December 28, 2009
— Gabriel Malor Turns out there were quite a few noteworthy villains over the past ten years. Whittling them down to a manageable number was a pain until I realized the best thing to do would be to heavily weight my selections to make the villains white men. To get on the list and not be a white man, you had to be pretty damn villainous. Okay, not really. After I had the list I noticed: no chicks. no brothas. Meh. Sometimes a white dude is the only man for the job.
Another feature of this list is that it also has most of what I would have selected for my Top Films of the 2000s, if I’d bothered to compile such a banal list. It’s certainly not determinative (in fact, one on this list is also on my “Most Disliked Films of All Times” list), but it seems one of my major draws to a movie is a good villain. So, here we go:
11. Commodus—Gladiator (2000)
Joaquin Phoenix started off the decade setting a high bar for the villains to come. When he wasnÂ’t suffocating his father, groping his sister, and perving on his nephew, he was bragging about crucifying children and raping women. His excuse? He wished his father had hugged him more.
10. Gollum—Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Gollum was a pitiable creature in the first and second films, so it was a relief in the third when he turns out not to be as helpless as he looks. We get a fancy flashback to his first kill (on his birthday!) and then he cleverly talks Sméagol into killing the hobbitses. After framing Sam as a big fatso and betraying Frodo to Shelob, he goes complete batshit when Frodo claims the ring as his own. (BTW, the standard Microsoft Windows spellcheck dictionary has Sméagol in it. J.R.R. Tolkien FTW!)
9. Harry Waters—In Bruges (200
Ralph Fiennes plays a crime boss with an unbreakable rule: you do NOT kill children. So when one of his hitmen (played by Colin Farrell, who won an Oscar for it) does just that on his very first assignment, he orders another (played by Brendan Gleason, who was also nominated for and should have won that Oscar) to kill him. Of course, GleasonÂ’s character is FarrellÂ’s friend and mentor, which makes Harry one heckuva dirty bastard. Not going to give the ending of this one away because you really should drop what youÂ’re doing and go rent it right now. Suffice it to say, Harry will have to face his unbreakable rule before all is said and done.
8. Robert Angier—The Prestige (2006)
Hugh Jackman plays the murderous stage magician in a movie all about misdirection. The first but not the last villain on my list set against Christian Bale and with Michael Caine as an irreplaceable supporting actor, Angier carries a grudge for decades that leads him ultimately to kill himself. But not before killing himself. And killing himself. And killing Christian BaleÂ’s character. But after all that Christian BaleÂ’s character kills him. SoÂ…happy ending. Sorta. (Yes, thatÂ’s really what happens.)
7. Brick Top Polford—Snatch (2000)
Brick Top knows how to deal with people he doesn’t like and I’ve started using his policy in the office for when subordinates piss me off: “Feed ‘em to the pigs, Errol.” When he’s not giving Hannibal Lectures, he’s fixing illegal fights and burning down caravans. Brick Top will always have a place in my heart for his wit: “In the quiet words of the Virgin Mary…come again.”
6. Anton Chigurh—No Country For Old Men (2007)
A second movie about a hitman on our list, and, yes, the movie was really about Javier Bardem’s Anton, not Josh Brolin’s character, Llewelyn Moss. Anton knows what he wants and he’ll get it however he can, but the word “sociopath” hardly does him justice. Watching this character was like watching one of those horrifying Australian spiders catch and eat a bird: awesome and I’m gonna need a pants change.
5. Captain Vidal—Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
Now weÂ’re moving beyond villains who are merely evil to those who have gone so far, theyÂ’re on the other side of the Moral Event Horizon. In a movie filled with creepy special effects from the depths of Guillermo del ToroÂ’s genius, the creepiest element is fascist Captain Vidal. A torturer and murderer, this deranged psycho shoots a child before the end.
4. Ward Abbot—The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
I know. You donÂ’t think he made a great villain at least not in the top 5. HeÂ’s here on the list, ahead of folks like Captain Vidal and Anton, because he is a betrayer. Quietly ordering the deaths of Bourne and his squeeze while running Landy and the rest of the CIA in circles gets him on the list. His surprise betrayal of a trusting subordinate and hands-on stabbing puts him ahead of those mere murderers listed above. Betrayal has always been an especially keen transgression. Ask Dante.
3. Colin Sullivan—The Departed (2006)
Which brings us to Colin Sullivan. Matt Damon plays Sullivan, a deep-cover mole in the Boston PD for the Irish mob. So, again, betrayer. CanÂ’t really say more without giving things away, butÂ…a lot of people die.
2. V—V for Vendetta (2005)
V’s on the list because he’s a killer and kidnapper and terrorist and anarchist. He’s not a role model or an anti-hero. He’s the embodiment of “ends justifies the means” thinking. And he’s a bad guy. The second-largest of the decade, actually, because despite his patent evil he manages not only to convince the film’s other characters that he’s doing the right thing, but most of the audience as well. Seriously, I want to kick those idiots wearing V paraphernalia right in the nuts.
