50. Vincent Cocotti- "True Romance"(1993)
Christopher Walken's stone cold mob enforcer is only in one scene but his brutal interrogation of Dennis Hopper is arguably the best scene of the decade. He oozes menace and his presence looms large over the rest of the film. Tony Soprano was his apprentice for god's sake. Cocotti introduces himself as the Anti-Christ and we can only imagine the things he's done to earn that reputation. Since that promotion he got in 1984, he doesn't get his hands dirty unless you insult his ancestors. Clarence and Alabama were damn lucky they never ended up in the same room with this guy.
49. Catwoman- "Batman Returns"(1992)
Long before Anne Hathaway, Michelle Pfeiffer provided us with the ultimate incarnation of the most dangerous woman in Gotham City. She's a ferocious force of nature out to avenge the fairer sex in a male dominated world and has no problem using man's inherent weakness for attractive females against them. She disarmed those security guards very quickly and could have killed Batman AND The Penguin while they were drooling over that costume. Selina Kyle was always straddling the fence between good and evil, but she chose cold, hard revenge over a fairy tale life with Bruce Wayne and breaking the Caped Crusader's heart makes her a villain in my book.
48. Mr. Joshua- "Lethal Weapon"(1987)
It's common knowledge that Gary Busey is nuts in real life and that's why he got called upon so often by Hollywood to do what he does best and that's act really f'n scary. From the first moment we see this ex- Special Forces drug smuggler holding his arm above that lighter's flame, we know he means business. If anything goes wrong, we'll have to take it up with Mr. Joshua? Well, I really hope things go right then. Only Mel Gibson in his prime is crazy enough to challenge this guy to a streetfight in the pouring rain on Roger Murtaugh's lawn. Riggs was suicidal back then, though.
48. Alonzo Harris- "Training Day"(2001)
Denzel Washington nabbed the Best Actor Oscar for his electrifying turn as this crooked LAPD detective. He terrorizes Ethan Hawke's naive rookie for an hour and 40 minutes and we don't even realize he's the bad guy until more than halfway through the film. To say that he abuses his power as a member of law enforcement would be an understatement and he memorably compares himself to King Kong in the raging climax. You're much safer in the presence of your local gangbangers than this lunatic.
47. Ivan Drago- "Rocky IV"(1985)
"If he dies, than he dies". Sylvester Stallone certainly outdid himself when he created the deadliest fictional fighter of all time and hired Dolph Lundgren to bring him to life. The 6 foot 6, 240 pound Siberian Bull seemingly spends every waking minute hooked up to high tech gym equipment in a Soviet physical fitness laboratory surrounded by scientist-trainers. He put Apollo Creed's brain to sleep inside of two rounds. Luckily Balboa has the world's hardest head and songs like "Hearts on Fire" playing in the background. He still takes enough punishment to kill 57 mortal men.
46. Gordon Gekko- "Wall Street"(1987)
I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that a generation of white collars criminals looked up to this monster with slicked back hair and suspenders in much the same way that drug dealers embraced Tony Montana. These characters taught us how to live, morals be damned. The impressionable Bud Fox had no chance as Gekko rattled on about a million dollars being a day's pay. He's clearly a villain and that's why the 2010 sequel didn't really work for me. Gekko was always a little over the top with his "Greed is good" mantra but it was necessary in the '80s to get the point across. A lot of people still didn't get it though. The charisma and oily charm of Michael Douglas goes a long way. We'll do whatever you want, Mr. Gekko.
45. Mr. Blonde- "Reservoir Dogs"(1992)
He doesn't like alarms. It amuses him to torture a cop. You can beg all you want because he's heard it all before. We never get to see the jewelry store robbery in Quentin Tarantino's debut flick but apparently Mr. Blonde went crazy and started shooting people. You'll never be able to listen to Steeler Wheel's "Stuck in the Middle with You" without thinking about Michael Madsen dancing badly with a switchblade in his hand. He also doesn't have a boss. Nobody tells him what to do. Pure psychopath.
43 . Nurse Ratched- "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"(1975)
The head nurse/dictator in this 1975 Best Picture winner represents the uncaring establishment and society's mind numbing status quo. She doesn't REALLY want to help her patients and secretly gets off on the power she wields over them. This bitch wouldn't even let them watch a baseball game. Her words drive Billy Bibbitt to suicide and she has our free-spirited protagonist Randle McMurphy lobotomized. Ratched gets away with most of her subtle cruelty. If only Jack had had a few more seconds with his hands wrapped around her throat.
