The very word ‘villain’ elicits vivid images of sheer viciousness and our mind goes swirling back to the scoundrel who makes the hero’s life miserable. He might have the quintessential backstory for seeking vengeance or he might just be pure evil. You might hate most of them. But here are the nine ‘Bad guys’ who deserve every bit of your love.
Keyser Soze, The Usual Suspects
‘Who is Keyser Soze?’ I bet this question brings you back oodles of memories from the time you broke your head trying to figure out the character’s identity. You would’ve patted yourself in the back, thinking you got the con all figured out. But I bet your jaw dropped during the climax, shattering your theories. Supposedly from Turkey, this dubious miscreant is the devil himself, in Verbal’s (Or is that his name?) own words. Kevin Spacey lived as Keyser Soze and amazed us with his exceptional portrayal of Keyser Soze. (Note that he also shares initials with the kingpin). He is definitely the villain we didn’t see coming at all! “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist. And like that, he’s gone.”
Hans Landa, Inglourious Basterds
Tarantino’s movies are always brimming with those small characters who seem to never leave our minds, intriguing us with their brilliant yet tiny screen space. Be it Mr. Pink from Reservoir Dogs or Pulp fiction’s “Pumpkin”. But Christoph Waltz as the unbelievably devious ‘Jew Hunter’ is undoubtedly the director’s one of the best characters. Right from the most vivacious villain intros ever ( How can we forget the acclaimed table scene where Landa destroys Le Padite’s life in minutes), Landa has everything a villain has to have. His fluent French, his extensive love for milk and more importantly his exuberant personality are what brings Landa to this list. We’d never see milk the same way ever again!
Tyler Durden, Fight club
His eccentrically patterned shirt, paired with a bright red leather jacket says about Tyler Durden that no words can say- He lives life to the fullest, and he always has something to say. The beauty about the entire film revolves around our oblivion towards Tyler’s identity. We loved the man for his impeccable confidence and excitement. We didn’t mind his utterly irrational ideas (‘Project Mayhem’ or his infamous ‘fight club’ rules). That never stopped us from falling for him. That is the thing about Tyler. We love him despite his absurd rebellion and that is where David Fincher wins.
The Joker, The Dark Knight
His name is probably the first that popped into your mind when you saw this list. Christian Bale as amazing as he is, has been overwhelming us from the minute Master Wayne lost his parents in the Batman Begins. He is certainly one of the greatest superheroes of all times and it seemed pretty obvious that we should’ve been on his side. But were we? The batman fan in us, told us to root for the caped crusader but in the end we gave up, and cheered for Joker with a sly smirk on our faces (pun intended). And that is undeniably because of Heath Ledger and his more than real acting. Why else would we want batman to fail? Only the Joker can pull that off in us.
Aaron Stampler, Primal Fear
Being one of the most underrated movies, Primal Fear did more than just give us Richard Gere’s wonderful presence. The movie saw Edward Norton debuting as Aaron Stampler, an altar boy who gets caught red handed (also literally) in the murder scene of an admired Archbishop in a church at Kentucky. Aaron Stampler gets our hearts melting with his innocent stutter and at the same time gets our jaws dropped to the floor so hard in the last 3 minutes that our love for Norton vaguely overpowers that for Gere. Remarkably fast paced, this movie is easily Norton’s best.
Dr Hannibal Lecter, The Silence of the Lambs
Atrocious, immoral and peculiar, Jonathan Demme’s serial killer Hannibal has all the three ingredients for a psychopath and is easily one of the most intense villains. Once young FBI trainee Clarice Starling is ordered to interview the man eater, a riveting game of cat and mouse begins. Though the movie first starts to revolve around ‘Buffalo Bill’, it is actually a series of episodes that portray the man and his cannibalistic ways. Our heart goes out immediately to the spectacular Clarice but it is the cop’s relationship with Hannibal, resembling quirky fatherly tones that make the movie an unbelievable watch.
Jack Torrence, The Shining
‘REDRUM! REDRUM!’ If you have read Stephen King’s exceptionally scary book The Shining, I bet you shuddered with terror every time you read those words. The book is certainly one of King’s best and keeping in mind the depth of the character, no one other than Jack Nicholson could’ve pulled off the role of the twisted caretaker of Overlook Hotel. Though the film shares its differences, portraying Torrence in truly horrifying colours, Nicholson with his big sly smirk, steals the show as the mentally disturbed writer who takes up a job at Overlook and slowly loses his mind. You will never be able to read the phrase “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” without getting the chills after this!
Frank Costello, The Departed
“I got this rat. A gnawing teething rat,” says Irish- American Mobster Frank Costello to Billy Costigan,( an undercover infiltrator in the mob), in Scorsese’s The Departed in what is one of the movie’s most chilling conversations. You get Scorsese to direct a gangster live action movie with Nicholson as the villain? The answer is a bewildering rollercoaster of adrenalin rushing moments. The movie primarily revolves around the character’s paternal relationships with Costigan and FBI mole Collin Sullivan. His personality is painted with colours of wonderful uncertainty, leaving us scratching our heads. His brilliant one-liners paired with a tinge of humour is what makes Costello one wicked villain.
Calvin Candie, Django Unchained
Quentin Tarantino’s movies have always featured the most abominable villains and Monsieur Candie might just be the most malicious of the lot. Owner of cotton plantation ‘CandyLand’, this man lives to see his slaves suffer. From the Mandingo fights to his detestable visions against the African Americans, this character is the definition of evil. You might’ve hated him when he took replete joy in watching his fighters die. But you were struck by awe in the movie’s most gripping scene where the vehement Candie breaks a skull with his bare hands, threatening to kill the protagonist’s wife. That was Leonardo Dicaprio at his complete best, giving substance to one of the most revolting villains in cinema.
