The film Quentin Tarantino called “the best revenge movie”
From Reservoir Dogs to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, director Quentin Tarantino has always included an aspect of revenge in each of his movies, with his characters hell-bent on murder or more to seek retribution for mistreatment. Such is most apparent in 2009s Inglourious Basterds, where Brad Pitt’s Aldo Raine leads a band of American Jewish soldiers to assassinate Nazi leaders, and in 2012s Django Unchained, where Jamie Foxx’s titular character travels to free his wife from the clutches of a slave plantation.
A lover of blood, gore and cinematic violence, many of Tarantino’s favourite movies also include elements of revenge, evident in such picks as Brian De Palma’s Carrie and Howard Hawks’ western classic Rio Bravo. The Martin Scorsese flick Taxi Driver also takes pride of place near the top of Tarantino’s favourites list, with the movie telling the story of Travis Bickle’s attempts to seek revenge on behalf of a young sex worker, played by Jodie Foster.
Though each of these movies are undisputed classics, none were named the “best revenge movie” by Tarantino, with this prize awarded to the lesser-known 1977 movie Rolling Thunder.
Stating his thoughts whilst being polled for his 12 favourite films in the 2012 Sight & Sound poll, Tarantino told the publication that the John Flynn-directed movie was “the greatest combo of action film and character study ever made. If you like revenge movies, this is the best revenge movie to see”. Heaping praise onto the crime drama that emerged from the post-Vietnam era of Hollywood cinema.
During this era of American cinema, the theme of ‘paranoia’ was rife due to the spread of disinformation about the success of the controversial Vietnam War, as well as the Watergate scandal of 1972 that saw the President deceive the population and misuse his powers. In such movies as Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation, The Parallax View and Soylent Green, paranoia was rife, with revenge and murder often resulting from such tension.
Released in the late 1970s, Tarantino’s pick for the “best revenge movie”, Rolling Thunder, was directed by John Flynn and starred the likes of William Devane, Linda Haynes and Tommy Lee Jones. Telling the story of a recently-returned Vietnam POW who loses his family and right hand during a brutal home invasion, the third act of Flynn’s film turns into a savage revenge flick against those responsible for the attack.
The love for the revenge movie Rolling Thunder also goes to explain Tarantino’s passion for Park Chan-wook’s ‘Vengeance trilogy’, which features Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy and Lady Vengeance. Though not an official trilogy, Chan-wook’s movies feature a through-line that explores revenge, with the second movie Oldboy being the South Korean director’s most celebrated film.
Take a look at the trailer for Rolling Thunder below, and keep in mind that Tarantino likely used the 1977 flick as inspiration for the likes of Kill Bill, Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained and many more.
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