And so we come to my favorite villain and favorite film of the decade:
1. The Joker—The Dark Knight (200
Both psycho and psychological, the most recent incarnation of the Joker was a man with a mission. Unlike the comedic Jack Nicholson version (“I’d like my face on the one dollar bill!”), this Joker wants to push Batman’s buttons. Just as in the most interesting of the Batman comics, this Joker recognizes his reason for being both literally and within the DC-verse is to be Batman’s enemy (“You complete me!”).
Which isnÂ’t to say he hasnÂ’t got a sense of humor about it. I particularly appreciated the visual pun of a burning firetruck and the real-life prisonersÂ’ dilemma. Along the way, he kills, tortures, betrays, quips, burns a man alive, and creates the most meticulously planned crimes. And IÂ’m pretty sure he was completely insane the whole time.
Honorable Mention: Harvey Two-face
“It’s about what’s FAIR!”, as he says. And if he weren’t overshadowed by a bigger Big Bad, the impossibly amoral Harvey Two-face would certainly have made it on this list. Unfortunately, he only got about thirty minutes of screen time and racked up only six kills. We didn’t get to see the ultimate outcome of his horrifying philosophy of justice before Batman finally broke his “Just One Rule” and dropped Harvey off a building. Honestly, I don’t know how they’re ever going to top this film.
Honorable Mention: Captain Hector Barbossa—Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
He was a betrayer, liar, scoundrel, murderer, and a creepy old lecher with a keen mind and talent for demagoguery (“…disproportionate to our crimes!”). But then they brought him back for the third movie and ruined him.
So, who did I miss?
Posted by: Gabriel Malor at
08:17 AM
| Comments (197)
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Posted by: Tattoo De Plane at December 28, 2009 08:23 AM (mHQ7T)
Posted by: Slublog at December 28, 2009 08:24 AM (qjKko)
"Which brings us to Colin Sullivan. Matt Damon plays Sullivan, a deep-cover mole in the Boston PD for the Irish mob. So, again, betrayer. CanÂ’t really say more without giving things away, butÂ…a lot of people die."
Colin Sullivan was not Boston PD but a Massachusetts State trooper.
Posted by: Dirk Diggler at December 28, 2009 08:25 AM (+HQNg)
Posted by: Rightwing Prof at December 28, 2009 08:26 AM (UOcNk)
Posted by: toby928 at December 28, 2009 08:27 AM (PD1tk)
Posted by: Mr. Pink at December 28, 2009 08:27 AM (SqAkN)
Ummm, I'd have to say Gandalf was my #1 villain.
Posted by: A Balrog of Morgoth (now with 100% more smugness!) at December 28, 2009 08:28 AM (wgLRl)
From the movies I did see, I'd have to say one of the top villains would be Voldemort and/or Bellatrix Lestrange.
Pitiful, I know.
Posted by: Intrepid at December 28, 2009 08:32 AM (92zkk)
Equilibrium-Christian Bale
Memento-Guy Pierce.
Both lead characters make great villains in the latter half of the movie.
Posted by: Mord at December 28, 2009 08:33 AM (tTj19)
Posted by: Methos at December 28, 2009 08:33 AM (zyyJm)
Sound like any recent presidents we know ?
Posted by: CrackrJak at December 28, 2009 08:34 AM (SJCgY)
Posted by: Jane D'oh! at December 28, 2009 08:36 AM (UOM48)
#15: "You are a god among insects. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." As good a villainous line as I've ever heard in the movies, and McKellan's matter-of-fact delivery makes it all the more chilling.
Posted by: Brown Line at December 28, 2009 08:37 AM (VrNoa)
Posted by: Meagan McCain at December 28, 2009 08:37 AM (SqAkN)
@12 If I was considering only the movies (so no House Elf Liberation Front) that were released this decade (so ignoring Deathly Hallows), I'd put Snape ahead of both of them due to the amount of time spent building up his reveal and the magnitude of his actions.
Posted by: Methos at December 28, 2009 08:38 AM (zyyJm)
Posted by: Vic at December 28, 2009 08:39 AM (QrA9E)
Posted by: conscious, but incoherent at December 28, 2009 08:41 AM (Vu6sl)
Posted by: Baron Von Ottomatic at December 28, 2009 08:41 AM (VoetP)
Posted by: Mr. Pink at December 28, 2009 08:42 AM (SqAkN)
Captain Billy Fender in "Broken Trail" -- does a miniseries count?
Posted by: Joanna at December 28, 2009 08:45 AM (gJQTg)
He's a really, really bad cop who devises a plan to steal a whole lot of money to pay off a debt he incurred to the Russian mob (a debt that stems from his beating the crap out of a guy he thought was a nobody, but turned out to be connected). To carry out his scheme he shows he has no qualms about betraying a green partner he's set up for himself (even to the point of having him offed by a bunch of gang members). There another "noble" scene where he calls to his young son to come to his side so he can use him as a human shield to fend off the betrayed partner who's come to apprehend him. A real stand up guy.
