THE BEST SCREEN VILLAINS OF ALL TIME
Originally published in 2002.
The role of the villain in film is absolutely indispensable. Villains are essential to good movie making because villains are essential to good story telling. Without villains, there is no dramatic tension, no challenges, no friction, no struggle, no conflict and subsequently, no reason to engage the audience. Villains add dramatic tension to a story and thus facilitate the actual creation and development of the story. Villains thwart the dreams, hopes and plans of our hero who we identify with and so in turn, they also thwart our plans. When our hero overcomes adversity and defeats the villain, we in turn share in the triumph. This is part of what Aristotle referred to as the cathartic function of art. Film, like other art forms, functions as a kind of cultural therapy, allowing us to experience a cathartic release of pent up feelings by engaging us in an emotional journey we can identify with. Therefore, psychologically, we go through the same journey as our hero does and without a villain, without adversity and conflict, there isn’t much of a journey.
VILLAINS THAT MAKE US LAUGH
Strictly Ballroom (1992)
BILL HUNTER (Barry Fife)
This is my selection for the best comedic screen villain of all time. Writer/director Baz Lurhmann’s hilarious spoof of the Australian ballroom dancing scene is simply spectacular – an absolutely joyous cinematic experience and one of the very best comedies of all time. All the performances are excellent and Bill Hunter’s portrayal of Barry Fife, President of the Australian Dance Federation, is priceless. What I love about this film is how it satirizes Hollywood clichés. Rather than trying to fight them, Strictly Ballroom embraces them and has fun with them, making them far more effective than their use in other films that take themselves much too seriously (for e.g. 1987’s Dirty Dancing). In this way, the character of Barry Fife is a perfect satire of every cliché, over the top screen villain we’ve ever seen.
Runners Up:
Pulp Fiction (1994)
JOHN TRAVOLTA (Vincent Vega),
SAMUEL L. JACKSON (Jules Winnfield)
John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson play two philosophizing, chatterbox hoods in Quentin Tarantino’s extremely entertaining, but flawed dark comedy Pulp Fiction. Travolta gives one of the best performances of his career and Jackson is at the top of his game. Their performances pay homage to every thug we’ve ever seen on screen while reinventing the Hollywood thug at the same time. These are original and memorable villains who are sometimes intimidating and unsympathetic, but always funny and entertaining.
A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
KEVIN KLINE (Otto)
Kevin Kline’s Oscar winning performance in A Fish Called Wanda is the one of the many strengths of this great 80’s comedy. Indeed, in a film with so many strong elements, it’s amazing how much Kline’s characterization of Otto stands out. Here, Kline is at his best as he brings to life one of the most hilarious villains in movie history.
Honourable mention goes to Christopher Walken's brief but unforgettable appearance in 1993's truly excellent dark comic thriller, True Romance. His performance was so effective he made the audience quiver and smile all at the same time.
WICKED WOMEN
One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
LOUISE FLETCHER (Nurse Ratched)
For better or for worse, the role of villain is usually relegated to men in American films. Nevertheless, there are some truly memorable female villains that deserve special attention. At the top of my list, is Nurse Ratched from Milos Forman’s 1975 Oscar winning film, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Louise Fletcher’s Academy Award winning performance is well deserved as she created one of the most loathsome villains in American film history. Rarely has there been a character on screen who elicited such strong emotions of hate from its audience. With seemingly little or no effort, Fletcher manages to communicate the essence and menace of her character. With every gesture, every glance, we see the character’s malevolent desire to keep the patients under her control – to subjugate them to her unsympathetic whims. The tone in her voice alone is enough to elicit enormous loathing and repulsion from the audience. It’s a remarkable achievement and it deserves top honours in this category.
Runner Up:
The Graduate (1967)
ANNE BANCROFT (Mrs. Robinson)
Mike Nichols classic 1967 film is still one of the best romantic comedies of all time, and still so much more than a romantic comedy. This is a funny, insightful and moving commentary on the loss of meaning in modern times. Dustin Hoffman is absolutely phenomenal as Benjamin, the young college graduate who is searching for meaning in his life, and it’s really Hoffman’s show all the way. But who can forget Anne Bancroft’s delicious portrayal of Mrs. Robinson, a bored housewife who ends up seducing Hoffman’s character. This is a woman who knows what she wants and will stop at nothing to get it. Anne Bancroft manages to make this character concurrently seductive, funny and intimidating. When she discovers that Benjamin is in love with her daughter – she gives new meaning to the phrase “hell hath no fury like a woman’s scorn.”
Honourable Mention goes to Bette Davis in 1962’s thriller Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. Bette Davis plays Jane Hudson, a woman consumed with jealousy and hatred for her handicapped sister. The performance is campy and over the top, but absolutely unforgettable. And let’s face it, no one does over the top better than Davis. Honourable mention also goes to Glenn Close’s unnerving portrayal of a jilted lover in the 1987 Oscar nominated blockbuster, Fatal Attraction. So effective was Close that she made the entire male population in North America think twice about cheating on their significant other. And finally honourable mention also goes to Sigourney Weaver’s hilarious and memorable portrayal of the scheming, double crossing Katherine Parker in Mike Nichol’s excellent, 1988 romantic comedy drama Working Girl; to Kathy Bates’ chilling, Oscar winning performance in the 1990 film adaptation of Stephen King’s Misery; and finally to Barbara Stanwyck’s unforgettable portrayal of Phyllis Dietrichson in the 1944 film noir classic Double Indemnity.
HISTORICAL/NON-FICTION VILLAINS
Schindler’s List (1993)
RALPH FIENNES (Amon Goeth)
Schindler’s List is simply one of the most extraordinary cinematic experiences of all time. This is a movie so powerful that it transcends cinema – creating a rare existential experience of one of the darkest chapters in human history. Ralph Fiennes is a key part of this. His portrayal of the true life Amon Goeth is astonishing and deserves top spot in this category. Fiennes manages to convey the evil and brutality of his Goeth without making him one-dimensional, doing justice to the character’s complexity. With little more than a glance, Fiennes (who was cheated out of the Oscar for this performance) is able to capture the savagery, the ruthlessness, and the absolutely sickening mental state of one histories true personifications of evil. Almost every scene in Schindler’s List is forever burned in my consciousness, but there is one scene with the Fiennes character that was so frightening that I had a very strong physical reaction. It is the scene where Goeth is about to kill a Jewish worker by shooting him in the back of the head. He is determined to do so, but the gun simply refuses to cooperate. Goeth’s absolute frustration at being unable to murder his victim is the most powerful example in film history of a villain’s reaction when his or her evil designs are thwarted. Like many other scenes in Schindler’s List, it’s an unbelievably powerful moment, made possible by a brilliant portrayal of an utterly repulsive and frightening historical character.
