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5 Awesome Revenge Movies feat. Gerard Butler, Kevin Bacon, Antonio Banderas, Brandon Lee and Mel Gibson

Posted on October 21, 2009 Written by ripitup

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Oh, they are the best! They depict emotions in a raw, powerful form. And by revenge, I’m not talking about an underpaid, overworked guy sticking it up to boss’s ass. Nope. I am talking about when a loved one is murdered and the one who left behind takes justice into his own hands. My latest  avenger movie of choice Law Abiding Citizen, starring Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx.

LAW ABIDING CITIZEN (2009)

law_abiding_citizen_poster
Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler in Law Abiding Citizen. Oh yes, Gerard kicks as much as his look implies.


Butler’s character is the avenger. The wonderful thing about the film is that he isn’t just taking care of the murderers that took his family’s life. He also comes after the prosecutor who cut a deal with them, the judge who let him and basically the whole system. Don’t worry, I didn’t give away any spoilers. It is all in the thriller. You can check out the trailer and the review here

Below are some of my other favorite revenge movies:

BRAVEHEART (1995)


FVBR2
Directed, Co-produced by Mel Gibson. Starring Mel Gibson. Yes, he worked his ass off for this movie. End result? A totally awesome epic, a kick-ass revenge tale.

It is a revenge movie. Yes, it is epic,and glorious and tells us how the real life Scottish folk hero led his people to freedom by fighting the English. But the urge to take revenge starts all that. Wallace was just an ordinary boy when his father was killed. But he was taken and raised by his uncle, who taught him to be an intelligent, world-savvy person. He came back to his town and he had no desire to fight. But then the English kill his wife- a woman he loved deeply and loved more than anything and everyone else. So, this drove him to edge. It is possibly one of the most noble acts of revenge, since he did not give up after finishing off his wife’s murderers and continued to fight for his and his country men’s freedom. All of the scenes are priceless. Braveheart has 5 Academy Awards, including Best Film and Best Director; both won by the film’s lead actor/director/producer Mel Gibson. If you haven’t seen it yet, and you are not against the concept of historical epic movies, you really shouldn’t miss this.

The Crow (1994)

crow_with_crow
Brandon Lee as Eric Draven in The Crow


The Crow is such a dark, gothic, powerful cult classic.  A rock musician’s ( Eric Draven played by Brandon Lee) fiancée is raped and murdered. Moreover, he is murdered. The great thing about this movie is that the avenger is also dead, and yet he comes back to avenge his and his fiancée’s murders. It is also fascinating to watch as the bad guys go nuts trying to kill him because he just can’t be killed. After all, he is already dead. It would have been lovely to follow Brandon Lee’s projects after this one, but unfortunately he died during the making of this film, which adds to its dark atmosphere. Director Alex Proyas created a cult status for himself. Although Dark City was brilliant, he disappointed quite a few times with his other work. But hey, it is hard to measure up to a film like this.

Death Sentence (2007)

death-sentence-poster
Kevin Bacon in Death Sentence. If you want the hell to break loose, just hurt someone from this guy’s family. Then hurt some more. Climax? One good action sequence after another. Realistic? No. Cool? Oh, yeah!


Although it is not as highly rated and regarded as the two movies above, it is a solid example of the genre. Kevin Bacon plays a dad whose son is murdered and the guilty will not receive a slightly deserving punishment. He loses it. He kills the guy who did it. But where the other revenge flicks would normally end, this one actually starts. Now the gang the bad boy belonged to goes after the dad and the remaining of his family, which might end up in dad having to take revenge once again, more brutally and absolutely. I think revenge flicks should not be judged the originality of the script. Not that I find this one refreshing in some parts, I do. But this kind of drama takes its power from the actors and how the director handles the shots. And this movie was beautifully done. Bacon is apt at playing any character, good and bad. But I am guessing the fact that he is a father in real life and really big on his family, and his own fears helped him bring out such a powerful performance. Watch it. It is exciting, disturbing and emotional. I am not exactly a fan of Saw movies. Haven’t even seen the first one. But now that I found out that the director of the first movie,James Wan, directed Death Sentence, I have this newly found respect for the guy. May he make more movies like this…

Desperado (1995) :

desperado
Antonio Banderas, Desperado. Salma Hayek for guys’ eye candy, great soundtrack and one deadly suitcase. If you haven’t already seen this, feel ashamed. Be very ashamed. Mindless entertainment? Obviously. Awesome? Absolutely.