42 . Scorpio- "Dirty Harry"(1971)
Detective Harry Callahan wiped a lot of scum off the streets of San Francisco over the course of 17 years and five films but none worse than this deranged sniper based loosely on the real life Zodiac killer. He threatens to kill a person a day until the city pays him $200,000. Played by the wild eyed Andy Robinson, Scorpio was certainly one of the most vividly frightening villains to be seen in mainstream cinema up to this point and may have provided inspiration for another character that will be featured very prominently on this list.
41 . The Predator- "Predator"(1987)
This lethal dreadlocked alien creature is one ugly you-know-what, but he's also one of the most famous movie monsters of all time. Designed by Stan Winston, The Predator has appeared in several movies, novels, comic books, and video games but made the biggest impact in the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger classic. At 7 foot 2 and possessing advanced weaponry and camouflage skills, he dispatches Arnie's crew of bodybuilding commandos with ease. That's no small feat when that group consists of Jesse Ventura, Bill Duke, and Sonny Landham, but killing Carl Weathers all but guarantees you a spot on this list.
40. Frank Booth- "Blue Velvet"(1986)
He's a kidnapper, a drug dealer, a rapist, and a murderer and he's played by Dennis Hopper. I shouldn't have to say any more. This picture says it all. This guy literally has no redeeming qualities. I'm still not sure what it is that he's always inhaling. You don't want a love letter from him either. The merits of David Lynch's film is open to debate, but Hopper resurrected his career with his bonkers performance and became the go-to-guy for movie madmen for the next decade.
39. Agent Smith- "The Matrix" trilogy(1999, 2003)
Played memorably by Hugo Weaving, this malevolent bit of artificial intelligence made life difficult for Neo and company in and out of the Matrix for three films. He doesn't die, he multiplies. He has speed and strength beyond normal human capabilities and can punch through concrete and leap impossible distances. And it's really creepy the way he says "Mr. Anderson". I'm not gonna sit here and pretend I understood all the goings on in the Wachowski Bros' trilogy but I do know this- anybody that has this much hatred for a peaceful dude like Keanu Reeves is seriously messed up.
38. Mitch Leary- "In The Line of Fire"(1993)
If you're gonna antagonize Clint Eastwood in a movie, you'd better bring your A-game or you're not making it much further than the opening credits. John Malkovich was certainly up to the task as a would-be Presidential assassin in this crackling thriller. A master of disguise and a CIA trained killer, he's had some major grievances to let out since those cutbacks were made. He didn't take it too well. He's actually pleasant enough to talk to as long as you don't ask him where he's from or why he slit his best friend's throat. And don't ask if you can use his plastic homemade gun. You might just want to steer clear of this guy altogether.
37. Little Bill Daggett- "Unforgiven"(1992)
This sadistic sheriff, played masterfully by Gene Hackman, runs the town of Big Whiskey with an iron fist in Clint Eastwood's best Western. He keeps things safe from roaming outlaws but who's protecting the townspeople from him? Bill sees himself as a hero. The recipients of the brutal beatdowns he orders on a daily basis would strongly disagree if they ever regain consciousness. It's real simple- if you torture and kill Morgan Freeman, you're one sick son of a bitch.
36. Blofeld- "You Only Live Twice"(1967)
This evil genius and head of the global criminal organization SPECTRE is the archenemy of James Bond and has appeared in six films and has been played by Donald Pleasance, Telly Salvalas, and Max Von Sydow. Those are some impressive credentials. Many of Blofeld's characteristics have become cliches- his facial scar and white cat have been parodied in various works of popular fiction from "Inspector Gadget" to the "Austin Powers" series. His comedic counterpart Dr. Evil is now more famous than he is but imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
35. The Shark- "Jaws"(1975)
It's been nearly four decades since Steven Spielberg made history at Martha's Vineyard with a malfunctioning mechanical shark named Bruce. Out of necessity, Spielberg implies the shark's presence instead with James Horner's ominous and iconic score. Unseen but terrifying for the first half of the film, he chows down on poor Chryssie Watkins during a late night skinny dip and that Kintner boy who was just enjoying a day at the beach. Grizzled fisherman Quint(Robert Shaw) gets swallowed whole in his attempt to catch the beast. Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss barely live to tell about it. We still don't wanna go in the water.
34. Chucky- "Child's Play"(1988, 1990, 1991, 1998, 2004)
This demonic doll has definitely joined that rather dubious list of slasher icons with mayhem going on nearly a quarter century. His witty one liners and creative killings have provided guilty pleasure in five films with a sixth due out next year. Possessed by the spirit of serial killer Charles Lee Ray and voiced by Brad Dourif, Chucky has terrorized his young owner Andy for much of his life and later picked up a bride(Jennifer Tilly) to help him resume the slaughter for a new generation. As long as there's an audience for cheap and cheesy horror, Chucky can always count on a revival.