Runner Up:
GoodFellas (1990)
JOE PESCI (Tommy DeVito)
Ray Liotta and Robert DeNiro give excellent performances as mob gangster’s in Nicholas Martin Scorscese’s haunting, disturbing and powerful adaptation of Nicholas Pileggi’s book, Wise Guy. However, it is Joe Pesci’s character, Tommy DeVito that I will never forget. This is simply one of the most loathsome and repulsive characters in movie history, brought brilliantly to life by Joe Pesci’s Oscar winning performance. What I admire about this film, and Pesci’s performance, is that, unlike the Godfather movies, these characters are not romanticized. Rather, this is a fascinating case study of mob psychology. These are repugnant, murderous men, and in true Scorscese fashion he simply presents them as they are. Being a realist, Scorscese doesn’t make an argument for or against their behaviour; he simply reveals the truth and leaves it up to the audience to form their own opinion about the characters. Thus the mobsters are presented to us with all their virtues and vices, with all their strengths and weaknesses. Of all the films about the mob, this is the best, and Joe Pesci’s character will forever symbolize the true essence of mob mentality. These are not men to be admired or emulated in any way. They are not cool, they are not likeable. They are simply murderers and cowards, and Scorscese’s film effectively captures the essence of that reality.
ANIMATED VILLAINS
Animal Farm (1954)
MAURICE DENHAM (Napoleon)
This may seem like an odd choice for the best animated villain of all time, but this adaptation of the George Orwell novel is truly one of the most disturbing films of all time. Brilliantly realized, this dark fable is an extremely effective symbolic representation of the Russian revolution and the onset of Stalinism. By approaching such a heavy and dark subject in this way, the filmmakers have successfully bypassed the facts of these tragic historical events while still mediating their truth and essence. This is the power of fable. Fables are not factual by nature. Nevertheless, they are filled with truth about the human experience; for a story can be truthful without being factual, as truth and facts are not the same things. All facts are true, but not all truths are facts. So although this is obviously not a factual account of Stalinism, it is a very effective symbolic account, one that manages to mediate the horror and evil, which resulted from the Russian Revolution and Stalin's rise to power. The character of Napoleon, the pig who comes to rule the farm with an army of dogs, is truly one of the most frightening and disturbing characterizations in animated film history. For although the story is a fable, the events it alludes to are very real, terrifying and tragic.
Runner Up:
The Little Mermaid (1989)
PAT CARROL (Ursula)
In my opinion, Disney's musical adaptation of the famous Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale is simply the best animated film of all time. The characterizations in this film are superb and all of them practically leap off the screen, coming to life in a way that is more compelling, more delightful and more entertaining than most characters in real life films. This is especially true of the lead character, Ariel who is one of the most sympathetic and likeable heroines in movie history. The character of Ursula, as voiced by Pat Carrol, is also extremely well realized. Her portrayal of the sea witch is an utterly delicious characterization as she creates a villain that is just as fun and entertaining as all the other characters in this amazing animated fantasy.
Honourable mention goes to Jeremy Iron's hilarious characterization of Scar in Disney's 1994 Blockbuster, The Lion King.
SCIENCE-FICTION/FANTASY/ADVENTURE VILLAINS
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
DAVID PROWSE, JAMES EARL JONES (Darth Vader)
It should come as no surprise that Darth Vader is my choice for the best science fiction/fantasy/adventure villain of all time. Being that Star Wars is the perfect film fantasy it only stands to reason that Darth Vader is the perfect film fantasy villain. What makes the character of Darth Vader so great is that he is the culmination of every villain we have ever seen in myth, in legend, and in fable. In other words, Darth Vader is more than just a villain, he is the epitome of villainy itself and he represents perfectly why good villains are so essential to traditional, classic story telling. It’s no accident that his character is so loved and has become such a cultural phenomenon, for without him, the original Star Wars trilogy would not be nearly as enjoyable and successful. I chose The Empire Strikes Back over Star Wars (even though I think the latter is a better film overall) because Empire is the greatest realization of Darth Vader’s villainy within the Star Wars trilogy. Here we see the character at his most menacing and intimidating best as his presence is felt throughout the film even when he isn’t seen.
Runner Up:
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
DOUGLAS RAIN (HAL 9000)
2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick's absolutely brilliant 1968 film, is one of movie history's true milestones – a remarkable technical, visual and artistic achievement; while the character of HAL the computer is one of the great villains in movie history. One of the things that makes HAL's character so great is the fact that his presence is felt more than it is seen. Kubrick brilliantly creates just one simple image representing HAL to the audience while Douglas Rain's cold and methodical voice characterization does the rest. So although we don't really see HAL in action, we strongly feel his presence and menace aboard the space ship. And in a film where there is so little display of humanity, HAL's character is oddly one of the most human presences in 2001, affirming one of the film's major themes: that in the wake of unrestrained technological progression, man becomes more like machines while machines become more like man. What also makes HAL's character so great is the fact that he reflects so many things reflective of the human experience in modern times. HAL represents the dehumanizing effects that technology and modernization has had on the human experience. He represents our complete and blind reliance on technology as well as our growing mistrust and disillusionment with technology. And finally, HAL represents the realization of one of our worse fears: that in the face of rapid technological advancement, human beings are becoming more and more irrelevant and expendable.
Honourable mention goes to Margaret Hamilton's memorable portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West in the 1939 classic: The Wizard of Oz and to Robert Patrick's frightening portrayal of the T-1000 in James Cameron's superb 1991 sci-fi thriller: Terminator II: Judgment Day.
SERIAL KILLERS AND PSYCHOS
Psycho (1960)
ANTHONY PERKINS (Norman Bates)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
ANTHONY HOPKINS (Dr. Hannibal Lecter)
There is a tie in this category for the top spot because it was impossible for me to choose between these two remarkable performances, which were so effective that both of them are forever burned into public consciousness. Anthony Perkins depiction of Norman Bates was so masterful that it effectively launched and ended his career all at the same time. Suddenly everyone knew who he was, but at the same time, no one could imagine him as anyone else other than Norman Bates. The scene that still sends chills up my spine, no matter how many times I see it, is the very end sequence where the Norman Bates character looks straight into the camera while talking to himself in his mother’s voice. It is truly one of the creepiest moments in film history and it is largely due to Perkins incredible performance that managed to elicit such enormous sympathy, fear and repulsion from the audience.
