# Bad Guys only. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 24, 2008, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-guys-only/454040 "2008-06-24T11:27:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-guys-only/454040/1 "2008-06-24T11:27:48Z")
After watching The Patriot last night for the gazillionth time (my husband loves that movie), it occurred to me that I’ve never seen Jason Isaacs play a good guy. Or Billy Zane either. Or that guy from Long Kiss Goodnight. . . hold on. . . I’m looking him up. . . Craig Bierko. The thing that gets me is that these are not like the classic bad guys. They don’t look particularly mean or menacing or crazy. In fact, they’re rather good looking. These guys must have played sympathetic characters at least once but I can’t think of when or where. If you can name a movie, I’d like to see it. Also, is there a quintessential bad guy actor? An actor we’d all recognize, even if we can’t name, that never, ever played a good guy? ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-guys-only/454040/2 "2008-06-24T11:31:58Z")
Oh actors? Sorry, I just came here to check in. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-guys-only/454040/3 "2008-06-24T11:39:26Z")
Billy Zane was the Phantom in the bad movie (given the current comic book movie trend, isn’t it time to do a good Phantom movie?). He was the actor in _Tombstone_ too, probably one of the goodest guys in that film, but not exactly a hero part. I think he looks kinda evil, though. At least he has the capacity for it. I actually liked _Demon Knight_ and his menacing villain was the best thing about it. ---
**Author:** ![Linty\_Fresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-guys-only/454040/4 "2008-06-24T11:41:44Z")
[QUOTE=Biggirl] After watching The Patriot last night for the gazillionth time (my husband loves that movie), it occurred to me that I’ve never seen Jason Isaacs play a good guy. Or Billy Zane either. Or that guy from Long Kiss Goodnight. . . hold on. . . I’m looking him up. . . Craig Bierko. The thing that gets me is that these are not like the classic bad guys. They don’t look particularly mean or menacing or crazy. In fact, they’re rather good looking. These guys must have played sympathetic characters at least once but I can’t think of when or where. If you can name a movie, I’d like to see it. Also, is there a quintessential bad guy actor? An actor we’d all recognize, even if we can’t name, that never, ever played a good guy? [/QUOTE] Craig Bierko and Jason Isaacs have played sympathetic characters, Bierko in **The Thirteenth Floor** and Isaacs as Mr. Darling in addition to Captain Hook in **Peter Pan**. I saw Marc Lawrence play mobsters and heavies for a long, long time, before he died at 95. With so many credits to his name, I’m sure there must have been a good guy role here or there, but I never ran across it. Gary Oldman strikes me as an actor who plays either villains or villains with mitigating circumstances. I’ve never seen him play a straight-up sympathethic character. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-guys-only/454040/5 "2008-06-24T11:51:15Z")
[QUOTE=Linty Fresh] Gary Oldman strikes me as an actor who plays either villains or villains with mitigating circumstances. I’ve never seen him play a straight-up sympathethic character. [/QUOTE] I think there’s a gap between villain and straight-up sympathetic character, but Gary Oldman was Commissioner Gordon in _Batman Begins_ and Sirius Black in the Harry Potter films. They weren’t villains. I will agree that he does villain extremely well, though. Rewatched _Leon_ yesterday. Da-amn.“What… filthy… piece of shit did I do now?” “You killed my brother.” “I’m sorry. And you want to join him?” “No.” “It’s always the same thing. It’s then you start to become really afraid of death that you learn to appreciate life. Do you like life, sweetheart?” “Yes.” “That’s good… because I take no pleasure in taking life… if it’s from a person who doesn’t care about it.” ---
**Author:** ![Linty\_Fresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-guys-only/454040/6 "2008-06-24T11:52:43Z")
[QUOTE=Priceguy] I think there’s a gap between villain and straight-up sympathetic character, but Gary Oldman was Commissioner Gordon in _Batman Begins_ and Sirius Black in the Harry Potter films. They weren’t villains. [/spoiler] [/QUOTE] Knew I was forgetting something. :smack: :smack: On edit: Yeah, Gary saved **Leon**! God_damn_, he was good in that! ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-guys-only/454040/7 "2008-06-24T11:58:42Z")
