My Favorite Movie Villains

A movie's villain is often times the most interesting character in the film. They've usually got engaging personalities, they get to do whatever they want no matter how reprehensible, and actors generally like playing the villain more than the hero, so you get to see a lot of great performances, too. 

You'll notice some overlap of film choices between this list and My Favorite Movie Heroes, but not much. Very few movies have an all-time great hero and villain. It's no coincidence that in the three cases of overlap for me, the movies are among my absolute favorites. 

Don't forget to check out Kyle's list of his favorite Movie Villains at Enter the Movies!

1. Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix)

-- Gladiator (2000)

There was a lot of stiff competition to snag the top spot on this list, but Commodus won the "honor" for a lot of reasons. What really sets him apart from the other high ranking people on this list is he's so weak - morally, mentally, physically - that it makes him even eviler in the end. He does terrible things to the people around him to compensate for his own shortcomings, his feelings of inadequacy, and his general lack of character. He murders his own father to gain control of Rome after he's done nothing (except being born) to earn the position; He sends his best general (and lifelong acquaintance) to be executed so that no one will challenge him;  He has said general's wife and child murdered, just out of spite; he forces an incestuous relationship with his sister and then threatens her child to keep the sick dealings going. Not to mention how he sacrifices the lives of dozens and dozens of gladiators in the Colosseum just to celebrate his non-achievements. Phoenix plays the role perfectly, capturing all the different aspects of Commodus' personality - his anger, mistrust, quiet self-loathing, and his petulant whining -  without going too far over the top and even added to the character with some great moments of improvisation. Phoenix is one of my favorite actors - I had taken notice of him several years before Gladiator and was thrilled for his "breakout" role - and he's delivered many stunning performances, but I can't imagine him ever creating another villain as wonderful as Commodus. 

2. Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman)

-- Die Hard (1988) 

Alan Rickman's death last year hit me harder than any other recent celebrity passing. The man was so versatile, so charming, and such a skilled performer that it broke my heart to know he wouldn't be able to give movie audiences any more great performances. My favorite of his roles is easily Hans Gruber in Die Hard and it's remarkable to know that it's his very first film performance after doing only a dozen or so television episodes. Gruber is a cool, calculating, and menacing individual - he doesn't care who he has to hurt or kill to accomplish his goal, he's going to do it. His mostly calm demeanor and silky smooth voice help to hide the kind of person he really is, but only up to a point, namely when he executes a man without batting an eye. Even though they're physically separated for most of the film, Rickman's screen chemistry with Bruce Willis is fantastic. Their interactions are one of the aspects that make Die Hard such a great film and I'm not sure if any other actor could have captured Gruber in the same way. 

3. John Doe (Kevin Spacey)

-- Se7en (1995)

Even though we don't get to see very much of John Doe - he's only on screen for the final act of the film - we get to see his preparation, his work, and his victims throughout and it shows what kind of person he is. A psychotic, yet highly intelligent and detail orientated individual, who goes to great lengths to commit a series of murders disguised as social commentary. I'm not sure if the detectives in Se7en would have ever captured John, so he did them a huge favor by turning himself in, but even that was just part of his overreaching plan. Kevin Spacey has turned in a bunch of incredible performances over the years, but this is the role I most often think of when his name comes up. He does so much with so little screen time and manages to steal all of the scenes away from Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, which is no small task. Spacey doesn't resort to histrionics to do it, either. He's unnervingly calm and collected as he's recounting the terrible things he had down and that just adds to the creepy factor. 

4. The Joker (Heath Ledger)

-- The Dark Knight (2008)

I'm not a fan of Christopher Nolan's Batman series, but Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker is flat out astounding. When it was first announced that Ledger would be playing the famous villain, I was immediately dismissive of the idea. I had yet to be impressed by anything Ledger had done and I didn't think The Joker needed to be rehashed - Batman has a wealth of worthy foes that hadn't been seen on the big screen, as Batman Begin's Scarecrow proved. After seeing The Dark Knight in the theater, I was happy to admit I had been wrong about the casting and using the character again. Ledger's Joker was so vastly different from Jack Nicholson's in the "original" Batman that it hardly felt like the same character even. The aspect I liked most of Ledger's performance is all the little physical quirks - the lip licking, eye twitching, and just how The Joker moves around - and how he looks - the makeup, hair, costume- and sounds. The Joker completely overshadows Batman in his own movie and Ledger acts circles around Christian Bale as the Caped Crusader. From what I've read, Nolan gave Ledger free reign to try whatever he wanted and what resulted is one of the most compelling villains I've ever seen.

5. Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher)

-- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest keeps popping up on my blog - and for good reason, it's one of my absolute favorite films - and there was no doubt in my mind that Nurse Ratched would make this list. The only reason she's not ranked higher is that she's not as evil as the four men who preceded her here. One of the brilliant aspects of Louise Fletcher's Oscar-winning performance is how she doesn't overdo anything. In the beginning, Ratched is tough, probably overly so, but it seems like she truly cares for the patients on her ward. Of course, she eventually goes way overboard and shows signs of true villainy - especially with her interactions with poor Billy Bibbit - and her dictatorial persona. If you don't want to comply with Ratched's rules, she'll speak to you in a smooth, calm manner and then blackmail you or order a lobotomy! Fletcher has been consistently working in TV and film since the late 50's, but she's never topped her work in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. It's understandable, though, since this is such an all-time great role and performance - it would be the highlight of any actress's resume.

