Favorite Movie Villains, Pt 3

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30. HADES

James Woods, Hercules (1997)

Though I’m not that big a fan of this movie, I love this character.  Woods interpreted the dark lord of the Underworld as a fast-talking schmoozer who still had an explosive temper and a genuinely evil motive.  I also like the design.  I just wish he had a song.

 29. R.K. CHESTER ROYALTON

Roger Allam, Speed Racer (2008)

I seem to be one of the few people who love this movie, and Royalton is one of my favorite parts of it.  A shrewd and powerful businessman who knows how to come off as friendly and charming until he’s defied.  When a potential business partner doesn’t cooperate, he shows his true colors.  He ruthlessly uses criminals to fix races to go his way and maximize his own profits.  His motivations are summed up by an amusingly loquacious speech in which he deconstructs Speed’s simple idealism.  I also love Roger Allam’s scene-chewing performance.  Wish I could see more of him. 

 28. URSULA

Pat Carroll, The Little Mermaid (1989)

Ursula can come off inviting and nonthreatening when talking Ariel into selling her voice, but she uses her new prize to trick Ariel out of her crush and steal King Triton’s powers.  When she does so, she becomes truly terrifying.  Her plan ultimate control of the ocean is brilliant and effective until Eric intervenes.  She also sings a great song.

 27. DOLORES JANE UMBRIDGE

Imelda Staunton, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

Like many people I find Umbridge even more vile the Voldemort himself.  She exercises control over the children, stunting their ability to defend themselves, and even torturing them all while under the guise of a simpering moral guardian.  When Voldemort takes over the Ministry of Magic, she’s perfectly happy to persecute the Muggleborns for him.  It's a shame we never get to see her comeuppance at the end of the series.

 26. GOLLUM

Andy Serkis, The Lord of the Rings (2001-3)

In addition to being a groundbreaking use of great acting in a motion capture CGI character (thanks to Andy Serkis and a great effects team), Gollum is also a conflicted and pathetic villain.  Corrupted by the Ring, he’ll do anything to get it back from the hobbits until he is show some kindness from Frodo.  This inspires conflict between his two split personalities (Gollum and Smeagol, his original identity), that is cleverly displayed with a one-person conversation shot at different angles.  Although the Rankin-Bass version isn’t as well-executed, I love his design in it.   

 25. MAJOR ARNOLD ERNST TOHT

Ronald Lacey, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

He’s not a particularly potent villain, mind you.  He’s weak, cowardly and he dresses inappropriately for the desert.  Still, he’s as evil as it gets.  He tortures people for the Gestapo and is an obvious sadist.  His creepy demeanor makes him one of the better Peter Lorre wannabes.  I also like how he’s the skeptic of the group.  He acts sardonically dismissive of the Ark mission he’s been assigned to until he finally sees the power of God…right before it kills him.    

 24. GENERAL M. BISON

Raul Julia, Street Fighter (1994)

Street Fighter may be a cheesy movie, but Bison is a flamboyant and fun antagonist.  When Chun-Li confronts him over the death of her father, Bison utters a line that’s become synonymous with this trope.  It would be a better scene if she wasn’t describing a humiliating defeat of his.  Must happen to him a lot.  He’s still a stylish and amusingly campy megalomaniac.    

 23. HANNIBAL LECTER

Anthony Hopkins, The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

I’m not sure there’s much I can contribute to this one.  Hes a classically sophisticated, yet savage, killer.

 22. HANS GRUBER

Alan Rickman, Die Hard (1988)

Another great sophisticated villain that doesn’t need much explanation.  RIP, Alan Rickman.

 21. HARRY LIME

Orson Welles, The Third Man (1949)

The protagonist thinks he’s a small-time con-man, but Lime’s fraud has denied multiple children life-saving medicine.  He cleverly fakes his death to get the authorities of his back.  He expresses his complete disregard for human life on the ferris wheel and justifies his evil by short-selling Switzerland’s contribution to human culture.

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Favorite Movie Villains, Pt 2

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Possible spoilers for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, GoldenEye, and Terminator 2.

