Hello all. Mark here
Great heroes need great villains. A solid bad guy not only engages us in the journey but provides tension, dread and excitement. If you look at some of the highest grossing films of all time you will notice a trend. For example, The Avengers (Loki), Harry Potter (Voldemort), Dark Knight (Joker), Lord of the Rings (walking), Skyfall (Silva) and Toy Story 3 (that fluffy evil bear) all feature incredible baddies and made tons of money.
I’ve decided to compile a list in hopes of sparking discussion, debate and eventual realization that my bad guys are the best. Enjoy!
1. Stansfield. Gary Oldman/ The Professional
Scary, unpredictable and drugged out. Oldman’s performance set the bar for all other actors attempting to be insane drug addled bad guy cops. By the time he shoots Leon and gets blown up by grenades you are overcome with grief that this murderous turd got the better of the hero. Stansfield also delivered odd quotes that any villains would be jealous of:
“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. Do you like Beethoven?”
2. 006 and Sean Miller/ Sean Bean Goldeneye/Patriot Games
What I like about Sean Bean as a bad guy is that he never seems outmatched. Instead of being some aloof villain he always puts up a great fight. Plus, he figured Bond out. These quotes prove it:
“I might as well ask you if all those vodka martinis ever silence the screams of all the men you’ve killed… or if you find forgiveness in the arms of all those willing women for all the dead ones you failed to protect. “
“Back from the dead. No longer just an anonymous star on the memorial wall at MI6. What’s the matter, James? No glib remark? No pithy comeback?”
The final fight scene in Goldeneye was incredible. The fast paced, evenly matched brawl took place on top of a satellite hanging over a large drainage dome. I remembered the prior Bond fights and they all paled in comparison In Patriot Games he had Harrison Ford on the run and could only be killed by being impaled on a boat then blown up via crashing into rocks. You can never count this guy out. You think he is dead in Goldeneye then he comes back and survives a massive fall and explosion. The only thing that can kill him is an exploding, million ton antenna. Badass!
3. Boba Fett/ Empire and Return
Vader, huge ships, stormtroopers could not catch Han Solo and his crew. However, Boba could. The dude rarely speaks and is always chilling next to Vader or Jabba. Fett is a mysterious villain (How long did it take him to design outfit) who gets the job done and is probably the only person who Vader would catch a beer with. I still defend his death scene because I think the only to kill him would be by total luck.
4. Magua/ Wes Studi/ Last of the Mohicans
Total, Uber, Badass (see above pic). You cannot escape this guy. The hunters from Butch Cassidy and Centurion could not have escaped Magua. The climatic scene with the soundtrack blaring while he fights and kills Uncas makes most humans burst out in tears. Sure he dies. But, could you defeat a very angry father with a large spiked weapon?
5. Hans Gruber/Sheriff of Nottingham/ Alan Rickman Die Hard/Robin Hood.
Smarmy, Intelligent, and funny. Nobody has the eurotrash villain down like Rickman. Many actors have tried to match this performance and most of them have failed. Whether threatening to cut people’s hearts out with spoons or telling his henchman to “shoot the glass” he is always thinking of unique ways to hurt people.
6. Special Mention: Inez/Rachel McAdams/Midnight in Paris.
Inez would convince Han he was just a subpar villain. She would scowl as Boba showed off his latest jetpack innovation. She pushed her writer boyfriend to mini panic attacks and wooed the pompous Michael Sheen. Inez and her family could push Angela Lansbury’s character in Manchurian Candidate to depression. Also, Inez sounds evil.
There are many honorable mentions. Gene Hackman from Unforgiven, Mr. Blonde, Bill the Butcher, Jaws, Aliens, Predators, Frank Booth, Dolph in Universal Soldier and Rocky 4, The bad guy in The Crow, Hal, Anton Chigurh, Michael Myers, Nickelback, Hannibal Lecter, Leatherface, the femme fatale from Double Indemnity…the list goes on and on.
That is the list! Let me know what you think. Make sure to leave a comment and tell me your 5 favorite bad guys.
