Brando’s Top Ten Villains on Film

All actors know that even though they become franchise players through playing the good guys, it’s always more fun to play the bad boy.  When playing a proper villain, most actors are able to push the boundaries of their craft in ways no good guy role would ever let them attempt; often times showcasing a level of talent that most didn’t know they possessed.  However, the flip side to that assessment is that even though playing the bad guy lets an actor throw caution to the wind and really go all out with a role, many times the roles themselves are simply not complex enough to stand the test of time. 

 Yeah, Gabriel Byrne did it better.  In a Schwarzenegger flick.

However, once in a great while, an actor jumps into a role and blows away all expectations of the character and creates an iconic performance that stands the test of time and cements them in the public’s consciousness so deeply that they are remembered forever. And of those top caliber performances, only a select ten earn the right to go on Brando’s list of top ten villains on film. 

The editors of SpoilerAlert Podcast would like to mention that Brando is going to be listing what he considers are the best villains of all time, not necessarily the scariest.  Also, as in other articles, Brando is woefully incapable of discussing these films without giving away the plot and revealing tons of spoilers, so now you have been warned and you cannot be pissed at us if the ending gets ruined by this article. 

I mean, you could.  But isn’t this really all your fault?

Yeah, thought so.

10.  Freddy Krueger – Nightmare on Elm Street – 1984

Played by Robert Englund

Talk about longevity, this guy has shown up in eight separate films not to mention staring in his own television show (Freddy’s Nightmares, 1988-1990), which is one of his detriments.  Overexposure on an epic level caused this guy to be reproduced into almost satirical levels, and people tend to forget that at one time this guy was one of the baddest baddies out there.  What’s more is that he knew exactly how freaking awesome that he was.  Crude, utterly perverted, and probably the only “victim” in cinema history that deserves exactly what he got, Englund’s monster became one of the most iconic horror images of all time.  The scariest aspect of his power is that he can attack you in the real world as well as the dream world, and once he shows up there is absolutely nothing that can be done to deter him from coming back again and again.  Everyone remembers Nancy (Heather Langerkamp) desperately attempting not to fall asleep because she knows how much more vulnerable she will be in the dream world, much to Krueger’s delight. One of the most terrifying villains of all time, not to mention becoming an image synonymous world wide with horror, Freddy earns his presence on this list.

Villainous Moment: Invisibly killing Tina in the real world while she sleeps after her first nightmare.

9.  T-1000 – Terminator 2: Judgment Day – 1991

Played by Robert Patrick

Known more for the amazing technical advancements that were necessary to bring the character to life on film, Patrick’s best work will live in infamy for his terrifying persona.  By definition, all Terminators are simply well disguised machines bent on destruction, but this time around the bad guy was so threatening that by the time he and Arnold throw down, it is completely believable that the smaller actor could toss the former Mr. Universe around like a rag doll.  From the moment we’re shown the unbelievable liquid metal shifting of his arm into a giant blade, or his osmosis through prison bars, the T-1000 becomes the most terrifying Terminator of all time, complete with their trademarked relentless nature and complete apathy for everything except for their mission.  Patrick’s performance is especially noteworthy for his complete lack of expression throughout the entire film; even during shootouts or jumping onto a helicopter while it is in the air from a motorcycle, his calm and robotic demeanor never waivers for a moment (at least until his final shot).

Villainous Moment: Acknowledging the pain he is causing Sarah Conner (Linda Hamilton) by stabbing her when she refuses to call to her son, “I know this hurts…”  Freaky.

8.  Darth Vader – The Empire Strikes Back – 1980

Played by David Prowse, Voiced by James Earl Jones

The most visually iconic of villains in cinema history (not to mention the guy with the coolest respirator on any planet), Darth Vader, was the undisputable scourge of the Star Wars universe.  Played onscreen by 6’6’’ Prowse, and outfitted with a completely original helmet for Jones’ iconic voice to forever be linked to (an editing move that Prowse was never informed would occur, and a source of tension for the actor for years after the first film came out), Vader was the first villain that many of my generation ever encountered.  In the first film he was a bit of a lackey (who orders Vader to release ANYBODY?) and in the third he had to deal with family issues (the other three “films” recalling his back story are not recognized by this author, especially Vader’s only on-screen appearance, “Nooooooo!”), but it was in this film that he hit his stride as a premiere bad guy.  He’s cruel, intelligent, powerful, and an absolute master of the force. 

