In films such as vigilante films vengeance never solves the heroes problems. One could delve into Paul Kersey's constant isolation in the Death Wish films, Nick Hume destroying his life and his family's life in Death Sentence and of course the Vengeance trilogy by Chan Wook Park.
So would this be split into different themes i.e. revenge/loneliness/morality? – Ryan Errington10 years ago
I think film noir is also a good place to start. I'm thinking Double Indemnity for instance. I also recommend looking at Nolan's films, especially Memento. The fact that Leonard does not remember his act of vengeance makes it pointless, for him and for his dead wife. Check out Todd McGowan's book 'The Fictional Christopher Nolan', there's a really great analysis of vengeance in Memento. It's online :) – Rachel Elfassy Bitoun10 years ago
You could discuss the geri-action genre (action flicks led by Liam Neeson, Sean Penn etc.) in relation to the core theme of the topic. – Thomas Munday10 years ago