Top Five Villains

by Arturo Virzi

They say a film is only as good as its villains.

1. Nurse Ratched (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest)

The passive aggressive nurse from the film antagonizes McMurphy’s representation of life. She is the top villain because she hides her maliciousness and lack of empathy through the veil of serenity and false reason. Nurse Ratched drives the mental patients into madness by forcing shame and guilt upon them. I don’t think I’ve ever loved hating a character so much.

2. Amon Goth (Schindler’s List)

Nazi’s are scum, we all know that. But no Nazi is as sadistically evil as Amon Goth in the film, Schindler’s List. Nobody, in any film ever made, personifies cruelty and death as well as Ralph Finnes (I honestly mean that in a good way). What makes Goth such a fascinating villain are his weaknesses rather than his strengths. Spielberg portrays his anti-Semitism, prejudice, and hatred, as an after birth of his own feelings of inferiority and debilitating demons. His inhumane and irrational disgust is nothing more than a defense mechanism, and even though we never feel any form of sympathy towards the monster, he does manage to inspire pity.

3. Norman Bates (Psycho)

Alfred Hitchcock is Alfred Hitchcock, ‘nuff said. But how did Hitchcock becomeHitchcock? Well, he might have to split credit with Anthony Perkins, who embodies the phrase “bat shit insane” as the psychotic mama’s boy; Norman Bates. It’s an incredible testament to Hitchcock’s ability that the film stands the test of time, and remains as engrossing (and as twisted) as ever.

 4. HAL 9000 (2001: Space Odyssey)

Man’s creation turning against him is one of those age-old clichés in sci-fi, but that doesn’t take away from the fact it’s still an incredibly creative idea (and a possibility). HAL 9000 does not possess an iconic face, like everyone else on this list, but a voice, instead… a terrifyingly chilling cold voice.

5. T-1000 (Terminator 2)

T-1000 contributes the much needed cool factor to the article. Yeah, I know… Robert Patrick is a pretty scrawny guy, especially when you put him next to The Governor. But it’s pretty impressive to watch T2 now days and see just how The T-1000 manages to overcome the almost impossible task of standing through the test of time. The special effects haven’t aged a bit, and he still looks as menacing as ever.  Robert Patrick equate Cameron’s technical accomplishments with a totally bad-ass attitude, and prevents the T-1000 from becoming just another CGI flavor of the month. He remains as frightening and as awesome as ever, and he doesn’t feel like a bunch of pixels put together, but an incredibly good idea unbelievably well executed, instead.  

Honorable Mentions

The Joker (The Dark Knight), Anton Chigurn (No Country For Old Men), Salieri (Amadeus), Travis Bickle (Taxi Driver), Keyser Soze (The Usual Suspects), Hans Landa (Inglorious Basterds), Death (The Seventh Seal), and Darth Vader (Star Wars).

On the next Top Five: Tarantino characters…