Villainous Moment: Casually sentencing Han Solo to possible death in carbonite freezing with less emotion than most people would give their choice of lunch. 

7.  Anton Chigar – No Country for Old Men – 2007

Played by Javier Bardem

This is what happens when the strong, silent type loses their marbles, and becomes an unstoppable killing machine.  Taunting, relentless, and infuriating polite, Bardem’s portrayal of Cormac McCarthy’s embodiment of evil was Oscar-deserving in every way, and it set the bar for villains for years to come (more on that later).  Chigar’s best feature is that no matter what he is doing, from incredible and violent actions like detonating a clunker with cotton balls to performing ad hoc surgery on himself in a motel room, his calm and disarming demeanor is constantly flipping back and forth from detached to lethal in the blink of an eye.  From the moment that he shows up on film, you know that no matter how much you want the good guy to win, it’s just not going to happen.

Villainous Moment: Never before has simple gas station small talk been as terrifying as when Chigar flips the coin for the attendant’s life.

6.  Bill the Butcher – Gangs of New York – 2002

Played By Daniel Day-Lewis

I wasn’t a fan of the film myself (in all honesty, it gave a LOT of ammo to critics that say that Scorsese uses gratuitous violence for its own sake), but there’s no denying that Bill was absolutely terrifying in every way.  Its just an accepted truth that if Daniel Day-Lewis takes a role, its going to be amazing, but this was the first time we’d ever seen him turn that intensity into a true bad guy (albeit, one who thought he was doing the best thing based upon his perspective).  And the result is Bill, the murderous political heavy who’s iron clad control over the respective Five Points of mid 1800’s New York (and his intensely violent means of enforcing that control) is indisputable; while his lamenting that Liam Neeson’s Priest Vallon was the last good man he ever fought gives Bill excellent complexity as well.  Add in the world’s creepiest glass eye (and him tapping it with his blade!) and you’ve got a master villain.

Villainous Moment: Taunting and then brutally murdering Brendan Gleeson’s Walter ‘Monk’ McGinn after Monk becomes the first Irishman to win elected office against Bill’s wishes.

5.  The Joker – The Dark Knight – 2008

Played by Heath Ledger

Remember when I said that Javier Bardem’s Anton Chigar set the bar for villains for years to come? Yeah, it actually only took a year for this masterpiece to come out and for Ledger to completely leave Chigar in the dust with one of the most unbelievable and likeable performances in years.  Even though Ledger’s unfortunate accidental death generated all of the film’s pre-release buzz; once the world saw his Oscar worthy portrayal of the iconic character, it was so unexpected that it made us all forget about Jack Nicholson (who we all still love).  So good was Ledger in this role that when the sequel came out four years later, there were no misguided attempts to re-cast the role in order to give Batman another round with his greatest nemesis (in fact, out of respect to Ledger’s legacy, the Joker is never mentioned in the final film).  He’s funny without making jokes, klutzy while being deadly accurate, lethally powerful while sporting the physique of a lanky teenager; he’s a comic book character come to life in every sense of the word.

Villianous Moment: He actually makes you see his side of the argument while being interrogated by Batman.

4.  The Shark – Jaws – 1975

Played by Bruce, the animatronic shark

Probably responsible for more people being afraid of the ocean than any other film in the history of cinema, Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece still stands the test of time when it comes to nail biting thrillers.  Surrounded by great performances by some of film’s most likeable stars (Dreyfuss is hilarious in this film), the core of this story is the huge man-eater that shows up and terrorizes a small New England town from the depths below.  Created entirely out stock footage and animatronics, “Jaws” (although the shark is never referred to by that name in any of the films) became one of the most visually arresting of all villains; namely because even though he was the bad guy, he wasn’t really evil.  He’s just a shark that has found an excellent food source and isn’t leaving anytime soon. Critics praised Spielberg’s Hitchcockian choice to keep the shark off camera until the final act, but behind the scenes stories tell us now that this decision had a lot more to do with the fake shark’s unreliability and constant tendency to break down than any conscious decision to present the villain this way.  Whatever it was though, it was awesome; and we all still love this film.