Oh yeah. The movie that will make me love its director Robert Rodriguez regardless of how I feel about his other projects. This is a glorious,well-funded sequel to the more modest El Mariachi,which as good as it might have been, lacked one very important element: Antonio Banderas. In the first movie his girlfriend was murdered so now he seeks to avenge her death. Oh, and he has guitar case stuffed with the good guns and he will get rid of you if you try to get in his way.

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZdZv3kT9xk[/pro-player][/pro-player]

Any revenge movie’s lead is so undeniably significant. He needs to be likable. Yeah, sure it is
easy to identify with a guy whose loved one has been murdered- who loved that person so strongly that they risked their own lives in the name of taking justice in their own hands. He needs to look like a lover and a killer. Brandon Lee was charismatic in spite of his make-up-which added wonders to the cult image. Mel Gibson was tough,strong and masculine, and yet vulnerable, despite the traditional kilt. Antonio Banderas makes a wonderful action hero. He is hot,dark,well-built and passionate. What he lacks in height is more than made up to by his charisma and extreme good looks. Oh, he also sings, plays the guitar, uses his guitar as a weapon and meanwhile he does seduce and is seduced by the gorgeous Salma Hayek. Desperado is pure action, 0 drama and kick-ass entertainment. It doesn’t get deep.It just gets even. Kevin Bacon comes from the theater. He started in H0llywood as nice guy roles but he made a name for himself playing the bad guys. So he has no problem at all portraying a guy who is driven to the edge. In fact, he looks like he is made for it.
These movies are all different from each other but they have the core in common: You root for the good guy, you love the blood shed from the bad guys and the action sequences are brilliant. With the exception of Death Sentence, I have seen the rest many times.Which reminds me, I definitely should add the Kevin Bacon film to my collection. It sure as hell deserves a second viewing. I think for an actor, the action role doesn’t get better than a good revenge movie.

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: Antonio Banderas, Brandon Lee, Braveheart, Death Sentence, Desperado, Gerard Butler, Kevin Bacon, Law Abiding Citizen, Mel Gibson, The Crow

3 Movies, 3 Musician Portrayals: The Crow, The Doors and Rent

Posted on September 23, 2009 Written by ripitup

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I love rock n’ roll musicians. Not all of them of course. I have certain favorites, role models guys whose music I love and whose egos I hate….I have grown up with some. And it is no secret that I love movies so this post was, well, inevitable.

There have been a lot of movies based on rockstars or movies that have characters who happen to be rockstars. Below are my fav. portrayals.

1) The Crow– Eric Draven, by Brandon Lee (1994)

Eric Draven and his guitar
Eric Draven (Brandon Lee) and his guitar

What and who else could I talk about first?

The character of Eric Draven is everything that we the rock fans- and especially the female rock fans idolize : A handsome young rocker. A passionate yet compassionate lover. A guy you can laugh with. A guy you can share everything with. He is romantic and he is loyal. He is The One. Did I mention he has this amazing voice when he speaks and plays electric guitar and looks freaking good in leather?

But amazingly, this is not what Eric is all about. When he loses his fiancée Shelly, and he himself is also killed by the psychotic gang, he comes back from the dead. To avenge her. As he kills the gang members one by one, all he can think of is Shelly and when he can go back to her. Every memory haunts him. He is not just a rock star. He is a former rock star who comes back as an undead avenger. The message is that real love is more powerful than anything and it lasts forever.

He is the guy who takes his revenge in black leather clothes, white/black clownish/KISS type of make-up and plays his guitar on a rooftop. He is a lone rider. His pain and his love make the storypowerful; and Brandon Lee unforgettable.

I don’t care what movies he played in before. He is Eric Draven. And always will be.

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Brandon Lee as Eric Draven in The Crow

Guitar Solo Scene of Eric Draven:

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aeFkJvgnbk[/pro-player]



2) The Doors- Jim Morrison by Val Kilmer (1991)

The movie poster
The Doors movie poster. Isn't the resemblance between Kilmer and Jim Morrison uncanny?

This movie is not exactly my cup of tea. I don’t like Oliver Stone. Although I like some of The Doors’ classics. I don’t like Morrison as a personality. I don’t get him. I don’t think many people do either. But Val Kilmer’s performance is pure brilliance. He is a fantastic actor. He can be outstanding in almost any role, in a movie of any genre. He can do shallow, he can do deep. He can do psychotic, complicated, romantic, funny… you name it. He is a good actor. But with The Doors, even I was surprised. It is hard to portray a celebrity whose voice, face and attitude are so well-known. How do you convince people that you are Jim Morrison? Well, if you genuinely look like him and sound like him and are one of the best actors of your generation- and are old enough to have existed in the era where Jimmy became a cult, well- voila-you can pull it off. Val Kilmer was so…Jim Morrison.Val even sang his vocals!