Posted by: little evil at December 28, 2009 08:46 AM (oOQV8)
So, the Liberal/Progressive mental disease has roots in Roman history??
Throw in a few 'Got beat up everyday on my way to the public bath, lunch money stolen and toga yanked up over my head' and voila!!
Centuries of clenched fist, spleen venting butt-hurt is born!!
Whoda thunk it???
Posted by: BigWyo at December 28, 2009 08:48 AM (SafY+)
Also my cut of The Dark Knight (all Joker, as little Bale as possible) is waaaaaay better than the original.
Methos, we're going to have to step outside and Have Some Words about Snape being a villain. Unless you mean merely how he's being presented to date in the films, in which case then maybe.
Also, since I'm in the middle of an HP re-read, I'd have to say Dumbledore is near the top of my list of sociopathic villains. If you think about what he does and asks others to do, it's truly horrifying.
Posted by: alexthechick at December 28, 2009 08:49 AM (8WZWv)
Posted by: Gabriel Malor at December 28, 2009 08:50 AM (mvfNc)
"When he wasnÂ’t suffocating his father, groping his sister, and perving on his nephew, he was bragging about crucifying children and raping women. His excuse? He wished his father had hugged him more."
I first watched Gladiator on a mission trip (long story), and you could practically feel everyone's knees draw up to their chests during the scene when he molests his sister. In the next scene, she makes out with Maximus, and someone in the back yelled out, "That's not incest!"
Also the reveal in the Coliseum always gives me chills.
Posted by: Joanna at December 28, 2009 08:52 AM (gJQTg)
Posted by: IrenePloverIrene at December 28, 2009 08:53 AM (lhxhu)
Posted by: Methos at December 28, 2009 08:53 AM (zyyJm)
Posted by: Pervcon at December 28, 2009 08:53 AM (orS1c)
Posted by: tommylotto at December 28, 2009 08:53 AM (oHIHU)
Posted by: Mr. Pink at December 28, 2009 08:53 AM (SqAkN)
Oh, that's a good one.
Posted by: Gabriel Malor
Man on Fire is up there with Training Day too.
Posted by: sTevo at December 28, 2009 08:54 AM (I+gLn)
Al wasn't the villain, he was the hero. The villain was CO2, but I thought the story wasn't convincing." I thought freedom and capitalism were the villians?
Posted by: Mr. Pink at December 28, 2009 08:54 AM (SqAkN)
I'd replace him with Major Henry West from 28 Days Later, played by Christopher Eccleston. Creepy and subtle, he's not revealed act as the villain until the final act.
Posted by: Iskandar at December 28, 2009 08:55 AM (DwKMY)
I'm still kind of ticked off about that last movie. Half of the book was Harry seeing memories of what a jerk his dad was to Snape and the movie completely missed it.
Posted by: Methos at December 28, 2009 08:56 AM (zyyJm)
Posted by: Mr. Pink at December 28, 2009 08:56 AM (SqAkN)
Oh, and DEATH TO GRATUITOUS CAPITALS!
Posted by: pep at December 28, 2009 09:00 AM (DZyVK)
Anton Chigurh - anyone who can walk around Sanderson or Sheffield, Texas with a gas canister, casually killing random people in an area where even the ground squirrels are packing heat, must be very EEEEEEEVIL.
Or stupid.
Posted by: TexasJew at December 28, 2009 09:01 AM (vJtqG)
So, who did I miss?
Warner Huntington III — Legally Blonde (2001)
Chutney Windham — Legally Blonde (2001)
Professor Callahan — Legally Blonde (2001)
Posted by: FireHorse at December 28, 2009 09:01 AM (Vl5GH)
49
Yeah he wasn't bad in that movie. He has sucked in every movie he has been in besides My Best Friends Girl. If you haven't watched that movie go rent it, it is funny as hell.
Posted by: Mr. Pink at December 28, 2009 09:01 AM (SqAkN)
Posted by: teej at December 28, 2009 09:02 AM (c459z)
Ahhhhh, okay then. Then, yes, I see your point. I maintain my position on Dumbledore.
Half of the book was Harry seeing memories of what a jerk his dad was to Snape and the movie completely missed it.
I may, possibly, have ranted for a bit (ie hours) about that after the movie. It's a central piece of character development for Harry to realize that Snape's actions weren't entirely without basis and that his father was an enormous jerk. It's also key for Other Events Yet To Come. Annnyway.
Mr. Brooks is a fantastic choice as well.
Posted by: alexthechick at December 28, 2009 09:02 AM (8WZWv)
Posted by: Timothy Watson at December 28, 2009 09:02 AM (5ZI7f)
Posted by: Methos at December 28, 2009 09:02 AM (zyyJm)
Yeah, a ditzy imbecile graduates from Harvard Law School.
