Revenge is sweet at box office
By John Horn
Los Angeles Times
It's payback time.
MGM
For each weekend this month, that's the mantra for a variety of movie characters determined to bring their own justice to an unjust world. Americans might feel toothless in their real lives, but the violent film heroes in "Walking Tall," "The Punisher," "Kill Bill Vol. 2," "Man on Fire" and "The Alamo" feel no such powerlessness. They get even, and after just two hours, they can proclaim "Mission accomplished."
The Rock is cleaning up his town with vigilante justice in the just-released "Walking Tall" remake.
As did Charles Bronson's "Death Wish" vigilante 30 years ago, most of these crusaders are avenging deaths of their loved ones, usually without law enforcement's help.
Although the saturation scheduling is largely a matter of happenstance, the makers of these movies are betting today's audiences are hungry for vengeful storytelling.
"Are we in a block of time where vigilante movies would work better? Yes, I do believe that," says Jonathan Hensleigh, who wrote and directed "The Punisher." "The American zeitgeist, in terms of its passion and aggression, does seem to ebb and flow. And we live now in an era of heightened passion and aggression."
At a time when everyday citizens struggle with the predicaments of unemployment, health insurance, terrorism and war, these films offer one-stop-shopping wish fulfillment. "People are craving simple answers for very complex issues," says Lawrence Bender, the producer of "Kill Bill Vol. 2."
But there are so many revenge films that moviegoer interest may be stretched to the breaking point:
The first entry, "Walking Tall," opened to an estimated $15.3 million, good enough for second place on the box office charts. Loosely adapted from the 1973 hit about a real Tennessee sheriff, the remake stars the Rock as a retired soldier hunting down a rapacious casino owner (Neal McDonough) and saving his hometown from drugs and corruption.
"The Alamo," which opened last weekend, traces the legendary 1836 battle for the Texas garrison. The story's third act re-enacts Houston's less-famous evisceration of the Mexican army at the battle of San Jacinto.
On Friday, writer-director Quentin Tarantino returns with "Kill Bill Vol. 2," the conclusion of Beatrix Kiddo's (played by Uma Thurman) sword-swinging revenge against an assassination squad that shot up her wedding rehearsal.
That same day, Thomas Jane opens as "The Punisher." Adapted from a comic book, the film has ex-FBI agent Frank Castle, whose parents, wife and child are targeted by a crime boss (John Travolta), trying to get even for his son's death.
On April 23, Denzel Washington plays John Creasy in "Man on Fire," about a mercenary hired to guard a couple's daughter in Mexico. When the girl is abducted, Creasy stockpiles every weapon imaginable and sets out after those responsible.
The plots are as old as "The Iliad" and "Othello." Revenge and vigilantism tales also have been a Hollywood staple for decades, shaping narratives in everything from "The Godfather" to "Star Wars."
But revenge scenarios have become nearly as common as sequels, and several such stories — including "21 Grams" and the Oscar-winning "Mystic River" — were among last year's most acclaimed releases.
"It's a complicated world, and there is some living out of a fantasy by seeing injustices that the police and government don't take care of handled by a citizen," says Gary Foster, who produced last year's vigilante hit "Daredevil."
"If you feel you are helpless, you can go and watch a character who acts and does things that people may or may not wish they could do themselves," says screenwriter Brian Helgeland, who adapted "Man on Fire" and "Mystic River."
Although it might be convenient to assume so, the barrage of revenge movies isn't Hollywood's response to Sept. 11. Most of the films originally were conceived years before the attacks: "Kill Bill" dates to 1994, and "The Punisher" has been in the works since 1999. None of the villains in any of the films is of Middle Eastern descent either: In "Walking Tall" and "Man on Fire," it's greed and the police who are to blame.
Most of these new films aren't terribly interested in the ethical ambiguities of revenge. Although "Mystic River," much like the 1943 classic western "The Ox-Bow Incident," explored the danger of serving as judge, jury and executioner, the current movies largely paint conflict in binary terms of good vs. evil.
Even the targets of Thurman's "Kill Bill" character admit her rampage is justified. "This woman deserves her revenge, and we deserve to die," Budd (Michael Madsen) says in the second volume.
