Vengence - Worth It?

Heh, I’m watching Saw III now, and I came to this part where one of the characters, “Jeff” [spoil]reached the third test where his alleged son-killer (who actually driven against his son by accident) meets a brutal ‘twisted’ death… There, he knelled in regret, confirming the statement given by the judge, “Vengeance doesn’t solve anything; it only makes the pain greater.”[/spoil]

At that moment, I was really… sickened. Not by Jeff’s selfishness, probably by Jig Saw’s act, but most of all, by the cruel reality of life. It’s so sad that we live in a world where things we didn’t mean to do cause pain among others and, especially to Timothy Young, ourselves. At that moment, I didn’t really care about who died or who deserved to, I kinda just hoped that everyone was alright.

[spoil]Jeff didn’t just stand there the whole time. Everytime one of these three ‘tests’ was presented to him, he did hesitate, but he made his attempt in saving the victim as well (explaining the judge’s survival, appearance and opportunity in giving those wise words). Nevertheless, he was unable to save any of them (he accidentally killed the judge with a shotgun trap).[/spoil] A really sad ending to close the scene, and, to highlight the cruelty of life.

I don’t know if I would had hesitate if I was to be in his shoes and his son be my loved one. Probably. But I would probably act faster than Jeff, since none of them were actually guilty of something (meaning they won’t try and harm me once I free them). A life is only so precious after all.

What about you? What would you have done? Would you let yourself be taken by vengeance, [spoil]only to kneel as Jeff knelled,[/spoil] drown in the sorrow of regret, leaving that horrible mark across the rest of your life?

What would you do?

Edit:
Heh, in the end, [spoil]Jeff failed, too (he sliced Jig-Saw’s throat in vengeance), ended up in having his wife’s head exploding (it was connected to Jig-Saw’s life-monitor thingy). Phailed u louzy revenge-crazed freak![/spoil]

They say the greatest revenge is forgivness…personally I think that statement is just a comfort. If a person were to, say, slaughter your family when you were a child and is still on the loose, leaving you in an orphanage and foster homes for years of your life, and by the time your a man he’s STILL out there slaughtering people, WOULD you STILL forgive him?

I mean there’s a limit. For such things as what we see in SAW (Yeah, I own the first three and saw the fourth)…the high of it all is death. Everytime Revenge or Vengence is thought, “death” is usually in there somewhere. But that is NOT the only way to go.

folds arms I ponder sometimes on the ways Ran would get his revenge on Sullivan and Wazowski. Currently Randall has calmed and is unsure WHAT he would do…but anyway…
There are different kinds of revenge that don’t have to incorporate death. Making the person loose credibility. Severing their ties to loved ones (non-death). Taking away something material that matters to them. Stuff like that. SMART STUFF. Any old revenger can kill a person, but that’s just stupid. Heck, some revenge can be considered acceptable.

Most of the revenge considered acceptable are legal today. In the case of that loose killer you mentioned, Nexas, the right thing would be to find the evidence to pin him down, put him to justice. That could be considered revenge, too, as you are putting charge against him.

Of course, then there are cases when some people just really deserves it, like Bob. :stuck_out_tongue: Jokes.

Course he’d probably either bust out of prison or bide his time, then start killing all over again :laughing:

I love revenge movies, not because I’m unforgiving or anything, but because I like to see how the baddies get their own comeuppance. So hook me up with any good ol’ Arnie, Seagal, Tarantino or Van Damme movie and let the fireworks begin!

But what would make a revenge movie (or book or other modes of storytelling) great for me is that if the person performing the act of revenge feels a tinge of guilt, or remorse. I mean, killing someone who’s hurt you doesn’t make you any better than him/her, does it? But neither is letting him/her get away with it. There’s just so much to question in terms of morality and right/wrong, and I like these themes to be explored rather than just a senseless ‘an eye for an eye’ killing spree.

That’s why as I’ve mentioned before in the Movies-Old and New thread, I’m really interested in the new Bond flick. I want to see how Craig’s titular character can cope with the loss of a loved one, and how far will he take his personal vendetta in the so-called name of justice to avenge her death.

I haven’t seen the Saw series except 4, so I have no comment about any of the scenes you guys mentioned.

Revenge is a dish best served cold.”
-Anonymous, from Kill Bill

The man I mentioned was “Jeff,” the man agent Peter Strahm shot twice at the end of Saw IV. :wink:

Most of the time, revenge isn’t really going to solve anything but instead make things worse.
Here are some sayings regarding revenge:

-If you fight fire with fire, all you’ll get is more fire.

-If you lie down with the dogs, you, too, will come up with fleas.

-By hurting others, you’ll also be hurting yourself.

-An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

-Harming the ones who were bad to you doesn’t get rid of bullies, but just makes you one of them.

-The key to winning a battle is having the power not to fight back.

-If you want others to treat you better, you must first learn to be the better person.

And I think there are more. Anyway, I don’t think revenge is the best solution. To stop injustice is one thing, but getting revenge just for the sake of getting revenge is another.

Revenge is never worth it…period.

This reminds me of the end of Death Note:
[spoil] Light Yagami, the “protagonist”, had been killing criminals AND those who aim to setence HIM though the use of the Death Note, an item that, when a name is written, the person would die. When he comes at a standoff with a brilliant detective, a kid no less, he is caught. Light had been killing people for nearly 6 years, and in the event his sister was tramutized and, through his own interactions, his father died. Both caused by him.
The youngest of the investigation team who aimed to find Kira, Matsuda, was shattered in learning that Light was the killer. When Light aimed to kill everyone with a hidden piece of the Death Note he had brought with him, Matsuda fatally wounded Light with his gun. Light was a few feet away at the time. Matsuda marched after him saying “I’ll kill him”. He came right up to Light, pointing his gun at his head, yelling “HE HAS TO DIE!”. In the end, the others in the investigation team managed to hold him back, the shot missing Light barely [/spoil]

Revenge, Vengence, Avenging…folds arms WIth those words, it concerns two people, one having been wronged. It’s not neccessarily right to stand by and do nothing.