself.
and begin anew.
"With great power comes great responsibility." And that is what our heroes have, is it not? The power over life and death- the power of a god. But what exactly is their responsibility?
To restore justice to the world.
"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
-John Emerich Acton
A cynical outlook on what happens when men try to play god- the price of which is the vindicator's life, or their humanity.
When does revenge bring life?
Never.
Because we will never get back those we have lost.
Forgiveness is the only way we can start living again.
To think that Sweeney Todd would have cried to be with his wife again, to think that Beatrix Kiddo didn't lose everything after all, to think that V was not an idea, but a man after all, to think that John Creasy would have laid down all his weapons for the sake of a little girl.
Is revenge worth so much, to bring death
in exchange for all hope for life?
Justice is never achieved through the use of violence- it is destroyed by it.
"To err is human, to forgive, divine."
-Alexander Pope
In truth, we all have the power of gods. The power over life and death, the difference between choosing forgiveness and vengeance.
In truth, we all have the power of gods. The power over life and death, the difference between choosing forgiveness and vengeance.
forgive those that have wronged you.
forgive yourself.
and begin anew.
Because the god of war cannot compare to the god of life.
