By Alyssa De Leo
Published Oct 1, 2024
Follow
Followed
Thread 5
Link copied to clipboard
Sign in to your Collider account
Every movie needs a memorable villain. Perhaps this statement isn’t entirely true for all films, but the inclusion of a strong antagonist can elevate a good film to a great one. It's no wonder that villains are usually the most memorable characters in any given movie. Having a character who creates conflict and stands in the way of the protagonist achieving their goal is a bonafide way to heighten the stakes of a story.
Cinema has presented audiences with a slew of standout bad guys over the years, with some becoming more popular than the hero. A number of these movies owe their success primarily to their villains and the actors who portray them, from comic book movies like The Dark Knight to '80s action romps like Die Hard. These villainous performances are nothing short of perfect, thanks to how accurately they embody cruelty, precision, and the sheer desire to hurt.
10 The Joker (Heath Ledger)
'The Dark Knight’ (2008)
The Joker, Batman’s famed nemesis, is one of the most iconic villains in all of pop culture. There have been multiple iterations of the Joker by different actors over the years. Some have been highly praised, like Joaquin Phoenix in Joker, and others not so much, like Jared Leto in Suicide Squad. However, there is a consensus that the best Joker to hit the big screen is the late Heath Ledger’s version in The Dark Knight.
The Dark Knight is a great Batman film, thanks to Christopher Nolan’s sleek direction and action, but you cannot talk about the movie without mentioning Ledger’s Joker. The former heartthrob completely disappears into the role, conveying both the physical and mental derangement of the Clown Prince of Crime while also being disturbingly charming and absolutely arresting. The Dark Knight would not have been what it was without Ledger’s presence.
The Dark Knight
PG-13
Action
Thriller
Drama
Crime
Superhero
Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Release Date July 18, 2008Director Christopher NolanCast Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Nestor Carbonell, Ritchie Coster, Cillian Murphy, Chin Han, Gary Oldman, Eric Roberts, William Fichtner, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, David Dastmalchian, Anthony Michael HallRuntime 152 MinutesWriters Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan, David S. Goyer9 Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike)
‘Gone Girl’ (2014)
Gone Girl is a David Fincher-directed crime-thriller that flips the typical ‘missing persons’ narrative on its head and is full of shocking twists and turns. At first, audiences are led to believe that beloved wife and daughter Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) has disappeared and that her husband, Nick (Ben Affleck), may have killed her.
It is at the halfway mark of Gone Girl that we discover that Amy is not only alive but is also a psychopathic mastermind. Amy is not a victim but has instead faked her disappearance and framed her husband because of his infidelity. This modern femme fatale is chillingly portrayed by Pike and is as equally calculated and brilliant as she is twisted and unsettling. Much like Amy, Pike is seamlessly able to slip between sweet and sinister, delivering a career-defining, perfect performance that has pretty much cemented her as a modern cinematic icon.
Gone Girl
9.50
Drama
Documentary
Mystery
Thriller
Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
See AlsoBradley Cooper's 10 best and 10 worst movies, according to critics Release Date October 1, 2014Director David FincherCast Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Carrie Coon, Kim DickensRuntime 2h 29mWriters Gillian Flynn8 Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem)
‘No Country for Old Men’ (2007)
No Country for Old Men is often hailed as one of Joel and Ethan Coen’s best films, winning the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2008. The gritty neo-noir flick follows Llewyn Moss (Josh Brolin), a hunter who stumbles upon over two million dollars in cash from a drug deal gone wrong. The hunter becomes the hunted, as serial killer Anton Churgurh (Javier Bardem) pursues him to get the money.
No Country for Old Men largely succeeds thanks to the eerie and unnerving performance from Bardem as Chirug. This cold and borderline inhuman killing machine will stop at nothing to get his hands on the money and will kill everything in his path in order to do so. From his vile haircut to his lack of emotion or empathy, Bardem’s Oscar-winning performance goes down in the history books.
No Country for Old Men
R
Thriller
Drama
Crime
Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Release Date November 21, 2007Cast Kelly Macdonald, Woody Harrelson, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee JonesRuntime 122 minutesWriters Ethan Coen, Joel Coen7 The Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton)
‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1939)
Aside from the Evil Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) from The Wizard of Oz was mainstream Hollywood’s first true movie villain. It remains one of the most beloved fantasy films of all time and still holds up today, pretty much defining the fantasy genre. All the way back in 1939, Hamilton embodied the epitome of evil as the Wicked Witch, who is set on taking the ruby slippers from Dorothy (Judy Garland).
Every aspect of the Witch’s physical appearance has become iconic and influential, from her pointy nose and hat to her green skin. Hamilton's take on the green witch certainly paved the way for all witches in pop culture that followed, outright defining the archetype. There’s also that piercing and high-pitched witchy cackle from Hamilton, whose voice and caricature scared generations of children all over the world.
6 Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins)
‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (1991)
Hannibal Lecter is a villain whose complex character continues to be explored in film and TV today, but it’s Sir Anthony Hopkins’s immaculate turn in The Silence of the Lambs that remains the best portrayal to date. In the film, Hopkins plays the cannibalistic serial killer and former psychiatrist who FBI cadet Clarice (Jodie Foster) must talk to in order to catch another killer.
Although Lecter is constantly behind bars and restrained, his menace and unease come from his intelligence. Lecter is deranged but brilliant, meaning he knows how to manipulate people and the way their minds work, which Hopkins displays expertly. Despite only having sixteen minutes of screen time throughout the whole film, Hopkins won the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance, which is an appropriate testament to his chilling efforts. Hopkins' effortless command of the screen and precise, chilly delivery make his performance utterly perfect.