As for Anthony Hopkins, his depiction of Dr. Hannibal Lecter is so brilliant and so disturbing, that he alone is enough reason to see this truly unnerving thriller. His portrayal of Hannibal Lecter is so unforgettable, that it's Hopkins’ character we remember, much more so than Buffalo Bill. To me, this is Hopkins show all the way and as good as Foster is, it’s Hopkins performance that really stays with you long after seeing the film. Hopkins is so perfectly frightening as Dr. Lecter that he completely unnerves you even when he is behind an impenetrable glass cell. It’s a remarkable achievement and Hopkins richly deserved the Oscar win it garnered him.
Runner Up:
Runner up for this category goes to Jack Nicholson’s chilling performance as John ‘Jack’ Daniel Torrance in Kubrick’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining. Nicholson’s performance was so effective that no one will ever think of these words in the same way again: “…here’s Johnny..”
WAR VILLAINS
Apocalypse Now (1979)
MARLON BRANDO (Col. Walter E. Kurtz)
This is my choice for the best war villain of all time, Marlon Brando’s brilliant and haunting portrayal of the insane Col. Walter E. Kurtz in Coppola’s masterful film about the Vietnam War, Apocalypse Now. In this truly disturbing account of the War, Brando is both victim and villain, as he becomes the personification of its evil and its insanity. As a victim of the War, Brando reflects the devastating effects of its mindless violence as his character absorbs the insanity of the War into himself. Brando is on screen very little, and he says even less, but every word he utters resounds with a power that shakes you to the core and stays with you long after the experience of the film.
Runner Up:
Platoon (1986)
TOM BERENGER (Sgt. Barnes)
Tom Berenger is very effective as the twisted Sgt. Barnes in Oliver Stone’s powerful account of the Vietnam War, Platoon. Sometimes what makes a villain so frightening are those occasions when the person doesn’t look like a villain. With his classic, leading man good looks, Tom Berenger is not the typical Hollywood villain by any means. But casting him in this dark role was a truly inspired choice because despite Berenger’s appearance, the darkness in his character’s soul is undeniable as it truly resonates throughout the film with frightening power. In fact, his looks enhance the menace of his character; and Berenger’s performance is so effective, so terrifying and so true to life, that you just know there were so many other people who took on the same persona in that senseless war.
NATURE VILLAINS
Jaws (1975)
THE SHARK
This is my choice for the top spot in this category for what can be more frightening than a villain that has no emotions and no conscience – a villain that you cannot reason with; one that is made for the sole purpose of destroying life? This premise is part of the awesome power behind Spielberg’s remarkable adaptation of the Peter Benchley novel, as Jaws remains one of the most frightening cinematic experiences in movie history – a film that effectively closed all the beaches in North America during the summer of 1975. If you weren’t afraid of the water before Jaws, you were by the end of the movie. The shark, which we don’t see too often until the end of the film, is a villain that represents some of our deepest, subconscious fears. These fears may be buried, but they are awakened brilliantly by this film as the great white shark in Jaws symbolizes one of our most fundamental fears: the fear of being utterly helpless and vulnerable in the face of nature’s awesome forces. Indeed, with Jaws, the audience experiences the reality of nature's staggering indifference as collectively we are thrust out of our natural environment (i.e. land) and placed in one where we are completely vulnerable (i.e. water); an environment where we are hunted indiscriminately by a powerful creature that desires nothing but our total destruction. Therein lies the power of Jaws, which demonstrated that we don’t need to look to outer space to find monsters, there are enough monsters right here at home to worry about.
Runner Up:
The Birds (1963)
THE BIRDS
So masterful was Alfred Hitchcock at story telling that he elevated what could easily have been a B movie into a thought provoking, first rate, supernatural, apocalyptic thriller as Hitchcock gives us a superb cinematic meditation on man's struggle with nature. For on the surface, The Birds seems to be about nothing else than birds going awry. But there’s so much more to this film than meets the eye, for the birds (like the shark in Jaws) represent one of our deepest, most fundamental fears – the fear of nature going out of control and turning against us. In a time when we have mastered so much with technology and modernization, the forces of nature still remain completely outside our control; and these mysterious forces, which are docile most of the time, threaten to turn against us at any given moment and without any warning. The fact that birds are usually the most harmless of creatures, only serves to heighten the unnerving power in the film, as something we have become so familiar with (something we even house as pets) turns against us, threatening to destroy us. The end sequence is truly one of the most frightening and disturbing moments in movie history as Hitchcock leaves us with an apocalyptic vision of nature taking on a mind of her own and ultimately turning against man.
PERIOD PIECE VILLAINS
Amadeus (1984)
F. MURRRAY ABRAHAM (Antonio Salieri)
F. Murray Abraham’s Academy Award winning performance as Antonio Salieri in Milos Forman’s 1984 masterpiece, Amadeus is my top choice in this category. What makes Abraham’s portrayal of the villainous Salieri so great is that I have never seen the sin of envy represented so perfectly in cinema. Indeed, Abraham’s Salieri is truly the personification of envy as his character suffers the ravages of the deadly sin. As a person consumed and motivated by jealousy, we can relate to him and thus his character is as sympathetic and tragic as he is villainous. Thus Abraham is able, with his performance, to elicit both sympathy and disdain for his character – a character that chooses to resent Mozart’s talent rather than admire it.
Runner Up:
Gladiator (2000)
JOAQUIN PHOENIX (Emperor Commodus)
So many people don’t like this film, include many notable critics, that I made a point of watching it again and again to see if I was mistaken. I have now seen it a few times and have concluded that they are all wrong and that Gladiator is one of the best films of 2000. Russell Crowe is simply spectacular and Joaquin Phoenix gives us a memorable portrayal of a villain that elicits strong feelings of empathy and repulsion from the audience. Phoenix’s villainous character is so well realized that he is completely consistent and believable when he is both threatening and vulnerable. Phoenix strikes this balance perfectly, making the character extremely frightening and pathetic all at once.
Honourable mention goes to Glenn Close as the scheming Marquise de Merteuil and John Malkovich as the insidious Vicomte de Valmont in the 1988 Oscar nominated film, Dangerous Liaisons.
SUPERNATURAL VILLAINS
The Exorcist (1973)
THE DEVIL
Whether you believe in a supernatural spirit, such as the devil, or not, the very possibility that such an entity might actually exist is enough to scare (pardon the pun) the hell out of anyone. Exorcisms have always been a part of the Catholic Church’s tradition and remain so even today. In fact, the original book, which inspired the movie, is based on a well-documented case of exorcism in America. Whether you buy into that or not, this movie will definitely make you wonder. In addition, it’s only natural that the scariest movie of all time would be about the scariest villain of all time, for what can be more terrifying than an enemy that cannot be seen, one who has the ability to be anywhere at any time, one who has remarkable spiritual power and one who hates us with a supernatural ferocity and intensity. I once heard the devil described as power without love. This 1973 Oscar nominated film is testament to that as we have never seen such disturbing supernatural power and hatred represented so well cinematically. The bottom line: this is a villain so powerful and so ruthless, that only God can effectively put an end to its malevolent designs.