They tell me it was a comedy. I say it was a documentary.
Posted by: AmishDude at December 28, 2009 09:04 AM (fl1wa)
Posted by: Mr. Pink at December 28, 2009 09:05 AM (SqAkN)
Posted by: Jewells at December 28, 2009 09:05 AM (l/N7H)
Posted by: Cicero at December 28, 2009 09:06 AM (QKKT0)
Posted by: Kaptain Amerika at December 28, 2009 09:07 AM (HTsF2)
Posted by: teej at December 28, 2009 09:07 AM (c459z)
Posted by: iolanach at December 28, 2009 09:07 AM (KkwCW)
Betrayal has always been an especially keen transgression. Ask Dante.
Check out Circle 9, Ring 4. It's nasty.
Posted by: Virgil at December 28, 2009 09:10 AM (QKKT0)
My criticism is with how he dealt with the children vs. the adults (Snape and Lupin in particular). No matter how you cut it, Dumbledore (and everyone else) allowed 11 year old children to place themselves in situations that should have resulted in their deaths. Yes, something had to be done but the sheer hands off approach is rather appalling.
Of course, I'm also putting way too much thought into fluffy fantasy books. It's totally necessary to making Harry Our Hero that things develop as they do. I know that. It's closer examination that makes things a bit hinky.
Then again, JKR isn't exactly the most consistent of authors, either in timeline or characterization.
Posted by: alexthechick at December 28, 2009 09:10 AM (8WZWv)
Same thing with Emperor Palpatine, unless that 70 minute review killed Star Wars for everybody round here.
Voldemort/Bellatrix will be the villains, I hope, of 2011 when the last HP movie gets released and when they kill 50 people and partly destroy a castle.
You really gotta call Snape an anti-hero, because the movie at least partially reveals that he was supposed to kill some guy acting like Dumbledore
P.S. Wasn't Bale the hero of Equilibrium?
Posted by: MyLifeIsAverage at December 28, 2009 09:11 AM (z6cEr)
No, no, no, we're arguing about Harry freaking Potter. That's so much better.
Also, I maintain that Samwise should have heaved Frodo's whiny ass into Mount Doom but that's neither here nor there.
Posted by: alexthechick at December 28, 2009 09:11 AM (8WZWv)
Posted by: Purple Avenger at December 28, 2009 09:11 AM (hqE/S)
Like in Taken, the traffickers in Human Trafficking (2005) were truly vile.
The bad guys in Taken met an appropriate end.
Posted by: fb at December 28, 2009 09:13 AM (G60Nl)
Posted by: IllTemperedCur at December 28, 2009 09:14 AM (L8xnn)
Posted by: Mr. Pink at December 28, 2009 09:15 AM (SqAkN)
Posted by: Guy Fawkes at December 28, 2009 09:16 AM (DIYmd)
Posted by: teej at December 28, 2009 09:16 AM (QdUKm)
And dear Virgil, when, oh when, will your fellow writers in Hollywood make a movie about u and some other Italian dude's tramp through Hell?
Posted by: MyLifeIsAverage at December 28, 2009 09:17 AM (z6cEr)
Actually, that's a good point. As much as I love Live Free or Die Hard, the villain was a total cop out. Having said that, I still think the That Guy discussion is one of the best descriptions of who and what most Americans are.
Posted by: alexthechick at December 28, 2009 09:17 AM (8WZWv)
>> So, who did I miss?
I would have put Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood pretty highly up there. Did you forget him or purposefully left him out?
Posted by: dan-O at December 28, 2009 09:17 AM (+9Rf8)
Oh very yes. Sam was the best character in those books.
Posted by: Gabriel Malor at December 28, 2009 09:18 AM (mvfNc)
He’s the embodiment of “ends justifies the means” thinking.
He doesn't embody any thinking. He is a reaction.
And "means justifies the ends" thinking is at least as bad. Except, of course, for the lawyers.
Posted by: oblig. at December 28, 2009 09:18 AM (bnR46)
I'm not saying they are on the same planet, I was simply leaping from one to another in the SQUIRREL way that my mind does. Of course they aren't, I presumed that went without saying.
Posted by: alexthechick at December 28, 2009 09:18 AM (8WZWv)
I would have put Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood pretty highly up there. Did you forget him or purposefully left him out?
Posted by: dan-O at December 28, 2009 01:17 PM (+9Rf
I thought he was a hero.
Posted by: TexasJew at December 28, 2009 09:20 AM (vJtqG)
Posted by: Mr. Pink at December 28, 2009 09:21 AM (SqAkN)
Posted by: IllTemperedCur at December 28, 2009 09:21 AM (L8xnn)
Posted by: Methos at December 28, 2009 09:21 AM (zyyJm)
Bill (Kill Bill 1 & 2). "There are consequences to breaking the heart of a murdering bastard."
