Revenge

Revenge

Year: 1990

Runtime: 124 min

Language: Chinese

Director: Tony Scott

ActionDramaThrillerRomanceCrime

A former US Navy pilot seeking escape finds himself embroiled in a dangerous game in Mexico. Drawn into the world of a powerful and ruthless businessman, he becomes involved with the man’s captivating wife. This entanglement triggers a series of escalating events and brutal repercussions, putting all involved in grave peril as they fight for survival and confront the consequences of their actions.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Revenge (1990)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Revenge (1990). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Mexico, Miami

The film unfolds primarily in Mexico, centered on Tibey's opulent hacienda and the surrounding arid landscape. It moves through a private cabin in the hills, a cantina, a desert road, and a convent hospice where Miryea dies—locations that frame the film's blend of luxury, violence, and desperation. A trip to Miami is mentioned as a ruse to escape, highlighting the contrast between the wealthy criminal world and ordinary towns.

🇲🇽 Mexico backdrop 🌵 Desert landscapes

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 08:15

Main Characters – Revenge (1990)

Meet the key characters of Revenge (1990), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Michael J. 'Jay' Cochran (Kevin Costner)

A former U.S. Navy aviator who leaves the service and becomes entangled in Tibey's world. He is resourceful, stubborn, and driven by love and the desire for revenge; his resolve pushes him through trains of danger and violence as he hunts Tibey.

🗡️ Revenge 🧭 Veteran 💪 Determination

Tiburon 'Tibey' Mendez (Anthony Quinn)

A wealthy and ruthless Mexican crime boss who rules with fear and discipline. He views family and loyalty through a harsh lens and targets Cochran and Miryea to protect his dominion.

🕶️ Power 🗡️ Cruelty

Miryea (Madeleine Stowe)

The beautiful young wife of Tibey who longs for children and a freer life. She falls in love with Cochran, becomes disfigured by Tibey's cruelty, and ultimately dies from AIDS, leaving Cochran to mourn a love that could not endure.

❤️ Love 💔 Tragedy 🩸 Illness

Cesar (Joaquín Martínez)

Tibey's hard-edged right-hand man who enforces discipline and carries out the boss's brutal orders. His loyalty and willingness to kill reveal the price of living in Tibey's criminal orbit.

🗡️ Enforcer 🤵 Power

Mauro (Tomás Milian)

A peasant farmer who unknowingly becomes a pivotal ally to Cochran, nursing him back to health and guiding him toward the path of revenge. His quiet strength and practical wisdom help Cochran survive the brutal journey.

👨‍🌾 Helper 🛡️ Ally

Amador (Gerardo Zepeda)

A man connected to Tibey's world who joins Cochran's cause after learning of his sister’s death. He provides assistance and a route to Tibey's whereabouts, driven by a desire for justice.

🕊️ Ally 🗡️ Revenge

Ignacio (Jesse Corti)

A quiet, observant ally who contributes to Cochran's revenge plan. He helps coordinate efforts and stays steady under pressure, underscoring the themes of loyalty and calculated risk.

🤫 Helper 🗺️ Strategy

Madame (Sally Kirkland)

The brothel madame who initially rejects Miryea because of her scar but ultimately assigns her to 'common use.' Her role exposes the cruelty and commodification at the margins of Tibey's world.

🪙 Exploitation 🗝️ Power

Texan (James Gammon)

A rugged Texan who offers Cochran a ride on a road to Durango and later dies under mysterious circumstances, symbolizing the random cruelty of the world Cochran navigates.

🚗 Travel 💀 Death

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 08:15

Major Themes – Revenge (1990)

Explore the central themes of Revenge (1990), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🗡️ Revenge

A driven Cochran pursues vengeance after the brutal assault on Miryea, navigating a hostile Mexican underworld. The pursuit is brutal and relentless, with violence and deception punctuating every milestone toward the confrontation with Tibey. The story traces how revenge consumes both hunter and prey, leaving little room for mercy.

❤️ Love

Love develops across a forbidden boundary—between Cochran and Miryea—complicating a mission of vengeance with tenderness and longing. Their relationship offers a brief, fragile escape from cruelty, but it is ultimately crushed by the forces around them. The romance intensifies the costs of choice and loyalty in a world ruled by power and danger.

💔 Consequences

The film probes the heavy consequences of criminal power and personal desire. Miryea's disfigurement, her AIDS diagnosis, and the brutal violence that follows show how choices ripple outward, affecting innocents and bystanders. The final acts tie personal ruin to a broader cycle of revenge that proves almost unbreakable.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 08:15

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Doomed romance thrillers like Revenge

Passionate affairs that ignite brutal, tragic consequences and violent revenge.If you liked the passionate but tragic love story in Revenge, you'll find similar movies here. These films feature intense affairs that trigger violent reprisals from powerful antagonists, blending high-stakes romance with brutal survival narratives. The focus is on the heavy emotional weight and tragic outcomes of love born from dangerous circumstances.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative follows a clear cause-and-effect structure: a forbidden romance acts as a catalyst, provoking a vicious response from a powerful figure. This forces the lovers into a desperate fight for survival, which often culminates in a quest for revenge. The journey is linear and driven by escalating conflict, typically ending in tragedy for one or both protagonists.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here for their central theme of a passionate, illicit romance that directly leads to extreme violence and tragedy. They share a dark tone, high emotional intensity, and a focus on the brutal repercussions of moral transgression, creating a cohesive experience of doomed desire and violent retribution.

Brutal crime revenge stories like Revenge

Ordinary individuals pushed to extremes by a ruthless antagonist, fighting for survival.For viewers who enjoyed the violent quest for payback in Revenge, this section collects movies with similar narratives. These films feature a ruthless crime boss antagonist who inflicts severe harm, leading the hero on a grim and desperate path of survival and vengeance. Expect high intensity, graphic violence, and a focus on the brutal consequences of crossing powerful criminals.

vengefulbrutalviolentgrimdesperatesurvivalbetrayalruthless

Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern involves a stark power imbalance where an omnipotent crime lord destroys the protagonist's life. The story then follows a two-part structure: first, a harrowing survival ordeal where the hero endures immense suffering; second, a violent and tactical campaign of revenge where the hunter becomes the hunted. The journey is straightforward and driven by a single-minded focus on retribution.

Why These Movies?

These movies are united by their core conflict: a lone individual against an overwhelmingly powerful criminal empire. They share a high intensity level, graphic violence, a dark and grim tone, and a narrative centered on the physical and emotional ordeal of achieving vengeance, making the viewing experience consistently tense and brutal.

Unlock the Full Story of Revenge

Don't stop at just watching — explore Revenge in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Revenge is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Revenge Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Revenge, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Revenge Summary

Revenge Timeline

Track the full timeline of Revenge with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Revenge Timeline

Revenge Spoiler-Free Summary

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Revenge Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Revenge

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Revenge: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Revenge

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