40. PETER PETTIGREW

Timothy Spall, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

He’s often referred to as a stupid character, but Wormtail is underestimated.  He managed to outsmart the whole Wizarding World by faking his death while framing Sirius Black for it (as well as the deaths of some innocent bystanders that he also murdered).  He then spends fourteen years living as a pet rat to hide from reprisal.  All this started because he betrayed his friends when threatened by Voldemort.  Cunning yet pathetic, Pettigrew shows how far a coward is willing to go to preserve his own life.  In a rare flash of intelligence, Voldemort recognizes that Pettigrew only helps him out of cowardice and uses a magical failsafe in case of betrayal.  Still, it would have been nice if the Dark Lord had put some effort into inspiring actual loyalty from him, as opposed to encouraging his less competent followers to mistreat him.

 

 39. ALEC TREVELYAN

Sean Bean, GoldenEye (1995)

A former friend and comrade of Bond, Trevelyan (named after an infamous British censor) almost died as a result of Bond’s focus on accomplishing a mission.  Trevelyan made a good nemesis against Bond because of this vendetta as well as his having a similar skill set to 007’s.  Being played by the great Sean Bean helps, too.  However, his motivation could have made more sense.  As a spy he should have been more sensitive to his duty to sacrifice his life for queen and country.  He has no right to hold a grudge against Bond considering he told Bond to “finish the job.”  Still, he has more complexity than most Bond villains and was the best antagonist in the franchise for a while.

 38. STUNTMAN MIKE

Kurt Russell, Death Proof (2007)

Stuntman Mike is charming and witty, which is disarming to his potential victims.  In reality, he’s a pervert who preys on women in a particularly creative way.  After stalking them for a period, he kills them by crashing into their vehicles with a death-proofed muscle car for his sexual pleasure.  This results in some memorably graphic deaths that don’t shy away from how gory car crashes can be.  In a refreshing twist on the slasher genre, Mike turns out not to be an invincible force.  When a group of women turn the tables on him, he immediately turns into a whimpering pansy, and predator becomes prey.  It’s nice to see a movie acknowledge that these types of killers, like most predators, are nothing more than cowards.

 37. GENERAL GRIEVOUS

Matthew Wood, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)

He’s not quite as cool as he is in Genndy Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars, but I feel Grievous is an underrated villain.  A military genius with one of the best designs ever and also a pretty good leitmotif.  I’m not a prequel fanboy, but I seem to disagree with most people on this character.  One of the main complaints is that he’s a coward (because heaven forbid a villain have a character flaw), which is only disappointing if you’ve seen Clone Wars before this movie (Clone Wars even explains this).  A rather odd criticism is that he is too much like some mustache-twirling Snidely Whiplash character (which was kinda the point).  Considering Star Wars has always been an homage to serials, it makes sense to have a character like this.  Contrast this with how Star Wars fans seem to like Jabba the Hutt.  I mean, a fat moron is a better villain than a capable military leader with an awesome character design who knows how to choose his battles?  Well, makes perfect sense to me.  My one problem is that, unlike Jabba, he wasn’t effectively integrated into the trilogy unless you watched a spin-off cartoon not everyone watched.  Episode III just immediately introduces you to the character and expects you to accept his presence. 

 36. KIM JONG-IL

Trey Parker, Team America: World Police (2004)

Being based on a real person doesn’t stop him from being one of the most hilarious comedic villains ever.  He is amusingly foulmouthed and loud, but he also has a truly horrifying plan to nuke all developed countries in order to turn the entire world into a third world country.  To make matters worse, he’s actually a sapient alien cockroach in a fake human body.  The one problem with this character is his generic and tedious villain song, which contrasts dramatically with the fun soundtrack of the rest of the movie.

 35. CLARENCE BODDICKER

Kurtwood Smith, RoboCop (1987)

Despite his nebbishy appearance, Boddicker is a brutal,sadistic criminal and a competent combatant.  He also knows how to make connections with powerful executives. 

