Top 5 Movie Villains
Yes, this is a bit of a re-hash, but I still wrote it... a couple of years ago. I'm trying to get back into the swing of things, while I transfer the posts I made to a website that no longer defines who I am. Please sit back and enjoy it. Again.
Throughout the history of cinema, people have been fascinated - and often terrified - of movie villains. There's just something primal in all of us that usually results in one of two polarized reactions when encountering a villain: either it's (A) run for your life, or (B) wow, this guy is kinda interesting and I'd like to stick around and pick their brain to see what makes them tick. For years I had been firmly planted in group A. More recently, however, I've found myself slowly shifting towards the dark side of the force. So, in honor of my favorite baddies, here's my Top 5 Film Villains.
1. Dr. Hannibal Lecter | The Silence of the Lambs | 1991
"A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti."
Nothing could be more frightening than coming across the likes of Doctor Hannibal Lecter and his growling stomach. Like a magnificent chess player, Hannibal is often a dozen moves ahead of his opponent (or victim, depending on how you look at the situation), who hasn't even walked into the room. What I love about Lecter is what is most unsettling about him. Despite the fact that his criminal acts are downright repulsive, it's this combination of his immense intelligence, his brilliant criminal mind, and the animalistic instincts of a predator that make him such an evil monster. He emanates an air of royalty, like he's a god among men; he's better than you and and he knows it.
Scene Selection: Hannibal breaks down Clarice Starling in under a minute.
2. Hans Landa | Inglorious Basterds | 2009
"What a tremendously hostile world that a rat must endure. Yet not only does he survive, he thrives. Because our little foe has an instinct for survival and preservation second to none... and that Monsieur is what a Jew shares with a rat."
Colonel Hans Landa is a ruthlessly cruel individual, who can also be quite charming, inexplicably courteous, and is fiendishly intelligent. Labeled the "Jew Hunter" by friends and foe alike, Landa is the Frankenstein creation of Tarantino's imagination: the brain of the world's greatest detective - Sherlock Holmes - surgically implanted into the body of an SS Officer. He's an opportunist who has taken the best paying gig to exercise his skill set, no matter the cost. Any self-respecting film connoisseur would being doing themselves a great injustice by not seeing this film in its entirety, if not at least the first 20 minutes.
3. Anton Chigurh | No Country for Old Men | 2007
"1958. It's been traveling twenty-two years to get here. And now it's here. And it's either heads or tails. And you have to say. Call it."
The most frightening thing about Anton Chigurh, other than his Dorthy Hamill haircut, is his complete disregard for human life. Chigurh is different than my first two selections. While Lecter and Landa had some form of motivation or drive in order to take a human life, Chigurh is more like a human version of the Terminator. It's quite intriguing to see that while his objectives aren't necessarily to kill everyone that crosses his path (his primary objective is to track down two million dollars), it sure does seem like it. If you ever come across anyone carrying a captive bolt pistol (cattle gun), you should immediately start walking in the opposite direction.
Scene Selection: Chigurh and a gas station attendant discuss the "wager" of a coin toss.
4. Stansfield | Léon: The Professional | 1994
"I like these calm little moments before the storm. It reminds me of Beethoven. Can you hear it? It's like when you put your head to the grass and you can hear the growin' and you can hear the insects."
Stansfield is the personification of instability, and that's why I think him to be such an effective and frightening villain. You never know what he's going to do next. One minute he's blazing through an apartment with a shotgun destroying anything in his path, the next he's discussing classical music with his soon-to-be next victim of his rage. His erratic and unpredictable behavior is fueled by his abuse of an unidentified narcotic (my educated guess would be a form of amyl nitrite), which only makes our hero's plight that much worse, considering that Stansfield is a corrupt DEA agent.
5. Hans Gruber | Die Hard | 1988
"I wanted this to be professional, efficient, adult, cooperative. Not a lot to ask. Alas, your Mr. Takagi did not see it that way... so he won't be joining us for the rest of his life."
Hans Gruber is deliciously bad. Of all the villains on this list, he's the only one that I'd actually call my favorite. He's calm, cool, and calculated; smooth and refined like an aged Scotch and not a raving sociopath - everything the previous baddies aren't (except maybe for Col. Landa). He isn't disconnected from humanity and willing to slaughter you just for crossing his path, he's simply interested in the $640 million of negotiable bearer bonds in your vault. He's just your everyday ordinary high-class well-dressed classically-educated bank robber.
The Runner-Up List
It almost isn't fair that Batman's arch nemesis makes my runner up list twice, but both actors encapsulated the true essence of DC Comics Archvillain: a violent psychopath and sociopath who wants brings Gotham City one step closer to anarchy.
