Bring On The Bad Guys:The Best Movie Villains

BY BLUE KAUFMAN

Sure, they initially make us cringe. And let’s face it…it’s human nature to want to cheer for the good guy. Yet, every once in a while a villain will slither onto the big screen and linger in our minds long after the credits roll. Their disturbed motives confuse us, their brilliantly twisted intelligence intrigues us, and their complete lack of morals frightens us. With over 25,000 antagonists in cinematic history, sifting though was no doubt a difficult task. Still, I have pulled from my mental archives and created a list of the 15 best movie villains of all time. Chances are you’re going to be upset that Darth Vader didn’t make it. Deal with it.

#15 Bill:  In the first Volume, Bill is an unseen, menacing character that doesn’t even make an appearance until the second installment.  The only thing we know is that he has serious abandonment issues and holds a wicked grudge, a trait that goes as far as murdering the “Bride” in cold blood as well as everyone else she apparently cared about. Nevertheless, apart from being the leader of the Dead Viper Assassins Squad, Bill has some redeeming factors. He’s a kind and caring father and even shows some repentance towards the end of the film. Actually, he’s an overall pretty likable guy (If you can get past the whole wedding mass homicide thing)

Movie: Kill Bill

Played By: David Carradine

#14 Wicked Witch of the West: Spot #14 goes to The Wicked Witch of the West, a villain whose manic cackle and deranged soullessness often haunted our childhoods and weaved their way throughout our nightmares. Her crimes include dropping houses on family members and kidnapping small dogs.

Movie: The Wizard of Oz

Played By: Margaret Hamilton

#13 Mr. Blonde

“Are you going to bark all day little doggie, or are you going to bite?” While Mr. Blonde is only one of the eight members on his team, his sharp wit and subtle arrogance allows his malice to surpass the rest of the pack. He has no mercy for cops and doesn’t like being told what to do. Frankly, I wouldn’t argue with him about it either, it may just cost you an ear.

Movie: Reservoir Dogs

Played by: Michael Madsen

#12 Stansfield

After murdering a family in cold blood, Stansfield’s volatile presence completely holds command of the screen for the duration of the film. Everyone’s afraid of him, even his own team, and when I say everyone I mean “EVVVVVERRRYONNEE”.

Movie: Leon: The Professional

Played by: Gary Oldman

#11 Scar

Surprised to see an animated lion on the list? Don’t be. Not only did Scar murder his own brother, he also manipulated his only nephew into thinking he was responsible. All done in an attempt to quench his ravenous thirst for power, Scar later triggered the collapse of pride rock and condemned all of its inhabitants for its downfall.

Movie: The Lion King

Played by: Jeremy Irons

#10 Hans Grubber

As far as foreign German terrorists go, Hans Grubber takes the cake for most feared mastermind of a hostage. With a drawling silky voice that only someone like Alan Rickman could pull off, Gruber’s sly insults and droll dialogue set the tone for arguably the best action flick ever released. His plan to rob the company Christmas party for $640 million really was brilliant; if Bruce Willis hadn’t intervened he probably could have pulled it off.

Movie: Die Hard

Played By: Alan Rickman

#9 Captain Videl

Few films accurately convey the evil of fascism the way Captain Videl does in Guillermo Del Torro’s masterpiece.  While his extreme ego might initially spark resentment from the audience, by the end of the film his distorted supremacy and blatant disregard for humanity causes our anger to grow into a burning inferno of pure hatred.  Using crude weapons as a means of torture, his sadistic methods are almost difficult to watch.

Movie: Pans Labyrinth

Played By: Sergi Lopez

#8 Anton Chigurh: As if the haircut wasn’t scary enough, Chiguh is a villain who knows how intimidation works. Ruthlessly wielding a ‘cattle gun’ as his weapon of choice, the Coen brothers keep his dialogue to a minimum and are careful to never reveal too much about his character. Nevertheless, while he may not say much, his actions speak volumes. Resting his victims’ fates on the flip of a coin, his calm demeanor and ability to kill without even the slightest recoil allows us to see depth and complexity well beyond a mindless assassin.

Movie: No Country for Old Men

Played by: Javier Bardem

#7 Norman Bates

Yes, it is a staple icon in horror films. Sure, the conflict is well known. Yet there is nothing, nothing like seeing Psycho and experiencing the terror firsthand.  Eerie, creepy, and charismatic, the twisted character of Norman Bates is the driving force for the story that changed the film industry forever. It has also completely ruined the whole shower thing for me. Curse you, Tony Perkins.

Movie: Psycho

Played by: Tony Perkins

#6 Voldemort

Although he was thought to be dead for the first three movies, the wizarding world still quivered with fear and had to refer to him as “He who must not be named” or “You-Know-who.” That my friends, is respect. His hatred of muggle-borns creates as a great racial metaphor and the time spent exploring his childhood also made for some seriously in-depth character development. I also believe the whole “last enemy to be destroyed is death” has a few biblical undertones…but we’ll cover that in another post, man.

Movie: Harry Potter series

Played by: Ralph Finnes

#5 John Doe

Sinking back into the shadows, he chooses to let his actions speak for himself and given the fact that he’s unbelievably smart (have you seen his notebook?) he immediately meets top 5 criteria. Despite using the seven deadly sins as a motive for his gruesome attacks, his justification in the car scene is so rational that he makes his audience question everything. Our moral obligations become tinged with doubt and our ability to distinguish between right and wrong become muddled and confused.

Movie: Se7en

Played by: Kevin Spacey

#4 Hannibal Lecter

When you’re able to eat a census takers liver “with fava beans and a nice Chianti” you automatically merit a spot on this list.  His brains, intuition, and style make him truly terrorizing. There’s no one else like him, and hopefully there never will be.

Movie: Silence of the Lambs

Played by: Anthony Hopkins

#3 Hans Landa

Over the years, there has been no shortage of Nazi villains. However, Tarantino’s uber-violent film Inglorious Bastards, may have given Christoph Waltz the wherewithal to top them all. Hans Landa is the Nazi we’ve all imagined the worst to be: cultured, sophisticated, and cruel. He’s the kind of man who will prolong a conversation just to have a more dramatic effect, the kind of man that can make even a glass of milk seem like a serious threat.

Movie: Inglorious Bastards

Played By: Christoph Waltz

#2 Jack Torrence

After taking the position of winter caretaker at the Overlook Hotel, Jack Torrence spirals into a madness that cannot be contained. More so, he is a character we are unable to identify with. He has no control, no complexity, and no ability to distinguish between his actions. Pummeling though doors with his ax like a feral animal, his rabid eyes are enough to terrify anyone- even without the iconic “Here’s Johnny.”

Movie: The Shining

Played By: Jack Nicholson

#1 the Joker

The Batman has had several nemeses over the years. Yet none have burned into the minds of moviegoers the way the Joker has in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. Every smirk, every guffaw, every speech held its audience attention with unparalleled intensity. With each of his crimes we looked for a way the Batman could defeat him, a solution, or even a way to satisfy the Joker. Yet, when the Joker pours gasoline on millions of dollars we come to terms with who we are dealing with.  “Some men aren’t looking for anything logical, like money. They can’t be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.”

Movie: The Dark Knight

Played by: Heath Ledger