6. Percy Wetmore (Doug Hutchison)

-- The Green Mile (1999)

When you consider that The Green Mile also features "Wild Bill" Wharton (so perfectly played by Sam Rockwell) - a murdering child rapist and all around foul human being - it's telling that the most unlikable character is easily Percy Wetmore, the sniveling, conniving, cowardly, and utterly detestable guard who is not only reviled by the prisoners he oversees, but also by his own co-workers and supervisors. Percy whines and uses his connections in the state government to get a job he doesn't deserve and cannot handle and then continues to push until he can work an execution first-hand, just so he can see a man die, up close and personal. He purposely sabotages the execution and is responsible for one of the most horrible on-screen deaths in recent years and then feigns innocence when he's confronted. I haven't seen Hutchison in much of anything else, so I don't know if his performance in The Green Mile was a fluke, but he's completely believable as Percy - his face, body language, and speaking voice combine to make a person you'd just love to punch - so much so that I can't imagine him anyone else in the role. Like the best villains, you can't help but be happy when Percy gets his comeuppance in the end.

7. T-1000 (Robert Patrick)

-- Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)

The T-1000 is easily the coolest, most interesting character in Terminator 2, which is saying a lot since T2 is one of the best action films I've seen and has two great main characters - Schwarzenegger's Terminator and Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor almost made my list of Favorite Movie Heroes - and a handful of great supporting characters. The T-1000 has the ability to morph into pretty much anything he wants, is practically an unstoppable killing machine, and is played with a cool, detached manner by Robert Patrick, which almost makes it hard to root against him. The fact that he's chasing after the annoying John Connor (Edward Furlong - AKA the reason the film gets a 9.5/10 rating and not a 10/10 from me) adds to that, as well. Patrick has long been one of my favorite character actors and I'm sure his performance here was among the first I ever saw. He can play just about any type of person, but he'll always be the T-1000 for me.

8. Darth Vader (David Prowse/James Earl Jones)

-- Star Wars (1977)

-- The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

-- Return of the Jedi (1983)

-- Rogue One (2016)

If you take into account the whole original trilogy, Darth Vader goes from full on villain to a slightly redeemed father figure. He orders the destruction of an entire planet - killing billions of totally innocent people just as a way to prove his power - and tries several times to murder his own estranged son, all the while terrorizing his own subordinates if they dare to cross him. At the same time, he's subservient to The Emperor, a man who doesn't seem to deserve the allegiance that Vader bestows, so that makes him seem a little weak. It's the combination of all these traits that help to make Darth Vader so compelling and memorable. Other than his character traits, the costume design plays a big part in his allure. Vader simply looks cool. The all black design - save for some brightly colored lights on his electronic apparatus - work together to make one of the most iconic costumes ever. Add in James Earl Jones' wonderful voice work and you get something magically. Darth Vader is so awesome that not even the lame prequel trilogy could sully his great character and his tiny, five-minute cameo in Rogue One was easily the best part of that middling film. It's a shame that the Star Wars franchise is going to continue - probably indefinitely if they keep making money - but we'll never get to see more of Darth Vader.

9. Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates)

-- Misery (1990)

Almost all of Stephen King's books have been adapted for the screen - in films and TV shows and miniseries - over the last 40 years, but none of them have included more perfect casting than Misery did. If you've read the book, you know that no one other than Kathy Bates could have been chosen for the role of Annie Wilkes, the very unhinged #1 fan of the very unfortunate writer, Paul Sheldon. It seems as if King wrote the book with Bates in mind. Almost every physical detail about the character matches the actress and Bates is such a talented performer that she easily slips into the mental mindset of Annie. The combination of the physical and the mental is astounding. Annie is, at times, sweet and caring - almost motherly - but then can flip into a deranged mental patient in an instant, with so little effort or warning that it's shocking. The "hobbling" scene is by far the most famous moment in the movie, but I tend to gravitate to the smaller, more intimate moments or when Annie loses her cool and "swears" at Paul. As a proficient swearer myself, I love Annie's version of curse words - especially "ol' dirty bird" and "cock-a-doodie". Misery isn't a great film, but Annie is such an exceptional character and Bates gives such worthwhile (and Oscar-winning) performance, that the whole film is elevated. 

10. Lotso (Ned Beatty)

-- Toy Story 3 (2010)

It may be a family film, but Toy Story 3 deals with some dark subject matter and can get pretty intense at times. Most of these times are somehow related to Lotso, the leader of all the Sunny Side Daycare toys - a position he took by force and keeps with intimidation and fear. Lotso may look cuddly and smell like strawberries, but if you don't follow his instructions and bend to his will, he will turn on you quickly. He's not above casting "disobedient" toys into the dumpster to be destroyed or lying to his friends and family to get his way. When we learn about his backstory, the audience is tempted into feeling sorry for Lotso and maybe even forgiving him for his past offenses, but when he's presented with the chance to really redeem himself, he goes back to his old tricks. In an infuriating moment, Lotso has the chance to save the Toy Story gang, but instead sends them all to what he thinks will be their fiery deaths. That is dark. Ned Beatty was a great choice to play the role, as he's got a sweet and twangy drawl but can transform into serious and scary in an instant. When we last see Lotso, he's tied to the front of a garbage truck, destined to live forever with the smell of nasty garbage in the air and bugs flying at his face. He probably deserves worse, but I'll take what I can get.

Honorable Mentions:

* Noah Cross (John Huston) in Chinatown *

* Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig) in The Devil's Rejects *

* Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) in The Shining *

* Warden Norton (Bob Gunton) in The Shawshank Redemption *

* Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) in The Nightmare on Elm Street *

There's my list! What do you guys think? Which of your favorite heroes did I forget? Do you think any of my choices don't belong? Let me know in the comments below! 

Next in the series, my Favorite Films from the 1980's!