It’s been a couple of years since I’ve written a Top 5 post. I think I ran out of ideas and couldn’t keep up with the monthly iteration. I’m thinking about reviving it but perhaps only as inspiration strikes and not necessarily on a monthly basis. With that said, let’s do my Top 5 movie villains (these are in no particular order).

Palpatine and Darth Vader
  • Palpatine & Vader – It’s really more Palpatine but Vader is one of the best villains in cinema history and Palps is responsible for that.
  • Hans Gruber – You can’t go wrong with Alan Rickman as a bad guy and Die Hard is such a great (not-Christmas) movie!
  • The Joker – This is Heath Ledger’s Joker, from Christopher Nolan’s Dark Night trilogy. Yes, I have respect for Jack Nicholson’s Joker but Heath’s performance and delivery are amazing.
  • Agent Smith – Speaking of great dialog and delivery, Hugo Weaving in The Matrix trilogy is easily one of my favorite villains. He has such venom in his voice during so many of his scenes; I love it! Jonathon Goff was decent in the 4th installment, but he doesn’t compare to OG Smith.
  • Hannibal Lecter – Anthony Hopkins; need I say more? He is an amazing actor and, given the fact he won the Oscar for his role in The Silence of the Lambs really speaks for itself.

It’s really difficult to pick these because there are a plethora of “good” bad guys to pick from. I had to go with the ones that I find myself quoting most often and/or had some of the best evil dialogs.

Honorable Mentions

Let’s go back to my comment about Alan Rickman as a bad guy. The Sheriff of Nottingham (from Prince of Thieves) and Snape almost made the list. Although, does Snape really count as a villain? He’s more of an obligated protector of Harry and the epitome of “tough love”. If I did a top 5 actors who play villains (and maybe I will), Alan Rickman would definitely be at the top.

Alan Rickman as the Sheriff of Nottingham spoon quote

I’m not a fan of horror/slasher films. Perhaps some of those villains also deserve a top spot; characters like Michael Myers, Freddie Krueger, or Jason Voorhees. I think I’ve only seen the first Halloween movie and, maybe, one Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th. These guys are getting honorable mentions, mostly, for nostalgia.

Who are your favorite villains in cinema?

film real

“The screen is a magic medium. It has such power that it can retain interest as it conveys emotions and moods that no other art form can hope to tackle.” 
– Stanley Kubrick