Piet Smit in District 9
Rasputin in Hell Boy (or just his role in actual history if you prefer).
Pretty much everyone left on Earth in The Road.
Tony fucking Soprano.
Randall Bragg in Appaloosa.
Posted by: Lamontyoubigdummy at December 28, 2009 09:22 AM (tznOq)
Don't we, Clarice? fff-ffff-fff-fff-fff. Don't go near the pigs.
Posted by: Jay in Ames at December 28, 2009 09:22 AM (UEEex)
Posted by: Evil Red Scandi at December 28, 2009 09:22 AM (erlfI)
Posted by: alexthechick at December 28, 2009 01:10 PM (8WZWv)
Wasn't that the entire plot angle of "Jurassic Park"?
Posted by: TexasJew at December 28, 2009 09:23 AM (vJtqG)
Posted by: Jay in Ames at December 28, 2009 09:24 AM (UEEex)
The main killer in "John Rambo" (the last one, a few years ago) is a great villain, too. Didn't speak much, so he didn't give that John Malkovich vibe, but you definitely wanted Rambo to gut him (he did).
Also, the goth kid in "Hostage" (Bruce Willis) was pretty good.
Worst villain ever: Sam Jackson in "Unbreakable"
Posted by: Cam Winston at December 28, 2009 09:24 AM (mHiW8)
Yeah he also lets that little boy eat part of the brain at the end on the airplane. BTW how does a guy on the FBI's most wanted list get on an airplane after a police chase, oh wait, how does a guy on the FBI's most wanted list get on an airplane after a police chase before Obama was elected?
Posted by: Mr. Pink at December 28, 2009 09:24 AM (SqAkN)
Posted by: IllTemperedCur at December 28, 2009 09:25 AM (L8xnn)
Posted by: Mr. Pink at December 28, 2009 09:26 AM (SqAkN)
I would give your views more credit if you actually paid attention to the movie. Did you miss the mechanical grip device he had in his hand?
Posted by: Gabriel Malor at December 28, 2009 09:28 AM (mvfNc)
Posted by: Methos at December 28, 2009 09:28 AM (zyyJm)
Well, yeah, but there it was presented as a Bad Thing.
And in the sixth book in particular we really got a sense for the fact that Dumbledore was really short on options (and never really had enough reliable allies that he could have spared them to keep the kids out of trouble while dealing with each crisis at hand) and often was taking blind guesses on what had to be done next.
Fair point. I'll admit, part of my view on this is skewed by some very (not drunken oh no not at all) intense fights about whether or not Dumbledore actually had a plan or was winging it all along. If there was a plan, as JKR initially seems to indicate, then it's rather sociopathic. If he's improvising like hell, as the later books suggest, then it's less so.
Of course, I adore Percy so what do I know?
Posted by: alexthechick at December 28, 2009 09:29 AM (8WZWv)
One of the baddest assed hitmen I've ever seen in a movie
Posted by: Mike at December 28, 2009 09:30 AM (4TI/E)
Posted by: Mr. Pink at December 28, 2009 01:26 PM (SqAkN)
Or maybe it was just stupid puerile bullshit. And they kept your 12 bucks.
Posted by: TexasJew at December 28, 2009 09:30 AM (vJtqG)
Posted by: IllTemperedCur at December 28, 2009 09:34 AM (L8xnn)
Posted by: Mr. Pink at December 28, 2009 09:35 AM (SqAkN)
102 A worthy mention must be made for Vince (Tom Cruise) in Collateral
One of the baddest assed hitmen I've ever seen in a movie
Posted by: Mike at December 28, 2009 01:30 PM (4TI/E)
It was great how he shot himself when he was hiding in the closet.
Posted by: TexasJew at December 28, 2009 09:35 AM (vJtqG)
Posted by: Four Eyes at December 28, 2009 09:36 AM (xm1A1)
Posted by: Methos at December 28, 2009 09:37 AM (zyyJm)
Posted by: California Red at December 28, 2009 09:37 AM (7uWb8)
Posted by: IllTemperedCur at December 28, 2009 09:37 AM (L8xnn)
Posted by: teej at December 28, 2009 09:38 AM (c459z)
Posted by: Gabriel Malor at December 28, 2009 01:28 PM (mvfNc)
Yep. Ran out and bought one myself.
Mmmm, mechanical grip.
Posted by: Typical AoS commenter at December 28, 2009 09:39 AM (fl1wa)
Posted by: IllTemperedCur at December 28, 2009 09:40 AM (L8xnn)
Posted by: paranoidpyro at December 28, 2009 09:41 AM (t4syE)
Posted by: Mr. Pink at December 28, 2009 09:42 AM (SqAkN)
Posted by: TheQuietman at December 28, 2009 09:42 AM (1Jaio)
Posted by: polynikes at December 28, 2009 01:39 PM (m2CN7)
Wrong decade, but the rest of these other choices suck so bad and are from, for example, such crappy Batman movies that Hopper should win anyway.
