Revenge · reception & legacy

1990 · Tony Scott

How Revenge has been received, argued over, and remembered.

The arc

Dismissed in 1990 as an overlong, lurid misfire and a Costner stumble between Field of Dreams and Dances with Wolves, it's since been swept up in the Tony Scott reappraisal — helped along by a rare director's cut that fans argue reveals the real movie.

What's debated

The eternal fan debate is which cut to watch: Scott's leaner 2007 director's cut or the longer theatrical version producer Ray Stark controlled — and whether the film is a buried Scott masterpiece or just handsome pulp.

Its footprint

Its biggest cultural echo is Quentin Tarantino, who called it Tony Scott's masterpiece and said Revenge was the reason he pushed for Scott to direct True Romance — a blurb that literally graces the director's cut DVD.

Where it stands

A cult deep cut beloved by Tony Scott auteurists — the 'no, seriously, watch Revenge' pick in any ranking of his filmography.

★ Did you know? It has one of cinema's rare reverse director's cuts: Scott's 2007 version runs about 20 minutes SHORTER than the theatrical release, which was producer Ray Stark's preferred cut.