Runner Up:
Aliens (1986)
THE ALIENS
The reason I chose Aliens over Alien in this category is that James Cameron’s 1986 sci-fi horror/thriller is one of the scariest films of all time as Cameron took the fear factor of the first film and magnified it several times over. What makes the aliens in both Alien and Aliens so frightening is that they are the realization of some of our worst childhood nightmares. Indeed, the aliens are the epitome of every childhood fear we have ever had about what lurks in the dark – a supernatural, irresistible force that cannot be reasoned with (i.e. monsters). The aliens in the Alien films are so frightening and realized with such sophistication; they elevated this B movie genre into an A-list one. For no longer were threatening aliens in Hollywood represented as cartoon-like characters, these aliens, although fantastical in nature, are much too terrifyingly real.
COMIC BOOK VILLAINS
Superman: The Movie (1978)
GENE HACKMAN (Lex Luthor)
Dick Tracy (1990)
AL PACINO (Big Boy Caprice)
There is a tie in this category as two superior, A-list actors bring two comic book villains memorably to life. In my opinion, Superman: The Movie is still the best comic book adaptation in film history. I’ve seen it countless times and I’m still completely charmed and swept away by its magic. Every character, from Clark Kent to Jimmy Olsen, is superbly realized, including Gene Hackman’s hilarious and effective depiction of Lex Luthor. Never have I seen ruthlessness portrayed with such charm, intelligence and wit. This is a role that could have gone disastrously wrong in lesser hands, but Hackman strikes the perfect note in his performance, making a cartoon, comic book character extremely believable in a contemporary setting. It’s a great achievement as Hackman’s Luthor manages to be believable, threatening and funny, all at the same time.
The very best thing about this adequate adaptation of the comic book Dick Tracy is seeing Al Pacino play Big Boy Caprice. Pacino is sensational and his Oscar nomination for his performance is well deserved. The most entertaining moments in the film, by far, involve his character who electrifies the screen at every moment. What makes Pacino’s performance so amazing is the fact that he is able to communicate the essence of the character in spite of the goofy make-up he wears and the silly way he moves around. Although the film Dick Tracy as a whole is not nearly in the same league as Superman: The Movie, Al Pacino’s Big Boy Caprice makes it well worth seeing.
Runner Up:
Batman (1989)
JACK NICHOLSON (The Joker)
Nicholson is once again at the top of his form playing the Joker in Tim Burton’s Batman from 1989. Nicholson has always had a persona in other films that suits the kind of exaggeration befitting a comic book character, and his performance in Batman is the perfect realization of that persona. Here, Nicholson is given free reign to be as exaggerated and over the top as he wants and the result is a fun and exciting portrayal of Batman’s greatest archenemy.
Honourable mention goes to Michelle Pfeiffer’s wonderful performance as Cat Woman in 1992’s abysmal Batman Returns. Rarely have I seen such a great performance in such a bad film.
COMPLEX PROTAGANIST VILLAINS
Citizen Kane (1941)
ORSON WELLES (Charles Foster Kane)
Raging Bull (1980)
ROBERT DENIOR (Jake LaMotta)
This is a tough category to justify on a list such as this, but sometimes villainy is a very complex thing and not something so easily discernible in art or in life. Although both these characters are the protagonist in their respective films, each could also be considered the villain or at least the anti-hero of their respective stories. It’s a tie for this category because both characters suffer from similar issues and both exercise their villainy in similar ways. As well, both are superior, masterful examples of this kind of villainy in cinema. In addition, both characters suffer from a severe lack of self-esteem of which they are acutely unaware. This condition, one of the significant social diseases of our time, is at the heart of their malevolent, maladaptive behaviours. Citizen Kane is so convinced that he is unlovable, that he spends his whole life trying to buy love and trying to manipulate others into loving him. For him, people are simply means to an end – i.e. they are the means by which he satiates his need to be loved and to feel good about himself. Satiating this impulse takes precedence over everyone and everything in his life, even his own son. In turn, Jake LaMotta is so convinced that no one can love him; he is instantly suspicious of anyone that does. When a woman returns his affections, his low self-esteem cannot handle it and he immediately loses respect for her, for what kind of woman would love someone like him. His resulting anguish and frustration are expressed in violence, both in and out of the boxing ring alienating those closest to him, including his own brother. Both these characters are brilliant, casebook studies of their respective issues as Welles and DeNiro offer us villains that inspire reflection on the darkness and complexity of the human condition.
DRAMATIC MOVIE TYPE VILLAINS
A Few Good Men (1992)
JACK NICHOLSON (Colonel Nathan Jessep)
I have only one selection in this category, because Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of Colonel Nathan Jessep is so juicy, so delicious, that it puts all other contenders in this category to shame. Nicholson plays a powerful Army Colonel who feels justified in taking any means necessary to safeguard the American military base in Cuba. Ultimately, he is forced to match wits in the courtroom with Lieutenant Daniel Alistair Kaffee, played superbly by Tom Cruise. Rob Reiner does an excellent job bringing this story to life and every moment Nicholson is on screen is electrifying. This may not be the best courtroom drama ever made, but it’s certainly my favourite and Nicholson is one of the main reasons why. His final confrontation in the courtroom with the Tom Cruise character is one of the most exciting cinematic moments of the nineties. During that sequence, Nicholson delivers lines that in the mouths of lesser actors would seem silly and laughable. Yet Nicholson somehow manages to make them flow from the depth of his menacing character with great power and conviction. Who else who could say this now classic line: “…you can’t handle the truth!” without making the audience snicker. Each line is delivered so effectively that long after the movie is over, Jessup’s words still resound in your ears.
ACTION/THRILLER TYPE VILLAINS
In the Line of Fire (1993)
JOHN MALKOVICH (Mitch Leary/John Booth/James Carney)
This was the toughest category for me, for I have seen so many instantly forgettable action type thrillers, that I can’t even remember the plot, let alone the villains. However, a couple of strong examples come to mind and first on my list thus far is John Malkovich’s performance in the 1993 thriller In the Line of Fire, one of my very favourite Eastwood films. Malkovich is truly frightening as a one-man army bent on assassinating the president. His intense performance elevates what could have easily been a mediocre action thriller into a first rate one.
Runner Up:
Face/Off (1997)
NICOLAS CAGE (Castor Troy)
Both Travolta and Cage play the same role at different times in the film but it’s Cage’s performance that I will never forget. Brilliantly over the top, Cage’s portrayal of Castor Troy was truly inspired and thoroughly entertaining. Indeed, Cage made the character even more fun and enjoyable than the over the top action sequences.