 34. ROY BATTY

Rutger Hauer, Blade Runner (1982)

On a quest to save himself and his friends from their own shortened lifespans, Batty is willing to murder any human standing in his way.  You can’t really blame him too much either.  He’s bred to be a killing machine and has no reason to show mercy when society doesn’t even recognize his personhood.  When all his comrades are dead, he toys with Deckard while giving him some perspective to our “hero” before sparing him.  Before passing, he imparts some of his own knowledge for some attempt at a legacy.  Batty is cunning, powerful, fierce, and creepy, but he’s tragic anti-villain if there ever was one.

 33. THE THIN MAN

Crispin Glover, Charlie’s Angels Series (2000,2003)

Not much to this guy, but he’s my favorite mute henchman.  This guy just oozes style.  He dresses fine and even manages to make smoking look cool.  Crispin Glover really did a great job with his interpretation of this character, and the Thin Man is the only thing that makes these mediocre films worth checking out.

 32. JULES AND VINCENT

Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta, Pulp Fiction (1994)

Already amusing because of their witty banter, Jules Winfield and Vincent Vega contrast with each other quite well.  While Jules is a genuinely skilled hitman, Vincent is a subtly incompetent and petulant one whose calm demeanor is mostly a result of his being high on smack most of the time.  When they escape death in a seemingly miraculous way, Jules takes it as a sign from God that he must give up a life of crime while Vincent stays on his path.  In darkly comic irony, Vincent manages to survive these insane situations until his luck eventually runs out and he is killed in an absurdly coincidental way.  While Jules redeems himself, Vincent lives by the sword and dies by it. 

 31. T-1000

Robert Patrick, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

A liquid metal creature that’s nearly unstoppable even against a T-800, The T-1000 has the same cold demeanor as the original Terminator in a more unassuming form.  He’s clever enough to take the form of a cop, which people might trust.  He occasionally shows some personality when he expresses impatience and annoyance.  He can perfectly imitate any human, but he can’t form much simpler mechanical devices with moving parts, which doesn’t make a lot of sense.  Although it’s universally known that he’s the villain, the beginning of the movie does a pretty good job disguising this until the reveal.

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Favorite Movie Villains, Pt 1

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Here it is.  My list of favorite movie villains.  I already started a list of over 100 characters, but I found it frustrating because I kept thinking of more people after I thought I was done with it.  Therefore, Im starting out with a countdown of the Top 50, and maybe I'll work in the other direction when I'm done. 

HONORABLE MENTION: FATHER BRENDAN FLYNN

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt (2008)

I included this guy as an honorable mention because of the movie’s ambiguity.  It’s very clear there’s no proof whether or not he molested that child.  If he did, he’s undoubtedly a villain.  If he didn’t, he’s a saint who genuinely cares for the children at his school, and sister Aloysius is arguably a different kind of villain.  Good or bad, he’s a charismatic priest who knows how to get people on his side.    

50. MONA DEMARKOV

Lena Olin, Romeo is Bleeding (1993)

The protagonist, Jack, bites off more he can chew when he runs afoul of this beautiful, but psychotic Russian assassin.  Nearly unstoppable and crazy as hell, she hunts him down in a way that makes it look like she could give Anton Chigurh a run for his money.  She even cuts off her own arm and places it with the charred corpse of the protagonist’s mistress to throw off the police.  For some perspective on this, she’s a complete nightmare for a character played by Gary Oldman.  Unfortunately, her mystique is diminished when she’s killed abruptly at the end of the movie.  The experience still leaves Jack a broken, lonely, and haunted man.   

49. LORD HUMUNGUS

Kjell Nilsson, The Road Warrior (1981)

Big, scary, hilariously named warlord who brutally pillages and murders in the name of being the only power in a desert wasteland.  His frightening presence is enhanced by throbbing veins on the back of his scarred head.  Despite this savage appearance, he’s calm and calculating.  He attempts to talk his potential victims into submission, and sometimes needs to restrain the more irrational Wez.  Some clues suggest he’s lost some loved ones of his own in the apocalypse.    

