John 2,032 Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 Thought this would make for a fun discussion, so here goes. What are some movie antagonists from this century that you believe will be remembered as some of cinema's most memorable, iconic villains years from now? Here's my top three. Anton Chigurh: No Country for Old Men (2007) Daniel Plainview: There Will Be Blood (2007) Gollum: The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post #SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted December 3, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted December 3, 2018 Dixon Hill, Holko, Ricard and 1 other 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstrox 6,651 Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 Hans Landa from Inglourious Basterds! JoeinAR and Brónach 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corellian2019 386 Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 Dick Cheney in Vice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Illustrious Jerry 3,356 Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 I thought Gothmog had an unforgettable face. Director Krennic was quite a villain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeinAR 1,949 Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 Delores Umbridge. Order of the Phoenix. Mrs. Carmody The Mist! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Disco Stu 15,495 Posted December 3, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted December 3, 2018 Societal inertia, Lincoln Addiction, Requiem for a Dream A. A. Ron, Gnome in Plaid and Not Mr. Big 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post crocodile 8,012 Posted December 3, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted December 3, 2018 I think Theresa May is not bad. Not as good as Maggie but still decent enough. Karol Disco Stu, TheUlyssesian and Brónach 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulin 3,511 Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,234 Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 6 hours ago, Disco Stu said: Societal inertia, Lincoln A very Stuish post. A24 and Bilbo 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Parker 3,040 Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 29 minutes ago, TGP said: A very Stuish post. All he needed to add was "Fate, every Coen Brothers film"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,333 Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 9 hours ago, John said: Daniel Plainview: There Will Be Blood (2007) Not a villain. TheUlyssesian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,012 Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 So is this the thread where everyone avoids mentioning Heath Ledger's The Joker? Karol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,333 Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 I hope so, it's getting tiresome. TheUlyssesian and Naïve Old Fart 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,012 Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 Maybe, but what does it have to do with him being a good villain? Karol Chen G. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasey Kockroach 2,344 Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 JoeinAR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,333 Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 11 minutes ago, crocodile said: Maybe, but does it have to do with him being a good villain? Karol I guess Millennials wanted a James Dean of their own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasey Kockroach 2,344 Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 mstrox 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bespin 8,481 Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 Germans and Russians still make great villains in the 21st century. JoeinAR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,527 Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 Russians such as Irina Spalko, with all those wubble-yous? Bespin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,359 Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 13 hours ago, Fabulin said: As far as really worthy and memorable villains go, however—Joker and Palpatine. 6 hours ago, crocodile said: So is this the thread where everyone avoids mentioning Heath Ledger's The Joker? Karol ??? Fabulin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,012 Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 12 minutes ago, Jay said: ??? He probably meant Jared Leto. Karol mstrox 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweeping Strings 2,358 Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 Camp and somewhat sympathetic whilst also being murderously scheming and vengeful is not an easy combo to pull off, but Javier Bardem does so spectacularly as Skyfall's Silva. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasey Kockroach 2,344 Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 Lord Shen really does unfortunately exemplify how pathetic Disney’s been the past decade or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Ollie 1,059 Posted December 4, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted December 4, 2018 Zach Snyder. JoeinAR, Naïve Old Fart and John 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulin 3,511 Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romão 2,274 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 I'm very fond of Kylo Ren and Davy Jones, I must say. But Anton Chigurh and Ledger's Joker were probably the ones that left me the biggest impact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John 2,032 Posted December 5, 2018 Author Share Posted December 5, 2018 20 hours ago, Alexcremers said: Not a villain. Nah, pretty sure he qualifies. 19 hours ago, crocodile said: So is this the thread where everyone avoids mentioning Heath Ledger's The Joker? Bit of a mixed bag for me. Ledger's performance is terrific and justly praised, but I feel the character isn't written particularly well and his motivations are nebulous at best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Parker 3,040 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 2 hours ago, Romão said: Davy Jones Good call! I'm not a fan of the movies, but I'll give credit where credit is due. 1 hour ago, John said: Bit of a mixed bag for me. Ledger's performance is terrific and justly praised, but I feel the character isn't written particularly well and his motivations are nebulous at best. I can agree with this, although I think his motivations were very clearly defined, including the classic line about the world burning. In fact, for a dude who loved chaos so much, he loved to discuss just how chaos-inducing his plans and actions were so many steps of the way. Gotta admit, @John, I'm having a real hard time coming up with any that haven't been mentioned, especially compared to the decades prior your criteria..I could pop those out of my head by the handful. I wonder if it's because theatricality and "loudness" in presentation is considered to be too camp, or simpleminded nowadays. Everything has to be more grounded, more nuanced, more "true to life". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstrox 6,651 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 The closest thing we got to a memorable horror villain in the last 18 years is Jigsaw. JoeinAR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Parker 3,040 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 34 minutes ago, mstrox said: The closest thing we got to a memorable horror villain in the last 18 years is Jigsaw. Oh yeah, good call on that, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,333 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 5 hours ago, John said: Nah, pretty sure he qualifies. Nah, there are no heroes and villains in There Will Be Blood. It's not that kind of a movie. Dixon Hill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 5 hours ago, John said: and his motivations are nebulous at best. Wasn't that the point of Ledger's Joker though? Dixon Hill and A. A. Ron 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,012 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 Yeah he was supposed to be like shark in Jaws -- a force of nature. Karol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brundlefly 2,385 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 2 hours ago, crocodile said: Yeah he was supposed to be like shark in Jaws -- a force of nature. Better example: the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 7 hours ago, mstrox said: The closest thing we got to a memorable horror villain in the last 18 years is Jigsaw. STDs, It Follows White people, Get Out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glóin the Dark 1,221 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 Age, Amour. Disco Stu 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crumbs 14,314 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 Ivanka Sponko (Indiana Jones and Kindgom of the Crystal Skull) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John 2,032 Posted December 5, 2018 Author Share Posted December 5, 2018 11 hours ago, Alexcremers said: Nah, there are no heroes and villains in There Will Be Blood. It's not that kind of a movie. He absolutely is a villain. He's the ultimate backstabber. No reasonable person would ever want to meet this man. He would offer me gold, give me coal, then destroy my world just to get the coal back. He's a character who feels everyone is against him, whether they know it or not, and therefore must become his servants or be annihilated. 11 hours ago, Stefancos said: Wasn't that the point of Ledger's Joker though? Not really. I mean, the Joker supposedly does have an end goal, but it's very contrived and convoluted, and some pretty damn big plot conveniences really make you suspend your disbelief. There are many points in the film that make you question how the Joker is "ahead of the curve" so much and so frequently, that he has the most calculated, pin-point accuracy of what and where everything is, how it will unfold, and what his next move will be. And Nolan just slaps on the titles "agent of chaos" and "messenger of fate" to cover up the fact that the character is poorly written. Compare him to a character like Chigurh, who, despite his similar lack of backstory, has a clearly definable goal (retrieving the drug money/killing anyone involved) and his own set of moral values/guidelines. It's the difference between believability and unbelievability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chen G. 3,949 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 29 minutes ago, John said: I mean, the Joker supposedly does have an end goal, but it's very contrived and convoluted. "Contrivance is fine" - Vince Gilligan. John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,333 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 37 minutes ago, John said: No reasonable person would ever want to meet this man. No reasonable person would want to meet me. Doesn't mean I'm a villain though .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,527 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 I...drink...your...milkshake! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstrox 6,651 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 I haven't seen that movie, but anybody who touches my milk shake is a villain through and through. John and Naïve Old Fart 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulin 3,511 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,333 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 18 minutes ago, Fabulin said: Chirrut Chigurh is overrated. Dude walks around and kills people. Could as well be Jason Voorhes. Or Harvey Dent. Or whatever else that walks and destroys the surroundings. What makes Joker a great villain is not his bombs or schemes, but the fact that in contrast to silent, terminatorish characters, who could as well be rolling rocks or angry bears, he is chatty, smart and sane, which makes it applicable to think of punishments for his deeds. And yet he cannot be punished at all... And he cannot be even stopped, because his philosophical "discovery" spreads all over the place. Frustrating, because he appears to be more powerful than his physical body. But The Joker isn't scary, not as Nicholson or Ledger. He's not in my top 10 and he never will be. OTOH, Anton Chigurh is scary, because, no matter how smart you are, whatever you do, wherever you are, he'll find you. He's a living nightmare. BTW, I don't understand why a chatty villain is better than a silent one. There's plenty of great villains who barely talk. John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trent B 337 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 How about Gary Oldman as Ivan Korshunov from Air Force One? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 Not the 21th century. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Nick Parker 3,040 Posted December 5, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted December 5, 2018 1 minute ago, Stefancos said: Not the 21th century. Thank you for continuing the lisp from the thread title! It's like a motif. A. A. Ron, Holko, The Illustrious Jerry and 1 other 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 What? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,359 Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 He's saying it's supposed to be 21st, not 21th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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