The role of the villain in film is absolutely indispensable. Villains are essential to good movie making because villains are essential to good story telling. Without villains, there is no dramatic tension, no challenges, no friction, no struggle, no conflict and subsequently, no reason to engage the audience. Villains add dramatic tension to a story and thus facilitate the actual creation and development of the story. Villains thwart the dreams, hopes and plans of our hero who we identify with and so in turn, they also thwart our plans. When our hero overcomes adversity and defeats the villain, we in turn share in the triumph. This is part of what Aristotle referred to as the cathartic function of art. Film, like other art forms, functions as a kind of cultural therapy, allowing us to experience a cathartic release of pent up feelings by engaging us in an emotional journey we can identify with. Therefore, psychologically, we go through the same journey as our hero does and without a villain, without adversity and conflict, there isn’t much of a journey.
VILLAINS THAT MAKE US LAUGH
Strictly Ballroom (1992)
BILL HUNTER (Barry Fife)
This is my selection for the best comedic screen villain of all time. Writer/director Baz Lurhmann’s hilarious spoof of the Australian ballroom dancing scene is simply spectacular – an absolutely joyous cinematic experience and one of the very best comedies of all time. All the performances are excellent and Bill Hunter’s portrayal of Barry Fife, President of the Australian Dance Federation, is priceless. What I love about this film is how it satirizes Hollywood clichés. Rather than trying to fight them, Strictly Ballroom embraces them and has fun with them, making them far more effective than their use in other films that take themselves much too seriously (for e.g. 1987’s Dirty Dancing). In this way, the character of Barry Fife is a perfect satire of every cliché, over the top screen villain we’ve ever seen.
Runners Up:
Pulp Fiction (1994)
JOHN TRAVOLTA (Vincent Vega),
SAMUEL L. JACKSON (Jules Winnfield)
John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson play two philosophizing, chatterbox hoods in Quentin Tarantino’s extremely entertaining, but flawed dark comedy Pulp Fiction. Travolta gives one of the best performances of his career and Jackson is at the top of his game. Their performances pay homage to every thug we’ve ever seen on screen while reinventing the Hollywood thug at the same time. These are original and memorable villains who are sometimes intimidating and unsympathetic, but always funny and entertaining.
A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
KEVIN KLINE (Otto)
Kevin Kline’s Oscar winning performance in A Fish Called Wanda is the one of the many strengths of this great 80’s comedy. Indeed, in a film with so many strong elements, it’s amazing how much Kline’s characterization of Otto stands out. Here, Kline is at his best as he brings to life one of the most hilarious villains in movie history.
Honourable mention goes to Christopher Walken's brief but unforgettable appearance in 1993's truly excellent dark comic thriller, True Romance. His performance was so effective he made the audience quiver and smile all at the same time.
WICKED WOMEN
One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
LOUISE FLETCHER (Nurse Ratched)
For better or for worse, the role of villain is usually relegated to men in American films. Nevertheless, there are some truly memorable female villains that deserve special attention. At the top of my list, is Nurse Ratched from Milos Forman’s 1975 Oscar winning film, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Louise Fletcher’s Academy Award winning performance is well deserved as she created one of the most loathsome villains in American film history. Rarely has there been a character on screen who elicited such strong emotions of hate from its audience. With seemingly little or no effort, Fletcher manages to communicate the essence and menace of her character. With every gesture, every glance, we see the character’s malevolent desire to keep the patients under her control – to subjugate them to her unsympathetic whims. The tone in her voice alone is enough to elicit enormous loathing and repulsion from the audience. It’s a remarkable achievement and it deserves top honours in this category.
Runner Up:
The Graduate (1967)
ANNE BANCROFT (Mrs. Robinson)
Mike Nichols classic 1967 film is still one of the best romantic comedies of all time, and still so much more than a romantic comedy. This is a funny, insightful and moving commentary on the loss of meaning in modern times. Dustin Hoffman is absolutely phenomenal as Benjamin, the young college graduate who is searching for meaning in his life, and it’s really Hoffman’s show all the way. But who can forget Anne Bancroft’s delicious portrayal of Mrs. Robinson, a bored housewife who ends up seducing Hoffman’s character. This is a woman who knows what she wants and will stop at nothing to get it. Anne Bancroft manages to make this character concurrently seductive, funny and intimidating. When she discovers that Benjamin is in love with her daughter – she gives new meaning to the phrase “hell hath no fury like a woman’s scorn.”
Honourable Mention goes to Bette Davis in 1962’s thriller Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. Bette Davis plays Jane Hudson, a woman consumed with jealousy and hatred for her handicapped sister. The performance is campy and over the top, but absolutely unforgettable. And let’s face it, no one does over the top better than Davis. Honourable mention also goes to Glenn Close’s unnerving portrayal of a jilted lover in the 1987 Oscar nominated blockbuster, Fatal Attraction. So effective was Close that she made the entire male population in North America think twice about cheating on their significant other. And finally honourable mention also goes to Sigourney Weaver’s hilarious and memorable portrayal of the scheming, double crossing Katherine Parker in Mike Nichol’s excellent, 1988 romantic comedy drama Working Girl; to Kathy Bates’ chilling, Oscar winning performance in the 1990 film adaptation of Stephen King’s Misery; and finally to Barbara Stanwyck’s unforgettable portrayal of Phyllis Dietrichson in the 1944 film noir classic Double Indemnity.
HISTORICAL/NON-FICTION VILLAINS
Schindler’s List (1993)
RALPH FIENNES (Amon Goeth)
Schindler’s List is simply one of the most extraordinary cinematic experiences of all time. This is a movie so powerful that it transcends cinema – creating a rare existential experience of one of the darkest chapters in human history. Ralph Fiennes is a key part of this. His portrayal of the true life Amon Goeth is astonishing and deserves top spot in this category. Fiennes manages to convey the evil and brutality of his Goeth without making him one-dimensional, doing justice to the character’s complexity. With little more than a glance, Fiennes (who was cheated out of the Oscar for this performance) is able to capture the savagery, the ruthlessness, and the absolutely sickening mental state of one histories true personifications of evil. Almost every scene in Schindler’s List is forever burned in my consciousness, but there is one scene with the Fiennes character that was so frightening that I had a very strong physical reaction. It is the scene where Goeth is about to kill a Jewish worker by shooting him in the back of the head. He is determined to do so, but the gun simply refuses to cooperate. Goeth’s absolute frustration at being unable to murder his victim is the most powerful example in film history of a villain’s reaction when his or her evil designs are thwarted. Like many other scenes in Schindler’s List, it’s an unbelievably powerful moment, made possible by a brilliant portrayal of an utterly repulsive and frightening historical character.
