Anakin Skywalker/ Darth Vader- Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith
The character is definitely much more evil in the original Star Wars films, but in this episode Skywalker turns and kills a ton of unsuspecting Jedi because they know him as one of their own. That would make him a resident and evil.
Tom Riddle/ Voldemort- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The youthful version of the wizard is more hung up on schoolyard forms of villainy, but there seems little hope the bad seed would ever find his way. We tried to tell you, Dumbledore. Once the kid murders his dad (not on screen), the creep becomes a case study in evil.
The Shark- Jaws
You don’t get much more residential than a nice day trip to the beach. Then out of nowhere, a big old shark eats you. Sure nature is nature, but that doesn’t mean the shark isn’t evil.
Norman Bates- Psycho
He doesn’t track people down. He waits for them to come to his motel. And his mother is quite creepy as well. Norman would be a clearer shoo in as Resident Insane, but the way Psycho plays out leaves me thinking the guy fits just fine into the evil category.
The Joker- The Dark Knight
We all know how impressive it was for Heath ledger to reinvent a character that’s been performed so many times. But rarely has a villain been so crazy… and awesome. Is the Joker a resident of Gotham? We don’t know, but he picked that particular city to be the focus of his evil.
So what do you think? Did we pretty much cover it or do you have a Resident Evil in mind?
Ok, I'll throw my two cents in on this one:
ReplyDeleteFrank(Henry Fonda)-Once Upon a Time in the West(1968)
Henry Fonda had made a career playing the stalwart, upstanding hero mostly. He had dabbled in anti-hero roles but this is his supreme villainous role and boy is he a cold, ruthless SOB. The thing about the role is that he's just not a black hat wearing Western villain caricature. As the film unfolds, we learn about Frank, his motives, his past and his tragedy as a person but, at least I, never empathize or forgive him, just understand. After all, he has the ultimate "kick the dog" moment in the first ten minutes of the movie, and that's hard to get over.
"Reverend" Harry Powell(Robert Mitchum)- Night of the Hunter(1955)
The stakes are never higher and the villain never more despicable than when children are in danger and this film has it in spades. Mitchum is unbelievably menacing down right makes your skin crawl as the psychotic, would be preacher, who thinks he talks directly to God and who moonlights as a serial killer. A supremely creepy and subversive film that only enhances Mitchum's wonderfully malevolent performance.
Harry Lime(Orson Welles)- The Third Man(1949)
The original Citizen Kane makes a wonderful run at Resident Evil in this 1949 Carol Reed picture as the at best amoral criminal mastermind, at worst sadistic sociopath Harry Lime.
"You know, I never feel comfortable on these sort of things. Victims? Don't be melodramatic. [gestures to people far below] Tell me. Would you really feel any pity if one of those dots stopped moving forever? If I offered you twenty thousand pounds for every dot that stopped, would you really, old man, tell me to keep my money, or would you calculate how many dots you could afford to spare? Free of income tax, old man. Free of income tax - the only way you can save money nowadays." So chilling, so calculating. Almost all of his dialogue is amazing, sinister but amazing.
Mrs. Danvers(Judith Anderson)- Rebecca(1940)-
Now it's perfectly well and fine to argue Rebecca as the prime antagonist of "Rebecca" but like Frodo and Sam, she wouldn't have gotten far without her obsessed admirer Mrs. Danvers. A supremely chilling and menacing role, one of the best of all time, across both genders.
Just going to throw a few more, so it doesn't look like I'm a total snob:
ReplyDeleteTommy Udo(Richard Widmark)-Kiss of Death(1947)- Dude is a psychopath who at one point pushes an elderly paralyzed woman down a flight of stairs.
Vince Stone(Lee Marvin)- The Big Heat(1953)- The ultimate cold blooded, scalding hot coffee wielding hood....
Khan(Ricardo Monatlbon)-Star Trek II:The Wrath of Khan(1982)- He's pure awesome as he quotes Klingon proverbs and Melville on his relentless pursuit of Kirk and the crew.
Clarence Boddicker(Kurtwood Smith)- Robocop(1987) Before he was Red in "That Seventies Show" Smith was the cigar smoking, shot gun toting, scene chewing "maker" of Robocop. A completely cold blooded villain who should be as well recognized for his mannerisms and one liners as his despicable actions. "Can you fly, Bobby?"
The Kurgan(Clancy Brown)- Highlander(1987)- While a remake is in the works, I highly doubt that any actor will be able to equal the ferocity and menace of Brown's turn as the oldest and most powerful Immortal. One of my all time favorite character actors, I feel Brown never got his due as one of the best villains of the eighties and maybe of all time.
Hans Landa(Christopher Waltz)- Inglourious Basterds(2009)- Odd ball, ruthless, intelligent, self serving and opportunistic villain, and a Nazi with vaudevillian affectations to boot.
Great ones, Chris. Thanks for reading! With one like Hans Landa, I think the true(ish) subject matter makes him that much creepier. I should have put more Nazis on the list.
ReplyDelete