Villainous Moment: Slowly eating Quint while he screams like a banshee the entire time.

3.  Magua – The Last of the Mohicans – 1992

Played by Wes Studi

           

Anyone familiar with SpoilerAlert Podcast knows how I feel about The Last of the Mohicans, and one of the reasons this film is so good is its villain, Magua, the vengeful leader of the Huron battle party.  After having his family killed by the commander of the British forces, Magua sets his sights on vengeance and never waivers for a moment.  Perfectly embodying the brutal methods of Native American warriors of the time, he betrays people, ambushes them, scalps them, and even hacks them to pieces and he does it all with that incredibly unexpressive look on his face.  In fact, his one expressive moment comes when the sachem chief denies Magua’s request to kill both of Munroe’s daughters in order to eradicate Munroe’s bloodline from the earth, the way he promised he would. His motivation is iron clad and he cares nothing for any aspect that would stand in his way.  Most villains feel justified in their actions; Magua feels righteous with every step he takes.

Villainous Moment: Gesturing to Alice Munroe to step back off the ledge with his hand coated in the blood of her friend Uncas that he just killed.

2.  Amon Goeth – Schindler’s List – 1993

Played by Ralph Fiennes

The only one on this list that was an actual person (fake sharks portraying gigantic real sharks don’t count as based on real people), Fiennes’ best work as a psychotic Nazi death camp leader is still a lesson in one of the darkest periods in the history of the world.  So tuned into this character was Fiennes that an on-set story of the film is that while he was in Nazi uniform, he met with a few Holocaust survivors that were on set during filming that day, and his mannerisms and costume were so like Goeth’s that one of the survivors began visibly shaking in his presence.  Incredibly, the most surprising aspect of Goeth’s evil lies in his likeability.  He’s buddies with and even assists the hero of the film at certain times, but even while acquiescing to Schindler’s wishes Goeth is constantly protecting his own selfish desires and murderous tendencies.  His tyranny goes even further than his position requires, and his love of what he does is contrasted only by his confusion over the random twinge of guilt he feels every once in a while.

Villainous Moment: Deciding to kill the boy who cleaned his bathtub right after he pardoned him for not being able to clean away a stain.

1.  Dr. Hannibal Lecter – The Silence of the Lambs – 1991

Played by Anthony Hopkins

He was only on screen for eighteen minutes, and for most of the time he politely instructed Starling into developing the mindset she needed to track down Buffalo Bill. Lecter and Starling’s conversation about her childhood just before he escapes is still one of the best on screen exchanges between two leads in the history of film (the production was actually scheduled to go to Montana and film sections of Clarice’s childhood story, but after seeing Hopkins and Foster’s performances in the dailies, the director immediately scrapped those plans knowing that their acting was perfect).  Hopkins’ iconic turn as the psychotic cannibal remains the most complete villain ever.  His small size and disarming breeding betrays his advantage over anyone in his path; that you simply NEVER know what he’s going to do next.  Brilliant, patient, ruthless, and hungry; Dr. Hannibal Lecter is still the one to beat for greatest of all time.

Villainous Moment: Taking a moment to enjoy the music after slaughtering two prison guards in order to escape.  The bar was set with this one.

Honorable Mention

The G’Mork – The NeverEnding Story – 1984

This author’s personal white whale, and while on the surface this guy might not be the scariest thing out there; but as the most fantastical assassin in the history of film, the G’Mork’s scariest attribute is its complete apathy about its victims.  With its only motivation being accumulating more and more power, combined with its willingness to go to any means to achieve this goal, this villain is simply too much for one boy to face all by himself (which is its biggest drawback, one lunge and Atreyu dispatches it?) The fact is that anything with glowing yellow eyes cannot be trusted, and talking wolves are just plain scary.

Villainous Moment: While lecturing Atreyu on the laws of Fantasia, he reveals that he knows more about the situation than anyone else, and he’s reveling in it.

Happy Halloween from SpoilerAlert Podcast!!

-Brando