Posted by: TexasJew at December 28, 2009 09:44 AM (vJtqG)
116 sorry, the discussion is about this decade. nevermind. -
Yeah, I was gonna nominate Jackie Gleason as Sheriff Buford T. Justice in Smokey and the Bandit. I mean, who could ever top the line; "There is no way, no way, you could come from my loins. When I get home I'm gonna punch your momma in the mouth."
Posted by: teej at December 28, 2009 09:46 AM (c459z)
Yes, and we know that a person with daddy issues and unlimited amounts of financial resources who seeks out personal vengeance is a deluded fictional fantasy, don't we?
Posted by: AmishDude at December 28, 2009 09:46 AM (0Uiwp)
Posted by: X at December 28, 2009 09:47 AM (7rOET)
Wrong decade, but the rest of these other choices suck so bad and are from, for example, such crappy Batman movies that Hopper should win anyway.
Posted by: TexasJew at December 28, 2009 01:44 PM (vJtqG)
------------- --------------------- --------------------- -----------------
Care to enlighten everone then on what "good" movies are?
Posted by: Mr. Pink at December 28, 2009 09:47 AM (SqAkN)
Posted by: AmishDude at December 28, 2009 01:46 PM (0Uiwp)
You actually brought adult-level substance and insight to this idiotic thread. Shame on you!
Posted by: TexasJew at December 28, 2009 09:48 AM (vJtqG)
Care to enlighten everone then on what "good" movies are?
Posted by: Mr. Pink at December 28, 2009 01:47 PM (SqAkN)
Almost anything not on this fucking list.
Except for "Team America", of course... that was superb.
Posted by: TexasJew at December 28, 2009 09:50 AM (vJtqG)
"I'm not going to live there. There's no place for me there... any more than there is for you. Malcolm... I'm a monster.What I do is evil. I have no illusions about it, but it must be done"
Posted by: FormerHostage at December 28, 2009 09:50 AM (kYds0)
Batman Begins was superior to Dark Knight.
The Operative from Serenity was pretty evil, insofar as his morality was completely untethered and he knew it. That amped up the creepy factor.
Posted by: Cuffy Meigs at December 28, 2009 09:51 AM (JefgB)
Care to enlighten everone then on what "good" movies are? -
Casablanca, North by Northwest, McClintock, Cat Ballou, Dances with Wolves, just to name a few.
Posted by: teej at December 28, 2009 09:51 AM (c459z)
There some pretty good villains on this list. But frankly, not one is worthy of polishing the shoes of Harry Powell in "Night of the Hunter" (Robert Mitchum). Scariest character ever.
Posted by: Brown Line at December 28, 2009 09:55 AM (VrNoa)
Posted by: Brown Line at December 28, 2009 01:55 PM (VrNoa) -
I don't know, the wicked witch from "Oz" was pretty damn scary when I was about 7 or 8.
Posted by: teej at December 28, 2009 09:59 AM (c459z)
There some pretty good villains on this list. But frankly, not one is worthy of polishing the shoes of Harry Powell in "Night of the Hunter" (Robert Mitchum). Scariest character ever.
Posted by: Brown Line at December 28, 2009 01:55 PM (VrNoa)
"Leaning on the everlasting arm..."
And Shelly Winters dead in that car in the river, with her hair swimming around,,, incredible.
I always wanted my own "good" and "evil" knuckle tattoos, btw.
Posted by: TexasJew at December 28, 2009 10:03 AM (vJtqG)
Posted by: Guy Fawkes at December 28, 2009 10:03 AM (DIYmd)
Tilda Swinton - White Queen (Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe).
Yes, the role was over the top a bit, but I still think she makes the cut, if just barely.
And as noted, Chiwetel Ejiofor DEFINITELY needs to be on this list as "The Operative"
Posted by: Mark S. at December 28, 2009 10:06 AM (NNsqZ)
raised a goldfish stompin' six year old to boot.
Posted by: BumperStickerist at December 28, 2009 10:08 AM (ruzrP)
Dances With Wolves? What the fuck are you talking about? It's too damned early to be that drunk or stoned!
Posted by: NJConservative at December 28, 2009 10:15 AM (/Ywwg)
fail
Posted by: someone at December 28, 2009 02:09 PM (njJQD)
And now replacing "Dancing with Wolves", in comes "GoodFellas"
Posted by: TexasJew at December 28, 2009 10:17 AM (vJtqG)
Posted by: ccruse456 at December 28, 2009 10:19 AM (3pv79)
Posted by: Travis at December 28, 2009 10:33 AM (3QJTx)
When did he do that?
Posted by: buzz at December 28, 2009 10:36 AM (GmELZ)
Tilda Swanson was better in Constintine.
Guy Pierce was good in The Count of Monte Cristo.
I have mixed feelings about Cthulu Davy Jones, but the character was held up well by the crazy script. Every single time someone tries to make a deal with him, he finds a way to twist the knife.