The Silence of the Lambs
R
Crime
Drama
Thriller
Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Release Date February 14, 1991Director Jonathan DemmeCast Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine, Anthony Heald, Brooke Smith, Diane Baker, Kasi LemmonsRuntime 118 MinutesWriters Thomas Harris, Ted Tally5 Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher)
‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ (1975)
Nurses are supposed to be some of the most compassionate and kindhearted people in the world, caring for those during moments of need. That is not the case for Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher), the main antagonist in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. In the film, Ratched works in a psychiatric ward, where instead of helping her patients, she tries to control and dominate them.
When new patient Randle McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) refuses to cooperate with her, the full cruelty and sadism of her character are revealed. Ratched uses her patient’s mental illnesses against them and enforces tyrannical acts of punishment. Fletcher’s performance is utterly disturbing and heartless, making Ratched so easy to hate, and also deservedly won her an Oscar for Best Actress. An embodiment of the coldness of institutions and bureaucracy, Nurse Ratched is one of cinema's greatest titans.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
R
Drama
Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Release Date November 19, 1975Director Milos FormanCast Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Michael Berryman, Brad Dourif, Christopher Lloyd, Will Sampson, Danny DeVitoRuntime 133 minutesWriters Lawrence Hauben, Bo Goldman, Ken Kesey4 Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz)
‘Inglourious Basterds’ (2009)
Christoph Waltz has famously won two Best Supporting Actor awards at the Oscars, both for films directed by Quentin Tarantino. One was for Django Unchained, where Waltz plays a good guy, and the other for his breakthrough role in Inglourious Basterds, where he definitely does not play a good guy. In Tarantino’s World War II set genre-bending film, Waltz portrays Hans Landa, a cold-blooded Nazi Colonel who is known as "The Jew Hunter."
Landa has a huge ego and takes pride in his ability to hunt down Jews and slaughter innocent people. Waltz is highly intimidating in his portrayal but also surprisingly charismatic, making Landa all the more unsettling yet fascinating to watch. He is a vicious man who is full of hate, self-confidence, and a borderline deluded vision of himself and his role, not only in the war but in history. All these qualities radiate in Waltz’s screen presence and approach to the character.
Inglourious Basterds
R
Drama
War
Adventure
Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Release Date August 21, 2009Director Quentin TarantinoCast Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, Mélanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Eli Roth, Michael Fassbender, Daniel Brühl, Til SchweigerRuntime 153 minutesWriters Quentin Tarantino3 Red (Lupita Nyong'o)
‘Us’ (2018)
In her dual role in Jordan Peele’s horror film Us, Lupita Nyong’o plays both the central protagonist and antagonist. The story follows a family on vacation who are hunted by their doppelgängers. Nyong’o plays the protective mother Adelaide but truly shines as her stoic, cunning, grotesque counterpart, Red, who leads the pack of murderous lookalikes.
Red is a Tethered who lives a suppressed and inhumane existence like the rest of her kind. As she tries to usurp Adelaide’s life for herself, viewers learn that there is much more to her backstory and identity. Nyong’o brings a creepy physicality to Red, as well as a raspy whisper to her vocals. She is able to craft Red as a completely distinct villain and is impressively believable in doing so. In the pantheon of great Oscar-robbed horror performances, Nyong'o's Red reigns supreme.
2 Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman)
‘Die Hard’ (1988)
Alan Rickman may best be known for playing the bitter and cunning Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies, but he fully got to showcase the entire spectrum of his villainy in the ‘80s action classic Die Hard. In the film, Bruce Willis plays John McClane, a cop who tries to save his wife as she is held hostage at Nakatomi Plaza along with others. Terrorist Hans Grueber (Rickman) is orchestrating the criminal plot.
Grueber is suave and level-headed but has a rage inside him that is antagonized by McClane’s interference. He wants to run a smooth operation but also won’t hesitate to kill those who don’t cooperate. Rickman brings magnetism and sophistication to this inherently evil character. While McClane is the hero, it is hard to take your eyes off of Rickman. If there's any movie where the villain steals the whole show, it's Die Hard; that's not a dig at Willis, whose McClane is an all-time great movie hero, but rather the biggest praise one can give to Rickman's career-defining, genre-changing performance.
Die Hard
R
Action
Thriller
Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Release Date July 15, 1988Director John McTiernanCast Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson, Paul Gleason, William Atherton, Hart BochnerRuntime 132 minutesWriters Roderick Thorp, Jeb Stuart, Steven E. de Souza1 Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates)
‘Misery’ (1990)
Based on the book by Stephen King, Misery is a simple thriller elevated by its clever storytelling, isolated location and a wonderfully insane villain. After an accident, author Paul Sheldon (James Caan) is rescued by Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), who claims to be his biggest fan. While she initially helps him recuperate, Paul reveals he has killed off the heroine in her favorite novels. In response, Annie holds him captive and turns her seemingly protective care into smothering and dangerous control.
Annie Wilkes is a character who takes the idea of obsessive fandom to a whole new level. She physically abuses Paul so that he is restrained to his bed and cannot leave, showcasing the depth of her lunacy. Bates is exceptional in the role, bringing to life Annie’s unhinged nature and madness with alarming authenticity. Bates won the Academy Award for Best Actress, one of the rare instances where a horror performance has taken the top prize at the ceremony. Thanks to her career-best work, Misery is one of the best King adaptations.
Misery
R
Horror
Thriller
Drama
Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
*Availability in US
Release Date November 30, 1990Director Rob ReinerCast Richard Farnsworth, James Caan, Lauren Bacall, Frances Sternhagen, Kathy BatesRuntime 107 minutesWriters Stephen King, William GoldmanNEXT: The Best Villain Origin Movies, Ranked
- Inglourious Basterds
- The Dark Knight
- No Country for Old Men
Follow
Followed