I swear i'll be writing more in 2014

Friday, July 15, 2011

Madvillains ... the Final Ten


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 Lecter" in Silence of the Lambs

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.  

No comments:

Post a Comment