Runner Up:
GoodFellas (1990)
JOE PESCI (Tommy DeVito)
Ray Liotta and Robert DeNiro give excellent performances as mob gangster’s in Nicholas Martin Scorscese’s haunting, disturbing and powerful adaptation of Nicholas Pileggi’s book, Wise Guy. However, it is Joe Pesci’s character, Tommy DeVito that I will never forget. This is simply one of the most loathsome and repulsive characters in movie history, brought brilliantly to life by Joe Pesci’s Oscar winning performance. What I admire about this film, and Pesci’s performance, is that, unlike the Godfather movies, these characters are not romanticized. Rather, this is a fascinating case study of mob psychology. These are repugnant, murderous men, and in true Scorscese fashion he simply presents them as they are. Being a realist, Scorscese doesn’t make an argument for or against their behaviour; he simply reveals the truth and leaves it up to the audience to form their own opinion about the characters. Thus the mobsters are presented to us with all their virtues and vices, with all their strengths and weaknesses. Of all the films about the mob, this is the best, and Joe Pesci’s character will forever symbolize the true essence of mob mentality. These are not men to be admired or emulated in any way. They are not cool, they are not likeable. They are simply murderers and cowards, and Scorscese’s film effectively captures the essence of that reality.
ANIMATED VILLAINS
Animal Farm (1954)
MAURICE DENHAM (Napoleon)
This may seem like an odd choice for the best animated villain of all time, but this adaptation of the George Orwell novel is truly one of the most disturbing films of all time. Brilliantly realized, this dark fable is an extremely effective symbolic representation of the Russian revolution and the onset of Stalinism. By approaching such a heavy and dark subject in this way, the filmmakers have successfully bypassed the facts of these tragic historical events while still mediating their truth and essence. This is the power of fable. Fables are not factual by nature. Nevertheless, they are filled with truth about the human experience; for a story can be truthful without being factual, as truth and facts are not the same things. All facts are true, but not all truths are facts. So although this is obviously not a factual account of Stalinism, it is a very effective symbolic account, one that manages to mediate the horror and evil, which resulted from the Russian Revolution and Stalin's rise to power. The character of Napoleon, the pig who comes to rule the farm with an army of dogs, is truly one of the most frightening and disturbing characterizations in animated film history. For although the story is a fable, the events it alludes to are very real, terrifying and tragic.
Runner Up:
The Little Mermaid (1989)
PAT CARROL (Ursula)
In my opinion, Disney's musical adaptation of the famous Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale is simply the best animated film of all time. The characterizations in this film are superb and all of them practically leap off the screen, coming to life in a way that is more compelling, more delightful and more entertaining than most characters in real life films. This is especially true of the lead character, Ariel who is one of the most sympathetic and likeable heroines in movie history. The character of Ursula, as voiced by Pat Carrol, is also extremely well realized. Her portrayal of the sea witch is an utterly delicious characterization as she creates a villain that is just as fun and entertaining as all the other characters in this amazing animated fantasy.
Honourable mention goes to Jeremy Iron's hilarious characterization of Scar in Disney's 1994 Blockbuster, The Lion King.
SCIENCE-FICTION/FANTASY/ADVENTURE VILLAINS
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
DAVID PROWSE, JAMES EARL JONES (Darth Vader)
It should come as no surprise that Darth Vader is my choice for the best science fiction/fantasy/adventure villain of all time. Being that Star Wars is the perfect film fantasy it only stands to reason that Darth Vader is the perfect film fantasy villain. What makes the character of Darth Vader so great is that he is the culmination of every villain we have ever seen in myth, in legend, and in fable. In other words, Darth Vader is more than just a villain, he is the epitome of villainy itself and he represents perfectly why good villains are so essential to traditional, classic story telling. It’s no accident that his character is so loved and has become such a cultural phenomenon, for without him, the original Star Wars trilogy would not be nearly as enjoyable and successful. I chose The Empire Strikes Back over Star Wars (even though I think the latter is a better film overall) because Empire is the greatest realization of Darth Vader’s villainy within the Star Wars trilogy. Here we see the character at his most menacing and intimidating best as his presence is felt throughout the film even when he isn’t seen.
Runner Up:
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
DOUGLAS RAIN (HAL 9000)
2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick's absolutely brilliant 1968 film, is one of movie history's true milestones – a remarkable technical, visual and artistic achievement; while the character of HAL the computer is one of the great villains in movie history. One of the things that makes HAL's character so great is the fact that his presence is felt more than it is seen. Kubrick brilliantly creates just one simple image representing HAL to the audience while Douglas Rain's cold and methodical voice characterization does the rest. So although we don't really see HAL in action, we strongly feel his presence and menace aboard the space ship. And in a film where there is so little display of humanity, HAL's character is oddly one of the most human presences in 2001, affirming one of the film's major themes: that in the wake of unrestrained technological progression, man becomes more like machines while machines become more like man. What also makes HAL's character so great is the fact that he reflects so many things reflective of the human experience in modern times. HAL represents the dehumanizing effects that technology and modernization has had on the human experience. He represents our complete and blind reliance on technology as well as our growing mistrust and disillusionment with technology. And finally, HAL represents the realization of one of our worse fears: that in the face of rapid technological advancement, human beings are becoming more and more irrelevant and expendable.
Honourable mention goes to Margaret Hamilton's memorable portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West in the 1939 classic: The Wizard of Oz and to Robert Patrick's frightening portrayal of the T-1000 in James Cameron's superb 1991 sci-fi thriller: Terminator II: Judgment Day.
SERIAL KILLERS AND PSYCHOS
Psycho (1960)
ANTHONY PERKINS (Norman Bates)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
ANTHONY HOPKINS (Dr. Hannibal Lecter)
There is a tie in this category for the top spot because it was impossible for me to choose between these two remarkable performances, which were so effective that both of them are forever burned into public consciousness. Anthony Perkins depiction of Norman Bates was so masterful that it effectively launched and ended his career all at the same time. Suddenly everyone knew who he was, but at the same time, no one could imagine him as anyone else other than Norman Bates. The scene that still sends chills up my spine, no matter how many times I see it, is the very end sequence where the Norman Bates character looks straight into the camera while talking to himself in his mother’s voice. It is truly one of the creepiest moments in film history and it is largely due to Perkins incredible performance that managed to elicit such enormous sympathy, fear and repulsion from the audience.
As for Anthony Hopkins, his depiction of Dr. Hannibal Lecter is so brilliant and so disturbing, that he alone is enough reason to see this truly unnerving thriller. His portrayal of Hannibal Lecter is so unforgettable, that it's Hopkins’ character we remember, much more so than Buffalo Bill. To me, this is Hopkins show all the way and as good as Foster is, it’s Hopkins performance that really stays with you long after seeing the film. Hopkins is so perfectly frightening as Dr. Lecter that he completely unnerves you even when he is behind an impenetrable glass cell. It’s a remarkable achievement and Hopkins richly deserved the Oscar win it garnered him.