33. Biff Tannen- "Back to the Future" Trilogy(1985, 1989, 1990)
Bullies are often the biggest villains in real life, and the holy terror of Hill Valley is the ultimate big screen bully. Biff is just a nasty piece of work. He picks on George McFly for 30 years in the original timeline. Biff picks on just about every person he comes into contact with including small children. He tried to rape Lorraine in that car, and who didn't cheer when he gets laid out in the parking lot of the Enchantment Under the Sea dance? In Part II, we learn that Biff is capable of just about anything as an evil cross between Donald Trump and Elvis Presley in the hellish alternate 1985. Marty and Doc should have done mankind a favor and wiped out the entire Tannen family tree.
32 . Damien- "The Omen", "Damien: Omen II"(1976, 1978)
The son of Satan in the form of the most sinister five year old of all time. Terrible things happen when this tyke is around. An impaling, a suicide, a decapitation. Even animals at the zoo are disturbed by his presence. Is it all a coincidence? Things don't get much better in the sequels or the 2006 remake. At least he's quiet and well behaved most of the time. Just don't try bringing him to church. I'd also skip his birthday party and stay off balconies. And if he asks you to join him, it's much better than the alternative.
31 . Joan Crawford- "Mommie Dearest"(1981)
Unquestionably the worst mother in the history of film, Faye Dunaway was criticized for going WAY over the top, but her explosive portrayal of actress Joan Crawford may be her most memorable role whether she likes it or not. A raging alcoholic suffering from OCD and bipolar personality disorder, Joan adopts four children for publicity purposes only to subject them to her horrifying outbursts. Despite it's reputation as a camp classic, this film contains a truly disturbing depiction of child abuse as well as the strongest argument I've ever heard against the use of wire hangers.
30. Commodus- "Gladiator"(2000)
For my money, Joaquin Phoenix was the best thing about 2000's Best Picture winner as the sniveling and cowardly son of Marcus Aurelius. Enraged upon learning that Russell Crowe's Maximus has been chosen to become the new Emperor of Rome, Commodus suffocates his father and seizes the throne. He executes the wife and son of our hero and is also harboring some incestuous feelings for his sister. This guy just makes my skin crawl. He mortally wounds Maximus to gain an advantage in their final fight. Nobody didn't enjoy watching this creep get his comeuppance.
29. Hans Landa- "Inglorious Basterds"(2009)
Don't be fooled by his charming and polite demeanor. This ruthless and highly decorated SS officer takes a great deal of pride in being known as the Jew Hunter. One minute, he's calmly drinking milk and the next he's ordering the massacre of a French farmhouse. He's not even a true believer in Nazi idealogy as he opportunistically switches sides and assists the Basterds in killing Adolph Hitler and his inner circle. Tarantino considers him one of the best characters he's ever written, and the Oscar sitting on the mantle of Christoph Waltz certainly backs up that assertion.
28. Alex Forrest- "Fatal Attraction"(1987)
Glenn Close was robbed of the Best Actress Oscar for scaring the pants back on every married man in America as cinema's most memorable stalker. Dan Gallagher(Michael Douglas) is actually the real villain in the first half of the film and it's easy to sympathize with Alex. She's 36, never married, and her biological clock is ticking. I know she doesn't like to be ignored, but Alex just goes too far. Boiling his daughter's bunny rabbit? That's crazy. Breaking into the house in the middle of the night with a big kitchen knife? Yeah, she deserved everything she got.
27. The T-1000- "Terminator 2- Judgment Day"(1991)
Groundbreaking CGI and Robert Patrick's steely eyed menace made this shape shifting assassin one of the most deadly creations in all of the sci-fi action genre. He's the second villain on this list to kick the crap out of Schwarzenegger which might illicit cheers today in some circles but it was thoroughly frowned upon in 1991. Then there's the little matter of John Connor's foster parents. What a gruesome scene that was. He cruelly toys with Sarah Connor(Linda Hamilton) after stabbing through her shoulder. If that steel mill hadn't been located along that freeway, the saga would have ended right then and there. That wouldn't have necessarily been a bad thing.
26. General Zod- "Superman II"(1981)
Krypton's most dangerous man is getting an update in 2013's "The Man of Steel", but I can't imagine anyone topping Terance Stamp in the role. Once a trusted member of the Kryptonian Council, he was banished into the Phantom Zone and freed by an explosion in space. Flanked by his fiercely loyal comrades Non and Ursa, Zod takes over Earth in about three days and acts incredibly pompous while doing so. He really believes that world domination is his birthright and that every living thing is beneath him. How many villains make the President get down on his knees? You'd kneel before Zod in a heartbeat.
Coming soon- The 50 Greatest Villains Volume II 1-25
No comments:
Post a Comment