I think Smeagol would have been better with a regular actor.
Posted by: Cincinnatus at December 28, 2009 10:43 AM (f4sLg)
Posted by: A Balrog of Morgoth (now with 100% more smugness!) at December 28, 2009 10:53 AM (wgLRl)
Posted by: JSchuler at December 28, 2009 10:55 AM (aoUR7)
fail
Posted by: someone at December 28, 2009 02:09 PM (njJQD)
And now replacing "Dancing with Wolves", in comes "GoodFellas" -
It's an indian thing.
Posted by: teej at December 28, 2009 11:14 AM (c459z)
Randy: Is that you or the liquor speaking, Mr. Lahey?
Lahey, (after taking a long, straight swig from a whiskey bottle): I AM the liquor.
Posted by: The Drunken Conservative at December 28, 2009 11:19 AM (iaWNX)
Posted by: gp at December 28, 2009 11:30 AM (bQzXH)
Posted by: Guvnah at December 28, 2009 11:59 AM (VheUM)
Denzel Washington's Alonzo Harris in Training Day-the guy was smooth, charismatic, and a murdering sociopath. His blustering rant at the end when he knew he was beat was priceless.
Daniel Day Lewis's Bill the Butcher-Day Lewis is probably a huge wuss in real life, but I wouldn't say shit to him based solely on this performance.
Tom Cruise's Vincent in Collateral-Smoothest, most coldly efficient movie hitman since Edward Fox in Day of the Jackal. And that suit rocked.
Posted by: UGAdawg at December 28, 2009 12:04 PM (KF9zx)
Posted by: Guvnah at December 28, 2009 12:07 PM (VheUM)
Posted by: Guvnah at December 28, 2009 12:09 PM (VheUM)
Good list. Two movies I regret watching are on it: Pan's Labyrinth and The Departed. Both are morally and ethically disconnected. If Del Toro ever crosses my path, I will kneecap the jackass twice for bruising my delicate sensibilities.
TD was one of the best but most horrific movies ever produced. That was the first I was aware of Irish ghettos in Boston. There's an ego stomper. It also left a mark but redeemed itself by association with an incredible soundtrack. The music provided perfect accompaniment to the action so that one strained to read the credits. Just for introducing Dropkick Murphy's to me, I'm forever grateful. "I'm Shipping up to Boston" is my Monday morning commute theme. Still, that director as well is in for a world of hurt if he ever darkens my doorstep.
Posted by: iowavette at December 28, 2009 12:16 PM (0JTac)
Posted by: Amerigooner at December 28, 2009 12:22 PM (Fc4k3)
Posted by: DEWy at December 28, 2009 12:34 PM (EEa0I)
Why do we believe in gun rights? We believe in gun rights because they are the final veto, the last stand against a tyrannical State. This is precisely why Progressives hate gun rights. (It's not for the children.) We believe in that right because there is no printing press of Damoclese. As tyranny persists, at some point, you have to start murdering the State and its supporters.
V waited until buildings were vacant to blow them up. He didn't do what Guy Fawkes tried to do and blow up Parliament while it was in session, which in V's world would have been permissible. Slave masters have no right to call for mercy or temperance. They deserve whatever they get.
Put a V in Iran right now and ask yourself if he is the villain or the freedom fighter. HopeNChangers were fond of saying that "one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter," but you actually have to be fighting for freedom. V was.
Posted by: Amos at December 28, 2009 12:37 PM (gDWoG)
Posted by: Neo-con Artist at December 28, 2009 12:37 PM (n1JN0)
Posted by: Neo-con Artist at December 28, 2009 04:37 PM (n1JN0)
While we're on the subject, Ozymandias in Watchmen manages to completely obliterate several million people to prevent a nuclear war that he thinks might happen.
Posted by: fiatboomer at December 28, 2009 12:49 PM (0Wf6c)
Maybe the worst dirty cop ever. Posted by: rockmom at December 28, 2009 12:53 PM (w/gVZ)
Posted by: Admiral Adama at December 28, 2009 01:03 PM (T1boi)
Posted by: Neo-con Artist at December 28, 2009 04:37 PM (n1JN0)
While we're on the subject, Ozymandias in Watchmen manages to completely obliterate several million people to prevent a nuclear war that he thinks might happen.
Posted by: fiatboomer at December 28, 2009 04:49 PM (0Wf6c)
Yeah pretty wicked stuff...
Posted by: Neo-con Artist at December 28, 2009 01:07 PM (n1JN0)
Posted by: Admiral Adama at December 28, 2009 05:03 PM (T1boi)
lol... Yeah that series really screwed the pooch at the end. seriously.. wtf!!
Posted by: Neo-con Artist at December 28, 2009 01:09 PM (n1JN0)
167 166 The Comedian in The Watchman. Dude pops a cap in his babymama - while she's pregnant...
