This may be a good companion thread to Emily's inquiry about possibly writing a script about John Wayne Gacy. Screencraft has posted this article on why the Hans Gruber character from "Die Hard" is the best screen villain of all time. And though I share their admiration for this character that was so brilliantly played by the late Alan Rickman, he wouldn't be my pick for the best bad guy. There are many lists of top villains of all time and you can go online to view some of them. Though I don't think they're the best, I rather enjoyed Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey as the bad guys in "Under Siege" and thought they brought amazing humor to their characters, which is largely why that film works so well in spite of the wooden acting of lead player Steven Seagal. However, I was largely amazed that history has rolled over who I believe is one of the greatest antagonists of all time, the character of Messala in "Ben Hur" that was superbly realized by British actor Stephen Boyd. This magnificent film by William Wyler won the academy award for best picture in 1959 and still resonates with viewers. And for me, there are few films that have offered such a balanced protagonist and antagonist; and the satisfaction the viewer experiences when Messala meets his well-deserved end. Who is your pick for best villain? https://screencraft.org/2016/01/19/5-reasons-why-hans-gruber-is-the-grea...
Screenwriting : Writers, is Hans Gruber the best screen villain of all time? by Phillip E. Hardy, Prolifique
Other topics in Screenwriting:
Check out Trending Discussions
Register / Log In
2 people like this
Hans was good, but my top five still are Hannibal Lecter, Tyler Durden, Frank Booth, Don Logan, and Alex DeLarge. https://www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/Villains-That-We-Love-and-Why
3 people like this
Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey were awesome in their roles. A cocktail of humor and psychotic. Hans Gruber is in my Top Five all tine. The scene where he rattles off imprisoned brothers to be freed and says he read about The Asian Dawn in Tima Magazine as one of the best in the film. It's not easy to come up with a definitive one. Max Cady in CAPE FEAR was relentless until the end. Psychology and mental games is just slow torture. Everyone wanted to see Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus get his in GLADIATOR. He was a great villain.
2 people like this
@Bill: Ooh, great list my friend. Mommy! I forgot about Frank Booth. And Don Logan is an incredibly nasty character. I love Sexy Beast and have it on DVD. It features my favorite performance by Ray Winstone and Ben Kingsley amazed Siskel and Ebert with his remarkable acting. The perfect combination of mentally and physically menacing.
Owen - what a consummate actor. From Gandhi to Meyer Lansky. From Bruce Pandolfini to Itzhak Stern. From Jack Warner to Frank Booth. Imagine if he read one of your scripts and said "I'm gonna do the job, Owen. I'm gonna do the job. Yes, yes, yes, YES, YES!"
1 person likes this
No Heath Ledger's Joker and it's not even close....
Honorable Mention: "Yes she will Precious.....she will get the hose...." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCSZfmbFJyQ
2 people like this
Bill: Definitely honorable mention. Ted Levine's performance as Buffalo Bill was so clever and oddly entertaining. His line "Was she a great, big fat person?" is a classic. I can't understand why they can't sell his house. I understand the last owner did a nice job fixing it up.
1 person likes this
Phillip - check out the backstory on The Silence of the Lambs. It was one of the fastest big-budget movies to go from pre-production to production in recent years.
2 people like this
Maybe not the best ever, but one of the best. Hannibal Lector is a great villain too.
2 people like this
Just a note: Lecter is the sidekick in SILENCE - he helps Clarice apprehend the villain, Buffalo Bill. Lecter is even amusing, so that may make him a comic relief sidekick. :) Since I have a massive chapter on DIE HARD in my Action Screenwriting Book, you can probably figure out how I feel about Hans Gruber.
2 people like this
William - I'd call him more than a Sidekick. He's also a Mentor and a Reflection Character for Clarice, and he also becomes the Villain in the parallel story to the main story. He ends up killing, what, three people in the film (two cops and the psychiatrist). And didn't he make one of the other inmates kill himself, too? And at mid-point, there are two clearly established Villains. It just shows us how great of a story The SIlence of the Lambs is, and how complex the writing is. When one character successfully embodies all of those character types, that's some serious writing.
1 person likes this
Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds might be my favorite movie villain. Simultaneously charming and terrifying, civilized and monstrous. If TV villains count then Killgrave in Jessica Jones is brilliantly loathesome.