As for the appearance:

doors
Still Val Kilmer.

3) Rent- Roger Davis by Adam Pascal (2005)

Adam Pascal on the right
On the right: Adam Pascal

Rent is a famous, sold-out rock musical that has been staged on broadway. Of course a movie version had to be made. I am not being sarcastic here. I love rock and I love movies- combine it right and the result will rock. The concept is simple. A close-knit of friends/neighbors dealing with broken dreams, poverty, trade off between the good life and the selling of your soul, diseases, drugs and relationships.

Roger is a rocker. Let’s say he is a former leading man/guitarist. His world and faith in love have been shattered when he has lost his girlfriend to OD (and AIDS). Roger also has HIV and is barely scraping by with his best mate/roommate.

Adam Pascal as Rogerc with Rosario Dawson as Mimi
Adam Pascal and Rosario Dawson Rent

Roger has all the right ingredients of a sexy rocker: He is hot with longish blonde hair, sexy voice, handsome face. He wears jeans and shirts and leather. He also look a little like Jon Bon Jovi– which is never a bad thing in my book. He is a good actor and an awfully talented singer. He is so good, I will be disappointed if he doesn’t have his own band in real life.

His character is fictional on the surface. Truth is, Roger is not about one person. He reflects the lifestyle of a lot of 90s musicians. See Rent. But please stay away if you don’t like rock music. It’s not gonna ring well in your ears…

Videos from Rent the movie:

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkScM71Pngc[/pro-player]

*For the second video, Adam’s part begins right in the middle)

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TOQxSvA_zs&feature=related[/pro-player]

P.S. You know you tube videos can be replaced and removed.So if a video doesn’t work, just let me know.

Related Posts:

The Crow Tribute: The Crow: Buildings burn, people die. But an amazing movie is forever

If you like revenge movies, take a look at these: Favorite Revenge Movies

Edge of Darkness

Best of Revenge Movies: Fathers Taking Justice into their own hands

Movies: Best of Lovers Taking Revenge

On Val Kilmer:

At First Sight

The Saint

And:

Movies with Awesome Soundtracks

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors, Rock n' Roll (and Music in general) Tagged With: Adam Pascal, Brandon Lee, Eric Draven, Jim Morrison, Oliver Stone, Rent, The Crow, The Doors, Val Kilmer

The Crow: Buildings burn, people die. But an amazing movie is forever.

Posted on August 19, 2009 Written by ripitup

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-” Buildings burn, people die but real love is forever…”

Above is the real quote that inspired the title from. It is from the 1994 movie The Crow. If you haven’t seen it, please do yourselves a favor and do. Not the lame sequels but the real thing. The one with Brandon Lee.

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Brandon Lee as Eric Draven in The Crow. So do you? Believe in angels?

It has supernatural elements, of course. The myth is that sometimes a soul can not rest and a crow will guide him back to this world, till he can do whatever he needs to do to find peace. So a year after rocker Eric Draven was killed and his fiancé was raped and tortured to death, Eric rises from his grave. Confused and clueless, he follows the crow. As he finds his way back into his old apartment, he remembers everything. This is where the movie really starts.

Revenge:

Of course we have seen lots of movies about avengers- people avenging their loved ones, people taking justice into their own hands. We like to see the good guy win. So we pretend it is plausible that a guy can finish off tens of men by himself and gets away with it. But the best part of Eric is, he is already dead. So it is much more satisfactory watching the bad guys try to kill him ; in vain, and go nuts in the process. The poetic justice is that he kills everyone in their own “specialty/interest”- so if a guy is good with knives…..or if the guy is a junkie…….You get the point. And he always leaves a crow shaped- signature…His revenge, our satisfaction.

the-crow-symbol

Love:

There are actually two love stories here: One is the romantic one, the heart of the story. Then there is the love Sarah-our storyteller- has for her two great friends. Sarah is about 12 or so and has a drug addict mom dating one of the gang members. So when Eric and Shelly are gone, Sarah is left all alone. Sarah is delighted to have Eric back, but Eric has one thing in mind- to avenge Shelly as soon as possible, so he can be dead with her…

Eric and Shelly’s relationship are shown through flashbacks and you just see how strong and lovely it is. It is pure and intense. It is fun and passionate. They are best friends and lovers. A combination we all want to have and well, seems impossible to find…

Action:

Where there is revenge,….I mentioned Eric doesn’t die. So bullets fly around, swords are swung and Eric just has a laugh. You can send 40 people after him and it just makes his day. Of course things will get complicated. Even Eric has a weak point. But hey, every scene with Eric fighting is worth watching.