 

48. LADY EBOSHI

Yūko Tanaka/Minnie Driver, Princess Mononoke, 1997

A capable leader and fighter, Lady Eboshi has no mercy for the spirit world of the forest.  However, she is kind-hearted and charitable toward the humans under her care, as evidenced by her compassion for the lepers.  So dedicated she is in her concern for humans, she’s willing to sacrifice other life for them.  In the real world she would be a good guy. 

  47. BIFF TANNEN

Thomas F. Wilson, Back to the Future Part II (1989)

As a young man in the first movie, Biff was not much more than a buffoonish and sometimes dangerous bully.  When bested by George McFly in the improved timeline, he becomes an outwardly meek man.  However, the minute an older and far more intelligent Biff sees an opportunity to change the past for his own gain, he actually manages to be selfish to the point of self-sacrifice.  He’s willing to erase the majority of his own existence (and those of countless innocent people) so that his younger self would have power.  With this power he destroys Hillsdale and the lives of everyone around him.  I also think it’s of some current relevance that this character was inspired by Donald Trump.  Wilson gives a comical and versatile performance in these movies, and it’s amusing that the old Biff’s can has a fist on it to mimic the way he’d knock on people’s heads when he was ridiculing them in high school.

 46. THE JOKER

Jack Nicholson, Batman (1989)

A creative, witty, and fun version of the classic character.  I like how his smile is permanently plastered on his face.  He dresses with style and he’s always a hoot to watch.  He’s about as evil as any incarnation of the psychotic clown prince of crime, killing for no other reason his own amusement.  I still have some complaints about the character.  By giving him a past as mob enforcer Jack Napier and making him the killer of Bruce’s parents, it robbed the character of his mystery.  Although I love Jack Nicholson’s performance, he’s still Jack Nicholson in clown makeup.  James Woods was considered, and he would have been perfect in the role.  It looks like we’re never going to see this, either. 

 45. SIR HISS

Terry-Thomas, Robin Hood (1973)

Hiss seems to be the only villain in the movie with a clue.  He constantly cautions Prince John against his own bottomless stupidity and he does a decent job of figuring out the situation at the archery tournament despite being kept in the dark.  Despite this, he doesn’t seem genuinely malicious.  He’s horrified when he finds out that John intends to execute Friar Tuck, and he’s overjoyed when Robin survives the third act.  He’s still complicit in evil out of cowardice and sycophancy.  I also always loved snake characters.

 44. NORMAN STANSFIELD

Gary Oldman, Léon: The Professional (1994)

A corrupt, murderous, impulsive, irritable, crack-addicted detective, Stansfield is Gary Oldman at his best.  His best moment is when he asks Mathilda (Natalie Portman) if she enjoys life, and when she tells him yes:

“That’s good, because I take no pleasure in taking life if it’s from someone who doesn’t care about it.”

 43. XENIA ONATOPP

Famke Janssen, GoldenEye (1995)

My favorite Bond henchman.  A sexy femme fatale who has a unique way of killing people: asphyxiating them by constricting their abdomens with her legs (preferable during sex).  Her shooting spree in the Severanaya bunker reveals a particularly disturbing trait: she is sexually aroused by murdering people.  Even Ourumov (Gottfried John) is creeped out.

 42. THE NAZGÛL

v. Andy Serkis, Fran Walsh, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Formerly nine human kings, Sauron corrupted them with rings of power and turned them into his slaves.  The Ringwraiths may have a generic Grim Reaper look, but they are among the most frightening manifestations of that trope.  Great directing and design has made them nightmarish almost every time they’re on screen.  Fran Walsh’s (Peter Jackson’s wife) modified screech also helps.  The leader of The Nine also dons some pretty neat armor in the third movie.

 41. THE THING

The Thing (1982)

One of the most horrifying creatures put on screen, the Thing is an alien that kills whatever organism it assimilates.  The people trapped with it in an Antarctic research station have to stop it from escaping and assimilating the whole planet.  Despite its appearance, it’s at least as intelligent as a human.  As well as apparently being able to build a spaceship out of spare parts, it can perfectly imitate anyone and it acts rationally, only revealing itself when necessary (well not in the 2011 prequel, but that movie sucks).  This inspires paranoia in the characters and helps create tension and mystery.  

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