Seeking revenge as a result of being wronged is akin to a crime of passion: you're miffed at being mistreated, and so your rage takes over your mind before (or unless) cooler heads prevail. Seeking revenge as a result of profound loss, however, hews closer to pre-meditated obsession, the hole in your life slowly but surely filling up with a need for retribution until your life isn't for you and your loved ones anymore: it's all about getting payback.

Many action revenge thrillers explore this concept, and they generally feature characters who are already well-versed in the ways of killing. The theme of revenge becoming an all-consuming force, however, is best expressed with characters who used to be ordinary average folks before an enormous wrong or loss changes them forever, and not necessarily for the better. John Woo's latest action opus "Silent Night" — his first in Hollywood since 2003's...