SINGAPORE – There is something undeniably satisfying about watching women take revenge in television shows and movies.

It explains how recent K-drama The Glory, which dropped its second part on Netflix on Friday, became a hit.

Starring top South Korean actress Song Hye-kyo as the steely yet vulnerable Moon Dong-eun, the series follows her diabolical plan to plot the downfall of those who had bullied her viciously in school.

The graphic scenes of her being branded with a hair-curling iron as a teen – and witnessing her scarred body and traumatised mind as an adult – provoke a visceral reaction.

And seeing her strike back through psychological manipulation and the bullies getting their comeuppance leaves the viewer feeling vindicated.

The same catharsis is experienced while watching these five avenging angels plan and execute their revenge on screen. As they say, vengeance is mine.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

You may not remember the name of the girl with the dragon tattoo, but the heroine of this movie – an adaptation of the book of the same name – is definitely unforgettable.

The 2011 movie stars American actress Rooney Mara in her breakout role as the butt-kicking Lisbeth Salander, an investigator-hacker with severely short bangs, a penchant for black outfits and eyeliner, and traumas in her dark past.

In one of the most brutal yet gratifying scenes of the hit film, she comes face to face with her guardian, who had brutally raped and tortured her.

Unbeknown to him, she has a plan in place and records his offences to hold over his head. She tortures and blackmails him, and also gifts him with a tattoo of his own on his chest which spells out: “I am a rapist”.

Beneath Salander’s intense, almost feral energy, however, lies a vulnerability which makes you root for her.

Promising Young Woman

The promising young woman in the film title, Cassie Thomas (played by British actress Carey Mulligan), is a former medical student whose life goes off the rails when her best friend is raped and subsequently takes her own life.

However, revenge is given a subversive take in this cheeky 2020 movie.

Thomas goes on a rampage in bars and clubs every week, pretending to be intoxicated and luring men to take her home. When predatory men try to take advantage of her, she reveals she is perfectly sober, often with a tart little quip.

Her lust for retribution takes an even darker turn when she decides to revisit people involved in her friend’s rape and give them a taste of their own medicine.

Spoiler alert: The ending, though serving poetic justice and a punch to the gut, does not quite deliver the catharsis that has been building up the entire movie. But our beloved protagonist does go out exactly the way she planned.

Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Volume 2

The Bride in director Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Volume 2 (2003 and 2004), one of the most memorable characters in film, is instantly recognisable in her yellow tracksuit.

Played by American actress Uma Thurman to bloody perfection, Beatrix Kiddo (the Bride’s real name) is an assassin seeking payback against her former boss and lover and his team of deadly assassins who attempted to kill her on her wedding day.

The Bride is a complex character, blending vulnerability and ferocity in a way that is both captivating and intimidating, which inspired American singer SZA’s recent mega hit Kill Bill.

She is a master of martial arts, swordplay and various forms of combat, showcased in a series of iconic fight scenes in the two movies.

But she also displays emotional depth and a fierce loyalty to those she cares about, making the audience silently cheer her on.

Lady Vengeance

Revenge is a dish best served cold and there is nothing colder than a woman who has been wronged and is now seeking retribution.

With her distinctive red eye make-up, Lee Geum-ja (played by South Korean actress Lee Young-ae) is a fearsome sight in this final instalment of director Park Chan-wook’s trilogy.

It started with Sympathy For Mr Vengeance (2002), followed by Old Boy (2003), and ended with Lady Vengeance (2005), which was released in Singapore as Sympathy For Lady Vengeance.

Wrongfully convicted of a heinous crime, Lee spent 13 years plotting her revenge while in prison. Upon her release, she tracks down the real culprit, a man who had kidnapped and murdered a young boy.

Despite her demure demeanour and model prisoner behaviour, it soon becomes apparent that she is a true warrior on a quest for justice.

As the movie draws to a close, she finds closure that is grand, gory and cathartic.

Hard Candy

Various household items are ingeniously employed in this 2005 psychological thriller starring American actor Elliot Page when he was still known as Ellen Page.

In this breakout role, Page plays Hayley Stark, an intelligent and very determined 14-year-old who rains down her wrath on Jeff Kohlver (Patrick Wilson), a paedophile photographer who preys on young girls.

Not only does she physically restrain him in his own home, but she also engages in psychological warfare to force him to confess his crimes.

In a castration scene which will make you cross your legs and wince, he is tied to a steel table with a bag of ice on his nether regions while she coolly consults a medical tome on the surgical procedure. It is later shown to be a masterclass in deception on her part.

The tense final showdown takes place on a rooftop, with Stark promising to destroy evidence if Kohlver hangs himself. But when he finally gives in and steps off the roof with a noose around his neck, she takes back her word and, like a total boss, says: “Or not.”