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Best Revenge Movies

Why The Revenge Thriller Is The Ultimate Man Movie

Getting tooled up for a vengeance-fuelled mission of fighting, swearing, and blowing baddies' heads off  – there are few things as shamelessly manly as the revenge thriller. But exchange the word "shamelessly" for "brilliantly" and you'll get somewhere near the truth of why us men love a good revenge movie. Much more than just an excuse for a blood-splattered dust-up, the genre delves deep into the masculine psyche. 

The latest British revenge flick – Bad Day For The Cut – hits yet another manly nerve, as as mild-mannered Northern Ireland farmer (Nigel O'Neill) avenges the murder of his dear old mammy. Cue some glorious lone wolf action armed with a shotgun and hot saucepan (yes, really). 

Not convinced? Here are five reasons why revenge thrillers are the ultimate "man movies".

RELATED: Why 1987 Was The Manliest Year In Film

Start from the beginning

They invented ‘macho cool’

They invented ‘macho cool’

As seen in: Get Carter (1971)

Taking out a load of villains singlehandedly. Yes, that's pretty cool, but there's more to it than that. Jack Carter (Michael Caine), a London gangster who returns to his hometown in the North East to investigate his brother’s death, is the greatest icon of the revenge movie (and arguably the whole of British cinema) but he’s also still the defining image of cinematic manliness: a sharp-suited, impeccably-groomed, silver-tongued, whiskey-supping, sexually irresistible double-hard bastard. What a man.