5 Revenge Movies Better Than John Wick

If the John Wick series, with its stylized action, layered world-building, stunning camerawork and revenge! revenge! revenge! you want more, your search ends here.

The following films, while streak-free, are packed with action, tons of guns, and revenge, and should scratch that particular John Wick-itch.

1

Monkey Man

By the time John Wick (Keanu Reeves) re-enters the underworld, he is already a feared legend. Kid (Dev Patel), on the other hand, is a legend in the making, and Monkey Man is its origin story. He is on a mission of revenge for the murder of his mother and the massacre of his village. When it came out people called Monkey Man the “Indian John Wick,” and at first glance you can understand why.

The Kid and John Wick suit up and set out for revenge in atmospheric settings. The steady camerawork and long shots you loved in the Wick films are also present here, but that’s about where the similarities end. Compared to Monkey ManJohn Wick’s action feels like a carefully choreographed PG-13 dance. Monkey Man It’s just brutal and there are absolutely no rules. Even the injuries Kid receives are visceral enough to make you look away (if you’re nauseous).

There are fewer shootouts and more fights with improvised weapons. I don’t want to spoil anything, so imagine the book or pencil scenes from the John Wick movies, except that’s almost every fight in Monkey Man. As the film progresses, the camerawork becomes steadier and clearer as Kid learns to fight better. For me, that was the biggest draw.

Monkey Man

Release date

April 5, 2024

Runtime

121 minutes

Director

Dev Patel

2

Person

I looked Person because I came across one of his fight scenes on YouTube. In the scene, Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) brutalizes some thugs on a public bus, and it’s extremely crude. The scene becomes even better in the context of the film. Person is yet another revenge film in which a retired assassin from a shadowy agency is drawn back into the underworld.

Hutch reluctantly trades his domestic family life for violence once again when two burglars break into his house. The violence only increases as Hutch racks up his kill count. The film is pretty thin in its plot and world-building, but that’s not what you’re watching Person For. You watch it purely for the spectacle, and on that front it delivers.

Before PersonI had only seen Odenkirk in Break the bad, You better call Sauland an appearance in Arrested developmentso I could never have imagined him as the leading man in an action thriller. But Odenkirk apparently trained for over two years for this role, and he knocked it out of the park. The action sequences feature consistent camerawork, long takes, and convincing sound design, making them feel like believable and realistic street fights. And Hutch is not invincible like all action movie protagonists; he actually takes damage before dealing it.

Person

Release date

March 26, 2021

Runtime

92 minutes

Director

Ilya Naishuller

3

Kingsman: The Secret Service

If John Wick’s highly stylized action and innovative camerawork are what bring you back to this franchise, you’ll love it Kingsman: The Secret Service. Eggsy (Taron Egerton) is offered a chance to join The Kingsman, a secret British spy agency. The new recruit, with the help of his mentor Harry (Colin Firth), must foil the terrorist plan of Richmond Valentine (played by Samuel L. Jackson).

King is full of gun-fu and hand-to-hand combat, particularly in the remarkable church scene, which I revisit often. The camerawork is kinetic but fluid. It never shakes and you can really admire the extraordinary choreography. The film is part parody and part homage to classic Bond films with an over-the-top villain, spies in fancy costumes, gadgets and global pandemonium.

King never takes itself too seriously: the villain speaks with a lisp, eats McDoland’s and has a phobia of blood. Mark Strong plays a Q-type, runs recruitment tests and provides tech support to our heroes, and he steals every scene he’s in. If you even remotely enjoy the action genre, take a look at Kingsman: The Secret Service and others in the franchise; you won’t regret it.

4

Polar

Mads Mikkelsen plays Duncan Vizla, a retired assassin, who is forced back into the game when his former employer throws a curveball at him. He faces wave after wave of would-be assassins in snowy Montana. Like John Wick, Polar has a neo-noir aesthetic with a ton of gun-fu and stylized, gratuitous violence. However, the camerawork isn’t as smooth, the plot is forgettable, and the worldbuilding is thin. Still, I highly recommend it because it’s a fun watch and it has Mads Mikkelsen on it.

Polar

Release date

January 25, 2019

Runtime

119 minutes

Director

Jonas Akerlund

5

The equalizer

Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) is an unassuming, mild-mannered salesman who works at a home improvement store. He suffers from insomnia and regularly stays up all night reading. He is also extremely methodical, careful and precise in everything he does. At least that’s what he wants the world to think. In fact, he’s a former spy who faked his death to get out of a secret government agency.

When McCall sets out to save a girl from the Russian mafia, it escalates into a full-blown John Wickian frenzy. However, unlike the John Wick films, the action The equalizer is not too stylized or glamorous. McCall is calculated and precise, even when improvising, so he eliminates his enemies as efficiently as possible. He even wears a watch to time his fights. The action sequences reflect this deliberate style with slow-motion shots and long tracking shots.

The equalizer

Release date

September 24, 2014

Runtime

132 minutes

Director

Antoine Fuqua

John Wick showed us that action/adventure films don’t have to be riddled with complicated montages, boring world-building, and clichéd protagonists. The titles on this list share the same spirit as John Wick.