You know how they say revenge is best served cold? We think it's best served with a badass woman (or group of women) taking back their power. From high-school teenagers paying back a cheating ex, to trained assassins avenging their past, our curated list of Indian and international movies features femme fatales unleashing hell on all those who've wronged them. Grab a seat.
Gone Girl (2014)
Based on Gillian Flynn’s eponymous novel, Gone Girl is a psychological thriller that packs one of the best twists in movie history. It revolves around the disappearance of Amy (played by Rosamund Pike), whose husband Nick (Ben Affleck) becomes the prime suspect. Investigation into Amy’s disappearance reveals the truth about their rocky marriage and Nick’s abusive tendencies through a meticulously kept record in Amy’s personal diary. We won’t say anything further to spoil the movie, but it’s definitely one of those films that you have to watch with your eyes peeled.
Streaming on Netflix
John Tucker Must Die (2006)
You might have heard of the famous adage ‘hell hath no fury like a woman scorned’. Imagine the fury when you’ve scorned not just one, but three women, nay, teenagers! Three wildly different high school students band together to take down their lying, cheating ex-boyfriend John Tucker, the most popular guy in school, with the help of the shy Kate (Brittany Snow). They plot to make John fall in love with Kate and break his heart the same way he did to them. There was a Bollywood remake of this one, but it’s safe to say that the OG still holds strong.
Streaming on YouTube
Kahaani (2012)
Vidya Bagchi (played by Vidya Balan) travels to Kolkata all the way from London, just to find out what happened to her husband who has gone AWOL. She is pregnant and has no idea about the dangers that are in store for her in this new city. Kahaani packs a powerful twist in the end, so we’ll suggest you keep your phones on silent while watching this one.
Streaming on Netflix
Jennifer’s Body (2009)
Though under-appreciated at the time of its release, Jennifer’s Body has had a resurgence as a feminist cult classic recently. The story revolves around two best friends, popular cheer leader Jennifer (Megan Fox) and shy and nerdy Anita (Amanda Seyfried). Their life changes after a disastrous night at an indie rock concert, where the bar catches fire and Anita and Jennifer get separated in the chaos. The last Anita sees of Jennifer is when she is getting into a van with the indie rock band. When she returns, Anita finds that Jennifer is not the same anymore. She’s now a demon-possessed human, a flesh-craving succubus who is attracted to high school boys. Now it’s up to Anita to stop her.
Streaming on Youtube
Mom (2017)
This film marked Sridevi’s last appearance on the big screen and earned her a National Award, posthumously. It revolves around her character Devki, a biology teacher, who has to turn to private detective DK (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) after her daughter’s rapists get acquitted by the court. It’s now up to her to take revenge on those who threatened to rip her family apart and harm her daughter.
Streaming on Netflix
Stree (2018)
This Rajkummar Rao- and Shraddha Kapoor-starrer was the unexpected feminist horror comedy we had no idea we needed. The story revolves around a female ghost, Stree, who only attacks men after getting their consent. But after she abducts a friend of Vicky (Rajkummar Rao), he must investigate the mystery to rescue him. Turns out, the supernatural woman is on a quest to gain the respect the female sex deserves from a highly patriarchal society.
Streaming on Disney+ Hotstar
The First Wives’ Club (1996)
Based on a 1992 novel with the same name by Olivia Goldsmith, The First Wives’ Club is the story about three women—Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler—and their pursuit to take revenge from their ex-husbands who have left them for younger women. They realise that they had helped their husband reach the top, financially, and can take them down too.
Streaming on Netflix
Mad Max: Fury Road
Even though he's in the film's title, Max is not the hero of this post-apocalyptic action movie. It’s the rebel Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) who emerges as the badass hero, after she rescues the wives of the cruel leader Immortal Joe, and wages a war against him and his army to gain freedom and control over resources.
Streaming on YouTube
Carrie (2013)
This modern re-imagining of Stephen King’s 1974 novel with the same name revolves around a shy, high school outcast called Carrie (Chloe Grace Moretz). Constantly bullied by her peers, she is sheltered by her overly religious mother. Soon Carrie realises that she has undetected telekinesis powers and she decides to learn how to harness this ability.
Streaming on Netflix
Ek Hasina Thi (2004)
This underrated gem from director Sriram Raghavan is one of the best Bollywood revenge movies. Sarika (Urmila Matondkar) falls in love with Karan (Saif Ali Khan) and everything is going seemingly well until she gets framed for carrying illegal firearms. She later finds out that it was Karan who wronged her to get suspicion away form him. Sarika uses her time in jail to transform herself and take revenge on Karan.
Streaming on Netflix
Colombiana (2011)
This French action thriller is a classic revenge tale. Cataleya (Zoe Saldana) trains as an assassin for fifteen years to avenge her parents’ death and take down the gang lord responsible for it. With the FBI and the drug lord’s operatives on her tail, Cataleya now has to complete her mission without getting caught.
Streaming on Netflix
Also read:
13 underrated hidden gems to stream on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ Hotstar
7 shows you can finish watching overnight on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ Hotstar
10 Palme d’Or winning films to rewatch now that Cannes is cancelled
