WARNING: This Article May Contain Spoilers
OK, so we’ve talked about revenge films before however the idea of “good for her” is considered as genuine trope usually in relation to horror films or psychological thrillers however I think, this can be attributed to any film where the viewer thinks “you know what, good for her!” Yes, the majority of these films below fall into the above genres however I was able to find at least one that falls outside of that mould.
They Will Kill You
Many will probably look at this film and consider it as a Ready or Not for the new decade. Well, I can’t say they’re completely wrong. However, I do a slightly feel that this is less of a “Good for Her” film than I expected as to some extent Asia knew what she was getting herself into, aware she may have to fight her way out in trying to save her sister. What she didn’t know is to what extent she was going to have battle or that she was up against evil directly from Hell itself. This also is a little bit of a “Good for Them” but I don’t want to say too much and spoil the climax of the film or the comedic effect it may have for some. Now I do feel they lent into the comedy a little too much in places, to the point that I thought it might have been based on a comic, but of course it is for all to have their own opinion. It just takes away from how bad-ass Asia Reaves is supposed to be for me.
The Hunt
Obviously, what happens in this film isn’t fair on anyone who wakes up in the forest gagged as none of them choose to end where they are! If less fair on Randy who looks like he gets killed in the very beginning. However, our main focus here, is Crystal who I would have assumed going into this was played by Emma Roberts as she was the first familiar female face I saw, but she’s taken out pretty quickly! Truthfully, most of the hunted are wiped out quite early. What’s interesting though, is that Crystal seems to be nowhere to be seen in all this carnage which made me wonder if she knew what was going on in the first place, backed up even more by the way she takes out the old couple at the gas station. She’s not alone for her whole journey, we also meet Gary and Don but it feels like she has no interest in their company. Again, I guess it is slightly more of a “good for them” considering Don is along for the ride when Crystal begins picking off the elites that were out to kill them but she does most of the killing. The real question is, who the hell is Crystal? The way she fights and uses a gun feels trained but it feels like we’re never told anything about her. It feels like she may tell Gary off-screen considering he says “then why didn’t they just kill you?”
Side note: if “Manorgate” never existed in the first place, what goes through your head to make it real just to punish the people who claimed it was?
Revenge
For a while I was wondering how this could go so horribly wrong – and then Richard is dumb enough to leave Jen, his mistress, alone with a man he knows is a rapist! Truthfully, I was expecting this to be a little more like I Spit on Your Grave or that the real reason he brought her all the way out there was for them to rape and hunt her like some sort of tradition. However, considering she’s only raped by one of them, the reason for her revenge is much darker! Their idea of “making the problem go away” is to push Jen off a cliff, and believe me, when you see what she lands on, even you will question how the hell she survived! What I love about this is that there are no longer speeches from Jen about why she’s doing this, she just simply picks them off – one by one. I actually don’t think she speaks once after her “death”. It took me a little while to notice that she was walking around, and murdered the first guy, with part of the tree that she landed on protruding from her stomach! It’s little things like that that add to films like this because she’s been left in absolute mess – showing that she went after them straight away.
Double Jeopardy
Originally, I was going to be covering this and Gone Girl but two things crossed my mind. One, the stories are rather similar and two, having read the Gone Girl plot – I don’t see the “good for her” part of the story. Libby has everything taken away from her by a man that she loves and she believes loves her. I thought her husband Nick did it because he was having an affair with Angela but he claims it was all for the insurance money – to provide for Libby and their son Matty. I think the main part of her revenge is to get her son back, which you understand any wronged mother would do. Even though she’s been given the idea to kill her husband when she gets out, considering she can’t be tried for it a second time – supposedly he’s dead right? Libby’s main focus on the outside is her son. I thought this would end with the ultimate “good for her” moment, no violence – just simply leaving Nick with the hurt she had suffered and walks away with their son. In truth, she wasn’t going to kill him, just simply frame him for her murder – eye for an eye and all that – but his violence towards her parole officer, Lehman, pushes her to make him pay the ultimate price.
Ms. 45
Not saying that I want to see the scenes of Thana being raped but I have to admit, I think I found an edited version as her sudden attack on her second assailant seems out of place – more like an attempted rape has taken place and she kills him. Talk about an unlucky character though. I also feel that cutting the scenes removes the “exploitation thriller” element of the film. I felt like Thana’s transition from terrified girl to vengeful murderer seems really sudden but I’ll say this much, it would have been weirder if they didn’t write in her throwing up after killing the guy on the street or having nightmares about the rapist/burglar in her fridge. It all starts off with Thana taking revenge on the men of the city as penance for what it is done to her but the murder of the pimp feels like it’s for the protection of the prostitute that seems to be about to beat. Unfortunately, it started to feel like Thana began to enjoy killing. I get that it mainly seems to be lecherous men but it gradually begins to look more like overkill than vigilante. Especially when you take into account the closing massacre at the Halloween party.
Death Proof
I will never deny that this is one of my favourite films! OK, so this doesn’t exactly start out as a “good for her” film, considering that things do not go well for Jungle Julia and her friends, however around halfway through the film the tables are turned. What I always find sinister about this film is why Stuntman Mike chooses to go after Jungle Julia and her friends, and then Kim’s group, but even more sinister is the unplanned death of Pam. Little do Kim and her friends know, not only are they taking revenge on Stuntman Mike for what he tries to do to them but they are getting payback for the women that came before them! Strangely, I always remember Lee being in the car with them when Stuntman Mike chases them down but it’s only the 3 of them, Kim, Zoe and Abernathy. Forget They Will Kill You, forget Ready or Not – the closing of this film is female ass-kickery at its finest!
