10. Hans Gruber
Film: Die Hard (1988)
Portrayed By: Alan Rickman
The internationally feared German terrorist was the mastermind behind the heist at Nakatomi Plaza, where he and his armed gang attempted to overtake a Christmas party and steal $640,000,000. Unfortunately for Hans and co, off-duty cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) was on hand to spoil their night.
Meanest Moment: President of Nakatomi Trading, Joseph Takagi, tells Hans he’d rather die than give the terrorists the code to the company’s vaults, Gruber duly obliges.
9. Colonel Hans Landa
Film: Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Portrayed By: Christoph Waltz
The first of a number of Nazis on this list, and Quentin Tarantino’s self-confessed ‘greatest character he’s ever written, Colonel Hans Landa is known to his peers as The Jew Hunter thanks to his keen ability to located those hidden throughout occupied France.
Meanest Moment: He toys with a French farmer, knowing all along that the man is hiding Jews in his basement.
8. Keyser Söze
Film: The Usual Suspects (1995)
Portrayed By: Not saying anything here…
Mythical criminal boss Keyser Söze has never been seen by anyone, some believe he may not even exist at all, just a spook story that criminals tell their kids at night. However, when a group of South Americans claim to have the one man who can positively identify Söze, five seemingly small time crooks are tricked into a plot to kill this man on a boat, Söze himself appears in the harbour…
Meanest Moment: Again, not saying anything here. But if you’ve seen the film, the final 10 minutes will tell you everything you need to know!
7. Detective Alonzo Harris
Film: Training Day (2001)
Portrayed By: Denzel Washington
He’s not exactly known for playing the bad guy, but Denzel Washington turned in an Oscar winning performance as the corrupt cop who is probably the last person Officer Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) wanted or expected to be placed with on his first day on the job!
Meanest Moment: Abandoning Jake with a couple of dodgy poker players, who have been paid to kill the good cop.
6. Hannibal Lecter
Film: The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
Portrayed By: Anthony Hopkins
Another Oscar winning villainous portrayal, this time from Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal The Cannibal. The only other thing Lecter enjoys as much as the taste of humans is messing with the mind of FBI agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster).
Meanest Moment: Hannibal tells Clarice a chilling story about eating a victim’s liver ‘with some fava beans and a nice chianti’…
5. Emperor Commodus
Film: Gladiator (2000)
Portrayed By: Joaquin Phoenix
The cowardly son of the true emperor Marcus Aurelius, Commodus, becomes extremely jealous when informed by his father that Russell Crowe’s army leader Maximus will be the heir to the throne. In his rage, he assassinates his father and orders the deaths of Maximus and his family, in order to become the emperor himself.
Meanest Moment: Maximus returns home to find Commodus’ orders carried out and his wife and son hanging from the walls of the family home.
4. Adolf Hitler
Film: Downfall (2004)
Portrayed By: Bruno Ganz
I don’t really have to explain this one, right?
Meanest Moment: There’s a bunch of them! But one that sticks out is when the dictator loses his rag and launches into a furious tirade when he realises the war is all but lost. Search Youtube for ‘Downfall parody’. You’ll know the scene…
3. The Joker
Film: The Dark Knight (2008)
Portrayed By: Heath Ledger
No list of ultimate bad guys would be complete without this crazy clown and Batman’s greatest nemesis. The Joker has no clear plan and just seems hell-bent on causing Gotham City as many problems as possible, but at least it keeps the city’s caped superhero busy! Heath Ledger took on the role already immortalised by Jack Nicholson and bettered it, winning a, sadly posthumous, Oscar in the process.
Meanest Moment: ‘Want to see a magic trick? I’m going to make this pencil disappear’…
2. Anton Chigurh
Film: No Country For Old Men (2007)
Portrayed By: Javier Bardem
Javier Bardem portray’s the psychotic hitman for hire, who’s craziness is only increased by the way he leaves his victim’s fate purely down to chance over the toss of a coin. To top it off, he has surely one of the most terrifying bowl-cuts ever committed to celluloid.
Meanest Moment: Chigurh taunts a helpless ageing store-owner by asking him the most he ever lost on a coin toss.
1. Amon Goeth
Film: Schindler’s List (1993)
Portrayed By: Ralph Fiennes
Fiennes puts in a chilling portrayal as the death camp commandant who has no empathy with the poor prisoners he watches over. You know he’s a pretty bad guy when he even manages to out-villain his boss Adolf, in films from the past 30 years at least!
Meanest Moment: Goeth partakes in some shooting practice from the balcony of his home which overlooks the death camp.
So what are your thoughts on this list of villains? Should Nicholson’s Joker in Tim Burton’s Batman be ahead of Heath Ledger’s alternative? Or despite his redemption in 1983’s Return Of The Jedi, should Darth Vader appear for his dastardly turn to the Dark Side in 2005’s Revenge Of The Sith?
CLAN:30 Film Festival 