20 Greatest Revenge Movies Of All-Time

19. Payback

Not nearly enough people talk about Payback these days. A shame, really, given that this Mel Gibson action flick sees the actor at the height of his career - charismatic, badass and - you guessed it - out for some serious revenge.

Based loosely on the novel The Hunter by Donald E. Westlake (which was previously adapted for the big screen as Point Blank with none other than Lee Marvin), the plot concerns one Porter, played by Gibson, who sets out to seek vengeance on those who betrayed him after a heist gone wrong. Written and directed by Brian Helgeland, Payback is the very definition of a engrossing revenge flick of the underrated kind. There's also a sense of self-awareness from Gibson on show here that prevents the movie from ever feeling too serious.

There's violence, of course, and a good amount of grit, too; even if Payback feels familiar in a bunch of ways, there's an inherent seediness that keeps things interesting. There's also a totally essential Director's Cut version, which takes the movie to darker, arguably more satisfying territory.