DVD Talk Forum - Who is the greatest movie bad guy? (2024)

"Can you fly, Bobby?"
"Cops don't like me. So I don't like cops."
"I work for Dick Jones! DICK JONES!"

One of those great character actors who's equally at home as a good guy or an a-hole, but Clarence Boddicker is what he'll be remembered for(at least as far as his film career is concerned).

It's hard to say. One of my personal favorites is Robert Mitchum as the homicidal preacher in Night of the Hunter.

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No love for Mola Ram?

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"better to burn out than fade away." :up:

2 of those are comical at best.
rickman in die hard would have been a better choice, but still laughable as 'greatest' of all time.

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I guess it all depends on what you look for in a good bad guy. Also on whether you are looking at it as "greatest" from the point of view of the charcter itself, or "greatest" from the point of view of an actors portrayal of a villain.

Now, I admit that that, especially as characters, they are not high in the running as "the greatest" (frankly, I was just listing off villains that I liked), but, from the point of view of best portrayal of a villain by an actor, I would put Rickman as the Sheriff of Nottingham up there against almost anyone. At the moment, I can't think of a villain that I've enjoyed watching more. He's a great example of character that you want to stick around as long as possible, but you also really want to get it in the end at the same time.

But again, that is not the character himself, but Rickman's portrayal of that character.

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I'd probably pick Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in Godfather II. Since he's evil I think he should count.

Some other favorites include:

Rutger Hauer in Blade Runner
Henry Fonda in Once Upon a Time in the West
Richard Widmark in Kiss of Death
Leigh Van Cleef in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
and of course: David Patrick Kelly in The Warriors

Hmm, funny that you mention The Godfather Part II since I was going to bring up Hyman Roth as an honorable mention. He was almost good enough to bring down Michael.

However, I'll go ahead and say Dennis Hopper as Frank Booth in Blue Velvet. That was one sick, crazy SOB.

Yeah right, that movie is always getting pounded on.

Um, no! It only makes him a better character, rather than the typical shallow two-dimensional character who only has one motivation, to be evil.

Lots of good ones here. I'll add Alan Raimy (John Glover) in 52 Pick-Up.

I concur with Kurtwood Smith in RoboCop. He was one of the greatest all-time and the top villain in the film. But the movie also had two more almost as good villains in Bob Morton (Miguel Ferrer) and Dick Jones (Ronny Cox). How many movies have three great villains?!

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Kakihara from Ichi The Killer

Bob Morton wasn't really a villain. Sure he had some connections, but wasn't pure evil like Dick or Clarence.

Dark Helmet from Spaceballs

(probably Kahn in a seriousish movie)

Oooh! Good call. Sympathetic and deadly. Well played, too. Now I have to choose.

Nope. I can have two favorites. :p

Given the popularity of the film, I'm surprised the following bad guy doesn't get more love (or in this case, maybe hate):
The under(h)ated, King Edward the Longshanks as played by Patrick McGoohan in "Braveheart"

And a more personal choice:
Bruce Dern from John Wayne's "The Cowboys"

"Say hello to my little friend" also love that scene with immigration officers at beginning of the movie and he's being questioned "hey, where did you get that scar eating p****? lol lol I love it!!!