Runner Up:
Runner up for this category goes to Jack Nicholson’s chilling performance as John ‘Jack’ Daniel Torrance in Kubrick’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining. Nicholson’s performance was so effective that no one will ever think of these words in the same way again: “…here’s Johnny..”
WAR VILLAINS
Apocalypse Now (1979)
MARLON BRANDO (Col. Walter E. Kurtz)
This is my choice for the best war villain of all time, Marlon Brando’s brilliant and haunting portrayal of the insane Col. Walter E. Kurtz in Coppola’s masterful film about the Vietnam War, Apocalypse Now. In this truly disturbing account of the War, Brando is both victim and villain, as he becomes the personification of its evil and its insanity. As a victim of the War, Brando reflects the devastating effects of its mindless violence as his character absorbs the insanity of the War into himself. Brando is on screen very little, and he says even less, but every word he utters resounds with a power that shakes you to the core and stays with you long after the experience of the film.
Runner Up:
Platoon (1986)
TOM BERENGER (Sgt. Barnes)
Tom Berenger is very effective as the twisted Sgt. Barnes in Oliver Stone’s powerful account of the Vietnam War, Platoon. Sometimes what makes a villain so frightening are those occasions when the person doesn’t look like a villain. With his classic, leading man good looks, Tom Berenger is not the typical Hollywood villain by any means. But casting him in this dark role was a truly inspired choice because despite Berenger’s appearance, the darkness in his character’s soul is undeniable as it truly resonates throughout the film with frightening power. In fact, his looks enhance the menace of his character; and Berenger’s performance is so effective, so terrifying and so true to life, that you just know there were so many other people who took on the same persona in that senseless war.
NATURE VILLAINS
Jaws (1975)
THE SHARK
This is my choice for the top spot in this category for what can be more frightening than a villain that has no emotions and no conscience – a villain that you cannot reason with; one that is made for the sole purpose of destroying life? This premise is part of the awesome power behind Spielberg’s remarkable adaptation of the Peter Benchley novel, as Jaws remains one of the most frightening cinematic experiences in movie history – a film that effectively closed all the beaches in North America during the summer of 1975. If you weren’t afraid of the water before Jaws, you were by the end of the movie. The shark, which we don’t see too often until the end of the film, is a villain that represents some of our deepest, subconscious fears. These fears may be buried, but they are awakened brilliantly by this film as the great white shark in Jaws symbolizes one of our most fundamental fears: the fear of being utterly helpless and vulnerable in the face of nature’s awesome forces. Indeed, with Jaws, the audience experiences the reality of nature's staggering indifference as collectively we are thrust out of our natural environment (i.e. land) and placed in one where we are completely vulnerable (i.e. water); an environment where we are hunted indiscriminately by a powerful creature that desires nothing but our total destruction. Therein lies the power of Jaws, which demonstrated that we don’t need to look to outer space to find monsters, there are enough monsters right here at home to worry about.
Runner Up:
The Birds (1963)
THE BIRDS
So masterful was Alfred Hitchcock at story telling that he elevated what could easily have been a B movie into a thought provoking, first rate, supernatural, apocalyptic thriller as Hitchcock gives us a superb cinematic meditation on man's struggle with nature. For on the surface, The Birds seems to be about nothing else than birds going awry. But there’s so much more to this film than meets the eye, for the birds (like the shark in Jaws) represent one of our deepest, most fundamental fears – the fear of nature going out of control and turning against us. In a time when we have mastered so much with technology and modernization, the forces of nature still remain completely outside our control; and these mysterious forces, which are docile most of the time, threaten to turn against us at any given moment and without any warning. The fact that birds are usually the most harmless of creatures, only serves to heighten the unnerving power in the film, as something we have become so familiar with (something we even house as pets) turns against us, threatening to destroy us. The end sequence is truly one of the most frightening and disturbing moments in movie history as Hitchcock leaves us with an apocalyptic vision of nature taking on a mind of her own and ultimately turning against man.
PERIOD PIECE VILLAINS
Amadeus (1984)
F. MURRRAY ABRAHAM (Antonio Salieri)
F. Murray Abraham’s Academy Award winning performance as Antonio Salieri in Milos Forman’s 1984 masterpiece, Amadeus is my top choice in this category. What makes Abraham’s portrayal of the villainous Salieri so great is that I have never seen the sin of envy represented so perfectly in cinema. Indeed, Abraham’s Salieri is truly the personification of envy as his character suffers the ravages of the deadly sin. As a person consumed and motivated by jealousy, we can relate to him and thus his character is as sympathetic and tragic as he is villainous. Thus Abraham is able, with his performance, to elicit both sympathy and disdain for his character – a character that chooses to resent Mozart’s talent rather than admire it.
Runner Up:
Gladiator (2000)
JOAQUIN PHOENIX (Emperor Commodus)
So many people don’t like this film, include many notable critics, that I made a point of watching it again and again to see if I was mistaken. I have now seen it a few times and have concluded that they are all wrong and that Gladiator is one of the best films of 2000. Russell Crowe is simply spectacular and Joaquin Phoenix gives us a memorable portrayal of a villain that elicits strong feelings of empathy and repulsion from the audience. Phoenix’s villainous character is so well realized that he is completely consistent and believable when he is both threatening and vulnerable. Phoenix strikes this balance perfectly, making the character extremely frightening and pathetic all at once.
Honourable mention goes to Glenn Close as the scheming Marquise de Merteuil and John Malkovich as the insidious Vicomte de Valmont in the 1988 Oscar nominated film, Dangerous Liaisons.
SUPERNATURAL VILLAINS
The Exorcist (1973)
THE DEVIL
Whether you believe in a supernatural spirit, such as the devil, or not, the very possibility that such an entity might actually exist is enough to scare (pardon the pun) the hell out of anyone. Exorcisms have always been a part of the Catholic Church’s tradition and remain so even today. In fact, the original book, which inspired the movie, is based on a well-documented case of exorcism in America. Whether you buy into that or not, this movie will definitely make you wonder. In addition, it’s only natural that the scariest movie of all time would be about the scariest villain of all time, for what can be more terrifying than an enemy that cannot be seen, one who has the ability to be anywhere at any time, one who has remarkable spiritual power and one who hates us with a supernatural ferocity and intensity. I once heard the devil described as power without love. This 1973 Oscar nominated film is testament to that as we have never seen such disturbing supernatural power and hatred represented so well cinematically. The bottom line: this is a villain so powerful and so ruthless, that only God can effectively put an end to its malevolent designs.
