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Revenge movies are sweet

The holidays are supposed to be about love, joy and forgiveness. The holidays are supposed to bring us together. They remind us to give to those who are less fortunate. We are supposed to set aside our family feuds, our petty disagreements, our bitterness at perceived wrongs. (Heck, we should do that all year long.)

Revenge is not a part of the holiday season. No matter: Every season is the right time to watch a good tale of revenge on the screen. Revenge tales allow us to live vicariously through the fictional heroes who exact their righteous revenge in ways we never could.

So what are the best revenge movies of all time? EW.com has compiled a list. As you might expect, this list is primarily populated with testosterone-fueled action epics like The Godfather, Gladiator, Death Wish and Payback. But the girls do get in on the action, sometimes in surprising ways. Let’s start with the most obvious films. First, and most recent, we have Jodie Foster. Yes, The Brave One made the list. Such a shame for me to be forced into posting yet another shot of the lovely Ms. Foster.

The second obvious choice comes in the form of Kill Bill. Someone should have told Lucy Liu not to mess with Uma Thurman. Another easy choice is V for Vendetta. Then come the curious choices, starting with She-Devil. The fact that this movie makes a best of anything list is nothing short of disconcerting. I call this the film that Meryl Streep should have skipped – or maybe it was rehearsal for The Devil Wears Prada. Then there’s 9 to 5, the perfect revenge comedy full of tricks I’ve often considered using on my own boss. This, ladies, is what might have happened to Kelly, Kris and Sabrina had they not gone to work for Charlie. Finally, we have my personal favorite, The Princess Bride. What’s a rom-com/fairy tale that I never viewed as a revenge movie doing on this list? Well, the more I think about it, the more I can see the validity of this characterization. After all, true love only wins in the end because Inigo needs the man in black to fulfill his revenge plot. Had he not been needed to fulfill Inigo’s revenge mission, poor Westley would have stayed mostly dead. Luckily, Westley is restored to life and utters one of the best movie lines of all time. “There’s a shortage of perfect breasts in this world. It would be a pity to damage yours.”

Would these films make your list of best revenge flicks? Which ones did EW.com miss?

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