1 person likes this
Owen: I threw Joaquin in the ring a few rounds ago! Nice one with MARGIN CALL. Let;s not forget Gordon Gekko from WALL STREET.
1 person likes this
Gary Oldman's character in 'The Professional' is pretty great.
2 people like this
Hans... Bubbie...
2 people like this
Thanks for the laugh Stephen! I enjoyed the Ellis character. When he says "I can give him to ya" and flashes that $2 used car salesman smile that says "trust me" even though he's lying though his teeth!
3 people like this
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
3 people like this
@Stephen: I totally forgot about Javier's portrayal of Anton in NCFOM. What a fun, creepy character with bad hair. Definitely ranks as one of the best. I'd like to add the character of Johnny Friendly "from On the Waterfront". His exchange with Terry Malloy's character at the climax really makes the viewer want to see Terry open a giant can of whoop- ass.
2 people like this
Christian Szell in Marathon Man.
1 person likes this
I'm gonna go a bit left field and suggest Ralph Fiennes as Harry in In Bruges... a couple of classic quotes... 1) An Uzi? I'm not from South Central Los fucking Angeles. I didn't come here to shoot twenty black ten year olds in a drive-by. I want a normal gun for a normal person. 2) Did I ask you to be his psychiatrist? No. I asked you to fucking kill him. 3) Natalie: [Harry gets angry and is destroying the phone, his wife approach him, saying:] Harry. Harry! It's a inanimate fucking object! Harry: [to wife] You're an inanimate fuckin' object! Classic!
2 people like this
@Richard F: Is it safe? Indeed, Sir Larry delivered quite a chilling performance in Marathon Man. @Anthony: Ralph is always so brilliant and equally adept at comedy and drama. His turn as Harry is a work of art. I also loved him in The Grand Budapest Hotel. Truly a gifted actor and Ralph also made top twenty list all time villains for his incredibly chilling performance as Amon Goeth in Schindler's List. He brings his humanity to every character good or evil.
1 person likes this
The shark in JAWS
1 person likes this
Phillip - good shout, he's outstanding in Grand Budapest!
1 person likes this
hat's right, Bill. He's a mentor, ally and villain all in one. Lecture is one of the best if not the best of the best. Why? Because he's not big and looks harmless but his voice and intellect are what makes him a great villain. Just him talking to his cellmate Migs, he's able to cause the guy to kill himself.
1 person likes this
Don't forget Norman Bates from Hitchcock's Psycho too. His looks are deceitful.
Tao - you said it. Migs? I hope that wasn't Stage32's Migs. Just kidding, Migs. Extra points to Tao for remembering the name of Dr. Lecter's cell neighbor, Multiple Miggs.
1 person likes this
HONORABLE MENTION: Salvatore Tessio, The Godfather. Cunning and sad-eyed, this villian was the ultimate traitor to the most honorable of Dons, Don Michael Corleone. His attempt to have Don Corleone whacked at a supposed meeting of peace between the families instead led to his own deserved downfall. "Tell Mike it was only business, I always liked him." RIP, Tessio. RIP Abe Vigoda (February 24, 1921 - January 26, 2016)
HONORABLE MENTION: Joe Gideon, All That Jazz. Oh wait...he was a nice villain. Never mind. The Mob, Jesus Christ Superstar. They weren't nice villains. Crucify them! Count Fosco, The Woman in White. He makes Hans Gruber look like Hans Solo.
The Child Catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Not sure but did anyone mention Kevin Spacey as Verbal in THE USUAL SUSPECTS?
My man, Owen! What's good! Daniel Day Lewis nails the character in every movie he's in. That man's a beast!
1 person likes this
Owen: I agree, DDL eats up the butcher and I love his acting in that film. But I have a different take on the movie. To me, the Butcher is the honorable villain who take a deceitful Amsterdam under he wing and embraces him like a son and is subsequently betrayed by the whiny, little punk ass. I know BTB has his character flaws but he honors Amsterdam's father the priest as a fallen enemy and in my eyes, it's Amsterdam who is dishonorable. Perhaps the DDL's brilliance in making admire BTB and I also think Scorsese might have intended the viewer feel that way.
2 people like this
I've always thought that Gruber was great, but I also think Ricardo Montalban as Khan is often overlooked as a great villain in film as well. He's one of the reasons why STII is considered the best of the Trek films. And of course, we can't overlook Hannibal Lecter and Nurse Ratchet.