12 Most Brutal Acts Of Revenge In Movies
4. Kicked To The Curb - American History X
American History X's infamous 'curb' scene is enough to make the keenest cinephile squirm.
Thought ultimately a tale of redemption, bringing a hardened Neo-Nazi back from beyond the edge of reason, the film's early scenes of Derek Vinyard (Ed Norton) in the height of his fascist indoctrination are not for the squeamish.
American History X is a brutal film, and the tip of the iceberg is a horrific scene where a gang member is noticed by Derek's brother breaking into his car. Derek's racist beliefs and unjustified distaste of the perpetrator's skin colour clouds his judgement greatly, and after shooting and killing one man, he captures the other. Unarmed and in a state of defencelessness, the victim is forced to bite down onto the curb, at which point Derek forcefully stomps on the back of his head.
Though the act revenge is brutal in and of itself, it's the masterful sound design that makes the scene all the more harrowing. The sound of teeth clenching onto concrete is akin to rubbing broken porcelain together, serving to illustrate how delicate the teeth are and how vicious the assault truly is.
Achieving redemption from such a sickening revenge act is surely impossible.