Runner Up:
Aliens (1986)
THE ALIENS
The reason I chose Aliens over Alien in this category is that James Cameron’s 1986 sci-fi horror/thriller is one of the scariest films of all time as Cameron took the fear factor of the first film and magnified it several times over. What makes the aliens in both Alien and Aliens so frightening is that they are the realization of some of our worst childhood nightmares. Indeed, the aliens are the epitome of every childhood fear we have ever had about what lurks in the dark – a supernatural, irresistible force that cannot be reasoned with (i.e. monsters). The aliens in the Alien films are so frightening and realized with such sophistication; they elevated this B movie genre into an A-list one. For no longer were threatening aliens in Hollywood represented as cartoon-like characters, these aliens, although fantastical in nature, are much too terrifyingly real.
COMIC BOOK VILLAINS
Superman: The Movie (1978)
GENE HACKMAN (Lex Luthor)
Dick Tracy (1990)
AL PACINO (Big Boy Caprice)
There is a tie in this category as two superior, A-list actors bring two comic book villains memorably to life. In my opinion, Superman: The Movie is still the best comic book adaptation in film history. I’ve seen it countless times and I’m still completely charmed and swept away by its magic. Every character, from Clark Kent to Jimmy Olsen, is superbly realized, including Gene Hackman’s hilarious and effective depiction of Lex Luthor. Never have I seen ruthlessness portrayed with such charm, intelligence and wit. This is a role that could have gone disastrously wrong in lesser hands, but Hackman strikes the perfect note in his performance, making a cartoon, comic book character extremely believable in a contemporary setting. It’s a great achievement as Hackman’s Luthor manages to be believable, threatening and funny, all at the same time.
The very best thing about this adequate adaptation of the comic book Dick Tracy is seeing Al Pacino play Big Boy Caprice. Pacino is sensational and his Oscar nomination for his performance is well deserved. The most entertaining moments in the film, by far, involve his character who electrifies the screen at every moment. What makes Pacino’s performance so amazing is the fact that he is able to communicate the essence of the character in spite of the goofy make-up he wears and the silly way he moves around. Although the film Dick Tracy as a whole is not nearly in the same league as Superman: The Movie, Al Pacino’s Big Boy Caprice makes it well worth seeing.
Runner Up:
Batman (1989)
JACK NICHOLSON (The Joker)
Nicholson is once again at the top of his form playing the Joker in Tim Burton’s Batman from 1989. Nicholson has always had a persona in other films that suits the kind of exaggeration befitting a comic book character, and his performance in Batman is the perfect realization of that persona. Here, Nicholson is given free reign to be as exaggerated and over the top as he wants and the result is a fun and exciting portrayal of Batman’s greatest archenemy.
Honourable mention goes to Michelle Pfeiffer’s wonderful performance as Cat Woman in 1992’s abysmal Batman Returns. Rarely have I seen such a great performance in such a bad film.
COMPLEX PROTAGANIST VILLAINS
Citizen Kane (1941)
ORSON WELLES (Charles Foster Kane)
Raging Bull (1980)
ROBERT DENIOR (Jake LaMotta)
This is a tough category to justify on a list such as this, but sometimes villainy is a very complex thing and not something so easily discernible in art or in life. Although both these characters are the protagonist in their respective films, each could also be considered the villain or at least the anti-hero of their respective stories. It’s a tie for this category because both characters suffer from similar issues and both exercise their villainy in similar ways. As well, both are superior, masterful examples of this kind of villainy in cinema. In addition, both characters suffer from a severe lack of self-esteem of which they are acutely unaware. This condition, one of the significant social diseases of our time, is at the heart of their malevolent, maladaptive behaviours. Citizen Kane is so convinced that he is unlovable, that he spends his whole life trying to buy love and trying to manipulate others into loving him. For him, people are simply means to an end – i.e. they are the means by which he satiates his need to be loved and to feel good about himself. Satiating this impulse takes precedence over everyone and everything in his life, even his own son. In turn, Jake LaMotta is so convinced that no one can love him; he is instantly suspicious of anyone that does. When a woman returns his affections, his low self-esteem cannot handle it and he immediately loses respect for her, for what kind of woman would love someone like him. His resulting anguish and frustration are expressed in violence, both in and out of the boxing ring alienating those closest to him, including his own brother. Both these characters are brilliant, casebook studies of their respective issues as Welles and DeNiro offer us villains that inspire reflection on the darkness and complexity of the human condition.
DRAMATIC MOVIE TYPE VILLAINS
A Few Good Men (1992)
JACK NICHOLSON (Colonel Nathan Jessep)
I have only one selection in this category, because Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of Colonel Nathan Jessep is so juicy, so delicious, that it puts all other contenders in this category to shame. Nicholson plays a powerful Army Colonel who feels justified in taking any means necessary to safeguard the American military base in Cuba. Ultimately, he is forced to match wits in the courtroom with Lieutenant Daniel Alistair Kaffee, played superbly by Tom Cruise. Rob Reiner does an excellent job bringing this story to life and every moment Nicholson is on screen is electrifying. This may not be the best courtroom drama ever made, but it’s certainly my favourite and Nicholson is one of the main reasons why. His final confrontation in the courtroom with the Tom Cruise character is one of the most exciting cinematic moments of the nineties. During that sequence, Nicholson delivers lines that in the mouths of lesser actors would seem silly and laughable. Yet Nicholson somehow manages to make them flow from the depth of his menacing character with great power and conviction. Who else who could say this now classic line: “…you can’t handle the truth!” without making the audience snicker. Each line is delivered so effectively that long after the movie is over, Jessup’s words still resound in your ears.
ACTION/THRILLER TYPE VILLAINS
In the Line of Fire (1993)
JOHN MALKOVICH (Mitch Leary/John Booth/James Carney)
This was the toughest category for me, for I have seen so many instantly forgettable action type thrillers, that I can’t even remember the plot, let alone the villains. However, a couple of strong examples come to mind and first on my list thus far is John Malkovich’s performance in the 1993 thriller In the Line of Fire, one of my very favourite Eastwood films. Malkovich is truly frightening as a one-man army bent on assassinating the president. His intense performance elevates what could have easily been a mediocre action thriller into a first rate one.
Runner Up:
Face/Off (1997)
NICOLAS CAGE (Castor Troy)
Both Travolta and Cage play the same role at different times in the film but it’s Cage’s performance that I will never forget. Brilliantly over the top, Cage’s portrayal of Castor Troy was truly inspired and thoroughly entertaining. Indeed, Cage made the character even more fun and enjoyable than the over the top action sequences.
posted by Rix Flix at 7:27 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home