10. Kevin Spacey as
"Keyser Soze" in The Usual
Suspects
I didn't include Kevin's role in Se7en even though that serial killer role instills more fear in me
than this one. It's not all about
instilling fear though, this isn't a FOX News special. Everyone loves Keyser Soze, well, accept the
characters he encounters in the film.
9. Daniel Day-Lewis
as "Daniel Plainview" in There
Will Be Blood
Some will probably look at me funny when I say that he's not
a villain, and that Eli is the true villain in this film. They're both basically backsliders and
manipulating people so it's a tough call.
Backsliders is a great word by the way.
8. Al Pacino as
"Tony Montana" in Scarface
His performance in this may be overdone a little (this is Al
Pacino after all), but he's so much fun.
It's strange how Pacino went from being a great actor in the 70s, to
someone who completely overacted in the 80s and 90s, to someone who doesn't
even try to act at all nowadays. Say
what you want about Al, but at least he's covering all sides of the acting
spectrum and not just interesting characters.
7. Jack Nicholson as
"Jack Torrance" in The Shining
Recently around Father's Day I saw that Time magazine did a
"Top 10 Worst Dads of All-Time" and "Here's Johnny" got a
well deserved #1 on the list. As bad as
he was, you have to feel like if you were in that situation with a snooping
kid, an Olive Oil wife, and no booze for several months you'd go crazy too. Who wouldn't?
Best part about the Worst Dad list was that Homer Simpson wasn't even
included. My, how society has
crumbled.
6. Robert DeNiro as
"Max Cady" in Cape Fear
I'm not sure if he won an Oscar for this role and don't feel
like looking because either way, this is DeNiro's last great performance. I've always thought it was a lesser DeNiro
movie but it has aged quite well, especially due to his performance.
5. Javier Bardem as
"Anton Chighur" in No Country
For Old Men
Every time he opens his mouth, something sanely crazy comes
out. My favorite part of his character
was that he didn't kill the old lady at the trailer park as it was his way of
saying to her that her life will be more miserable if he lets her live.
4. Anthony Hopkins as
"Hannibal
He's basically the critic’s darling of villainy. Silence
of the Lambs is a perfect film, and even though I enjoy the other parts of
his story, they've taken away too much of his mystique to be #1.
3. Heath Ledger as
"The Joker" in The Dark Knight
Every time he's onscreen this film reaches a level that very
few ever attain. He can say the biggest
cliché like "you complete me" and it still sounds original. Every time he opens his mouth is captivating. My only disappointment with him in this movie
is he never kissed Maggie Gyllenhaal so Heath could've had the distinction of
kissing both her and her brother Jake.
That'd have been great.
2. James Earl Jones
as "Darth Vader" in the Star
Wars trilogy
Perhaps the best rendition of thee ol' Man vs. Machine
battle is Darth Vader vs. Luke Skywalker.
Darth Vader's mere appearance led me to immediate tears upon his arrival
on the Rebel ship the first time I saw Star
Wars. Of course, I was 5. I begged
and pleaded my mom to take me, promising her I wouldn’t cry, but this was
fucking Darth Vader!
1. Daniel Day-Lewis
as "Bill the Butcher" in Gangs
of New York
Ultimately, he has the most personality, says the greatest
things, and instills a great amount of fear.
If only it wouldn't cost so much to create that outfit for Halloween, I'd
be him every year.
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