Posted by: Neo-con Artist at December 28, 2009 04:37 PM (n1JN0)
While we're on the subject, Ozymandias in Watchmen manages to completely obliterate several million people to prevent a nuclear war that he thinks might happen.
Other than the Owl guy (sorry forget his name), is there anyone in Watchmen who isn't a villain to some degree?
Posted by: Shannow at December 28, 2009 01:41 PM (LJcef)
Harrison Ford's character Norman Spencer in What Lies Beneath, the absolute best Hichcock movie not made by Hichcock.
Denzel Washington's character Frank Lucas in American Gangster.
Daryl Hannah's character Ellie Driver in Kill Bill.
Posted by: davidt at December 28, 2009 01:48 PM (gr1ua)
Posted by: Wow are we getting glazed! at December 28, 2009 02:44 PM (+Z5RN)
Posted by: kdoug at December 28, 2009 03:15 PM (m//Mb)
Let's just forget the sequels ok?
Maybe not a top 5 but Dennis Hopper's character in Land of the Dead had some moments. He played a ruthless leader of a city sanctuary from zombie hordes with some wonderful moments.
My favorite is him surveying his domain, while declaring how he hates zombies.
"They creep me out, they're so disgusting", he declares... while picking his nose.
Posted by: Clive at December 28, 2009 03:42 PM (Ucitw)
Posted by: DrSteve at December 28, 2009 04:36 PM (t+B7A)
Tommy Hatcher from Green Street Hooligans. Anyone who can beat the shit out of someone on a date, in front of said date, whilst expounding on the proper etiquette to use when out in public is good.
Bill the Butcher from Gangs of New York. Yeah, like you weren't hoping he'd gut DiCan'tactrio.
Dragan from Layer Cake. Ironing out Paul the Boatman? Nice bit of work.
Posted by: Fa Cube Itches at December 28, 2009 04:49 PM (vupGF)
@102: "A worthy mention must be made for Vince (Tom Cruise) in Collateral
One of the baddest assed hitmen I've ever seen in a movie"
---------------
Loses points for going out like a complete pussy, though.
Posted by: Fa Cube Itches at December 28, 2009 05:01 PM (vupGF)
Sorry to see that you were convinced by communist propoganda. The villians appear to all be white males and the U.S. government when it was fighting communism. Some like the villians from Comrade Matt Damon perspective are "facists" fighting communism Captain Vidal and Ward Abbot. It is too bad that you succumed to Hollywood leftism. Even your villian from Gladiator is not identified for his real villany, persecution of Christians, to the fictional murder of the favorite of dirty Reds, Marcus Aurelius, loved by liberals for his paganism in an age of rising Christianity. An overrated philospher and another pagan oppressor of Christians. Conservatives have to be smarter and not succumb to the embelishments of libtardism and leftism.
Posted by: Federale at December 28, 2009 07:13 PM (9gRn0)
Posted by: Spurwing Plover at December 28, 2009 07:37 PM (Wtfpi)
Posted by: Cee Arr at December 28, 2009 07:48 PM (e77Ay)
Posted by: Ray Robison at December 28, 2009 08:48 PM (RPpDL)
Posted by: Errol at December 28, 2009 09:12 PM (7f/h+)
Posted by: Clive at December 28, 2009 09:13 PM (Ucitw)
Posted by: Major Kong at December 28, 2009 10:35 PM (Jo8pN)
Not including the sequels, cause they all sucked rancid goat penis, but the first one had a lot going for it. Jigsaw seems to have a hyperrational but morally bankrupt view of life that makes him interesting. That it turned out he was the corpse in the middle of the room the entire time was a neat twist.
Not the villain of the decade, but one of the ones that comes to mind.
Hans Landa was also bad ass. That dude stole the damn movie.
Heath Ledger's Joker from the Dark Knight was great. Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent/Two-Face was tragic.
The Aztecs in Apocalypto. Hell, I was glad when the Spanish come sailing in at the end. Buncha scumbags.
Hermione in Harry Potter. Giving those poor boys blue balls like that is just wrong, ya hear? WRONG!
Posted by: Robert at December 28, 2009 11:13 PM (4ixH5)
"who did I miss"
Al Swearengen from "Deadwood" I know it wasn't a movie as such but in the first few episodes,,Al was one evil cocksucka.
Posted by: firefirefire at December 28, 2009 11:41 PM (tbYJ7)
Posted by: ravenshrike at December 29, 2009 01:05 AM (C63A/)
Posted by: flashman at December 29, 2009 06:46 AM (tsBuZ)
Posted by: George guy at December 29, 2009 11:55 AM (xMlot)
In the commentary for Sum of All Fears Clancy starts with “Hi, I'm Tom Clancy and I wrote the book they ignored."
Posted by: Ace's liver at December 29, 2009 04:27 PM (XIXhw)
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Posted by: Methos at December 28, 2009 08:18 AM (zyyJm)