It is definitely in my top 3 of best movies ever. There is something magical about this movie. It is dark, gloomy, romantic,has kick-ass action, the best avenging scenes and brilliant dialogue. I have seen it for about 10 times and I can recite the lines before the characters do. If you haven’t seen it, trust me you are missing a lot!

The rock and the goth:

No, I am not talking about Marilyn Manson or EMOs. No. I am talking about this dark, rainy,gloomy background in the film. Eric’s tight black costume that he wore on his quest- a costume he probably wore on stage. The hard-rock sountrack. The way Eric takes a guitar and plays a wonderful electric solo on the roof of a house…

crow_brandon_lee_5


The popularity:

The movie is a cult. Alex Proyas, the director, is considered to be a director with a distinct style and I am not sure many knew his name before this movie.

Brandon Lee is the Crow. The Crow is Brandon Lee. I don’t even know how people can stand the sequels. This is not Lethal Weapon or Die Hard. I know the movie is a comic book adaptation but when something gets so big- and comes with a tragedy-, the following stuff will just be crushed under it.

I think it is a sick joke of life to die while portraying a dead guy but there is nothing we can do about it. About 8 days or so were left for the movie to be completed and Lee died on the set. An accident,as some call it. Some have interesting theories that involve his father Bruce Lee. But Brandon Lee had only played in not so good action movies before and The Crow just showed what a great and talented actor he was. Brandon was 29 when he died. Whether it was truly a set accident with the guns or someone wanted Lee dead, The Crow owes a part of its mysterious aura to his death.

I think I saw this movie 10 times. I can recite lines. I own the soundtrack. Because long after the credits role, the movie stays with you…

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: action, Brandon Lee, cult movie, Eric Draven, romance, The Crow, thriller

Knowing starring Nicolas Cage

Posted on July 23, 2009 Written by ripitup

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Knowing movie poster starring Nicholas Cage
Apparently, nothing everything with Nicolas Cage features some cool action or an intelligent script.

Knowing  (2009)

(Beware of spoilers!!!)

So I have a tendency to follow Alex Proyas’ work. How can I not? The guy shot The Crow. And although not as great as that, Dark City was in its element. Both movies were gloomy and questioning; yet they were not without a glimpse of hope. Having come right out of the theatre of after seeing Knowing was very disappointing, even if you do not compare it to the two cult classics. I like Nicolas Cage, and I do like to see some supernaturalism on the screen. Alex & Cage should have equaled greatness. Instead, what we got was… I truly don’t know. The movie was quite OK during the first half. Then, suddenly it turned into a weird combo of Dark City, The last Indiana Jones movie and The Day The Earth Stood Still. OMFG. I am no  movie critic; I am merely a movie fan so I will honestly the say the ending crushed me. Here are the questions that fail to be answered:

Why those two kids? Why two rabbits? What was with the Stones? Why wait 50 years? Why all the religious references then to make a cliché of a spaceship? Why let everyone else die? Cage’s character wasn’t so bad either. A smart, loving guy…So why get rid of him? So the fans will come with different answers but I don’t get why the makers of the movie bothered…Fine. So worse movies have been made. But the guys in dark coats, white  expressionless faces…resembling Spike from Buffy? Or maybe Silas from The Da Vinci Code?

I ’ll just keep watching The Crow and Dark City, then…

Do you want to watch a fun Nicholas Cage movie? Great. Watch The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Or pretty much any other Nicolas movie. Just not Knowing. Rated 6.4 on IMDB.

Other Posts featuring Nicolas Cage

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice starring Nicholas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Teresa Palmer

Favorite Actors to Play Villains feat. Nicolas Cage, John Travolta and more

Recommended for Sci-Fi Fans

10 Most Entertaining Sci-fi Movies: Favorite Sci-fi Movies of a Non-fan

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: Alex Proyas, Dark City, Knowing, knowing movie, movies, mystery, Nicholas Cage, nicholas cage movies, nicolas cage, nicolas cage movies, sci fi, The Crow, thriller

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