Throughout the history of cinema, people have been fascinated - and often terrified - of movie villains. There's just something primal in all of us that usually results in one of two polarized reactions when encountering a villain: either it's (A) run for your life, or (B) wow, this guy is kinda interesting and I'd like to stick around and pick their brain to see what makes them tick. For years I had been firmly planted in group A. More recently, however, I've found myself slowly shifting towards the dark side of the force. So, in honor of my favorite baddies, here's my Top 5 Film Villains.
1. Dr. Hannibal Lecter | The Silence of the Lambs | 1991
Nothing could be more frightening than coming across the likes of Doctor Hannibal Lecter and his growling stomach. Like a magnificent chess player, Hannibal is often a dozen moves ahead of his opponent (or victim, depending on how you look at the situation), who hasn't even walked into the room. What I love about Lecter is what is most unsettling about him. Despite the fact that his criminal acts are downright repulsive, it's this combination of his immense intelligence, his brilliant criminal mind, and the animalistic instincts of a predator that make him such an evil monster. He emanates an air of royalty, like he's a god among men; he's better than you and and he knows it.Scene Selection: Hannibal breaks down Clarice Starling in under a minute.
2. Hans Landa | Inglorious Basterds | 2009
"What a tremendously hostile world that a rat must endure. Yet not only does he survive, he thrives. Because our little foe has an instinct for survival and preservation second to none... and that Monsieur is what a Jew shares with a rat."
Colonel Hans Landa is a ruthlessly cruel individual, who can also be quite charming, inexplicably courteous, and is fiendishly intelligent. Labeled the "Jew Hunter" by friends and foe alike, Landa is the Frankenstein creation of Tarantino's imagination: the brain of the world's greatest detective - Sherlock Holmes - surgically implanted into the body of an SS Officer. He's an opportunist who has taken the best paying gig to exercise his skill set, no matter the cost. Any self-respecting film connoisseur would being doing themselves a great injustice by not seeing this film in its entirety, if not at least the first 20 minutes.3. Anton Chigurh | No Country for Old Men | 2007
"1958. It's been traveling twenty-two years to get here. And now it's here. And it's either heads or tails. And you have to say. Call it."
The most frightening thing about Anton Chigurh, other than his Dorthy Hamill haircut, is his complete disregard for human life. Chigurh is different than my first two selections. While Lecter and Landa had some form of motivation or drive in order to take a human life, Chigurh is more like a human version of the Terminator. It's quite intriguing to see that while his objectives aren't necessarily to kill everyone that crosses his path (his primary objective is to track down two million dollars), it sure does seem like it. If you ever come across anyone carrying a captive bolt pistol (cattle gun), you should immediately start walking in the opposite direction.Scene Selection: Chigurh and a gas station attendant discuss the "wager" of a coin toss.
4. Stansfield | Léon: The Professional | 1994
"I like these calm little moments before the storm. It reminds me of Beethoven. Can you hear it? It's like when you put your head to the grass and you can hear the growin' and you can hear the insects."
Stansfield is the personification of instability, and that's why I think him to be such an effective and frightening villain. You never know what he's going to do next. One minute he's blazing through an apartment with a shotgun destroying anything in his path, the next he's discussing classical music with his soon-to-be next victim of his rage. His erratic and unpredictable behavior is fueled by his abuse of an unidentified narcotic (my educated guess would be a form of amyl nitrite), which only makes our hero's plight that much worse, considering that Stansfield is a corrupt DEA agent.5. Hans Gruber | Die Hard | 1988
"I wanted this to be professional, efficient, adult, cooperative. Not a lot to ask. Alas, your Mr. Takagi did not see it that way... so he won't be joining us for the rest of his life."
Hans Gruber is deliciously bad. Of all the villains on this list, he's the only one that I'd actually call my favorite. He's calm, cool, and calculated; smooth and refined like an aged Scotch and not a raving sociopath - everything the previous baddies aren't (except maybe for Col. Landa). He isn't disconnected from humanity and willing to slaughter you just for crossing his path, he's simply interested in the $640 million of negotiable bearer bonds in your vault. He's just your everyday ordinary high-class well-dressed classically-educated bank robber.The Runner-Up List
It almost isn't fair that Batman's arch nemesis makes my runner up list twice, but both actors encapsulated the true essence of DC Comics Archvillain: a violent psychopath and sociopath who wants brings Gotham City one step closer to anarchy. - The Joker | The Dark Knight | 2008
(This is the only choice I occasionally regret not placing on the Top 5, but I'm sticking to my guns. At least for now.) - Belloq | Raiders of the Lost Ark | 1981
- Darth Vader | Star Wars | 1977
- Angel Eyes | The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly | 1966
- The Joker | Batman | 1989
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