|
|
        |
0
|
|
So Bad They're Good!
List of the Best (or worst) Movie Villains of All Time
They're wicked and they're foul with the stench of 40,000 years, but what would movies be without them? While most are truly quite horrific, others are actually funny. But throughout the many years of cinematic history, one fact has always remained constant about movie bad guys... we love to hate them.
Following is our list of the top movie villains of all time, in no particular order. For the purposes of inclusion on the list, a villain is defined as the antagonist of a film's plot, but doesn't necessarily have to be human... as you'll see!
Betty Lou Gerson as the voice of Cruela De Vil in One Hundred One Dalmations (1961) – It's no coincidence we start the list off with animated characters. No one did villains better than Disney, and one of the best was Gerson's Cruella. Glenn Close's rendition wasn't bad either. Margaret Hamilton as Miss Gulch, The Wicked Witch of the East, and the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz (1939) – We always thought Miss Gulch was scarier than the Wicked Witch. The way she rode that bicycle... [author shivers]
Ted Levine as Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb in The Silence of the Lambs (1991) – The only character more creepy than Hannibal Lecter himself. Oh wait, Miggs wasn't so pleasant either was he? Jack Nicholson as Jack Napier and The Joker in Batman (1989) – We can't remember the last time an actor has had as much fun playing a villain. "I'm givin' away free money, and where is the Batman? He's at home washing his tights!" Douglas Rain as Hal 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey – Kubrick missed a bit on the date, but hit big with Hal. Shows that villains don't have to be human (or alive) to be evil. Anne Baxter as Eve Harrington in All About Eve (1950) – Sometimes evil is used to accumulate fame and success. Victimless villain? Hardly!
Kaiser Soze in The Usual Suspects (1995) – The biggest, baddest, meanest villain that never was. Watch the movie and you'll know what we mean. The martians in The War of the Worlds (1953 & 2005) – In either version, the martians are bad dudes with nothing on their minds except destruction and conquest. But in the 1953 version they're prettier. Kevin Spacey as John Doe in Se7en (1995) – Can calm, cool, and collected make a good villain? Just watch the movie and decide for yourself. Would UPS really have delivered that package? Robert DeNiro as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver (1976) – A disturbing example of how fighting corruption and crime can go horribly awry. If you've ever taken a first date to a porno movie, you might not get it however. Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty in Bonnie and Clyde (1967) – Has America ever rooted for cinematic villains harder than in this one? Well... besides the O.J. Simpson debacle. The mechanical shark in Jaws (1975) – Before the dinosaurs, the holocaust, Peter Pan, UFOs and Indiana Jones, there was Bruce the shark - 25 feet of squeaky rubber and clunky gears. And we're still not sure if it's safe to go back in the water.
Robert DeNiro and Robert Mitchum as Max Cady in Cape Fear – Both actors, both versions, equally effective. Listen, when your bad guy begins speaking in tongues....he's a baaad guy! The alien in Alien (1979) – Another example that illustrates how villains need not be human to be effective. Gave a whole new meaning to acid reflux. Al Pacino as Tony Montana in Scarface (1983) – As funny and over-the-top as he is dangerous, but Tony is the ultimate drug lord in the ultimate criminal gangland... early '80s Miami. Oh, by the way, Tony would like for you to meet his little friend.
David Prowse as Darth Vader in the Star Wars series – THE villain of an entire generation of moviegoers. Or is the voice of James Earl Jones actually more villainous? And by the way, is it still a spoiler if we tell you Darth Vader is Luke's father? Just wondering. Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs – Just don't try to count him in your census lest you become a side dish to a legumous repast. Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates in Psycho (1960) – Many villains in the Alfred Hitchcock arsenal come to mind, but none carry the impact of this seemingly passive hotel nightclerk. He's not so bad until that pesky Oedipus Complex kicks in.
Godzilla in Gojira (1954) – Our first look at the repercussions of an atomic world. One tough hombre as even fighter planes can't bring down this bad guy. Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest (1981) – A villain of a different sort... a villainesse if you will. But villainous nonetheless. "I can handle the socks." Watch it and you'll understand. Boris Karloff as Frankestein's monster in Frankenstein (1931) – Karloff in any of his numerous roles works, but here he started the while Universal monster craze. © 2007, Reel Reviews. All rights reserved. 
|
|
|
|
Home | Reviews | Review Archives | Reel News | Trailers | Links | About | Staff
Submit Review | Morbidly Hollywood | Rating Categories | Contact Us |