[QUOTE=Biggirl] Also, is there a quintessential bad guy actor? An actor we’d all recognize, even if we can’t name, that never, ever played a good guy? [/QUOTE] [Danny Trejo](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001803/) is the first one who came to my mind. Granted, he may not have been an actual villain in every single role (he has over 150 listed on imdb), but he is consistently a bad mofo. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-guys-only/454040/8 "2008-06-24T12:12:01Z")
[QUOTE=Priceguy] Billy Zane was the Phantom in the bad movie (given the current comic book movie trend, isn’t it time to do a good Phantom movie?). He was the actor in _Tombstone_ too, probably one of the goodest guys in that film, but not exactly a hero part. [/QUOTE] He was the hero in _The Diamond Of Jehru_, which is notable solely for the fact is has a Jungle Carbine .303 in it. And some jungle. And there’s a diamond in there somewhere too. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Promethea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Promethea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Promethea)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-guys-only/454040/9 "2008-06-24T12:14:11Z")
[QUOTE=Biggirl] After watching The Patriot last night for the gazillionth time (my husband loves that movie), it occurred to me that I’ve never seen Jason Isaacs play a good guy. These guys must have played sympathetic characters at least once but I can’t think of when or where. If you can name a movie, I’d like to see it. /QUOTE] Well, Jason Isaacs was fantastic in “The Curse of Steptoe”, portraying Harry H Corbett. Smpathy is a _little_ qualified as Corbett was by all accounts something of a flawed human being, but it is a great well rounded performance and ultimately rather moving. He captures the spirit of Corbett’s screen presence wonderfully without descending into mere impersonation. (Phil Davies is in the same film is also amazing, almost eerie, as old man Steptoe). As for the eternal bad guy, I don’t recall George Sanders played many good guy roles. Also I suppose he might be more accurately seen as the eternal cad/ rotter. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-guys-only/454040/10 "2008-06-24T12:18:58Z")
[QUOTE=Sublight] [Danny Trejo](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001803/) is the first one who came to my mind. Granted, he may not have been an actual villain in every single role (he has over 150 listed on imdb), but he is consistently a bad mofo. [/QUOTE] He sometimes does the old switcheroo where he’s meant to look like a bad guy but is really not so bad. Wasn’t he the one in Desperate Housewives (I know, not a movie) who was sent to keep an eye on Eva Longeria? He then proceeded to scare the crap out of her because he’s so scary but ended up helping her. He’s is the ‘quintessential’ Mexican bad guy. Along with the guy in Blazing “We don’t need no stinking badges” Saddles. (Boy, these character actors are hard to name!) A more recognizable bad guy-- Christopher Walkins. Although he leans more toward the crazy. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-guys-only/454040/11 "2008-06-24T12:41:07Z")
[QUOTE=Biggirl] Also, is there a quintessential bad guy actor? An actor we’d all recognize, even if we can’t name, that never, ever played a good guy? [/QUOTE] Bela Lugosi? ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-guys-only/454040/12 "2008-06-24T13:06:42Z")
Didn’t Gary Oldman also play Sid Vicious in “Sid and Nancy”? I’d totally forgotten about his role as Sirus Black in the Potter movies. He and Walken play the evil, psychotic bad guy very well IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-guys-only/454040/13 "2008-06-24T14:13:48Z")
Alan Rickman might not _always_ play the bad guy, but you forget that he doesn’t 'cause he’s so good at it. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-guys-only/454040/14 "2008-06-24T14:34:17Z")
[QUOTE=Biggirl] Also, is there a quintessential bad guy actor? An actor we’d all recognize, even if we can’t name, that never, ever played a good guy? [/QUOTE] Hm. [Rondo Hatton](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0369061/), maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-guys-only/454040/15 "2008-06-24T14:39:10Z")
[QUOTE=Biggirl] Also, is there a quintessential bad guy actor? An actor we’d all recognize, even if we can’t name, that never, ever played a good guy? [/QUOTE] [Peter Lorre](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Lorre) perhaps. ---
**Author:** ![cormac262](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@cormac262](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cormac262)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-guys-only/454040/16 "2008-06-24T14:46:42Z")
Unless you consider “smug prick” as being a “bad guy”, Isaacs as the NASA scientist who supports the drill-then-nuke approach in “Armageddon” might count as a “good guy”. I think I’ve only seen Zane as not the bad guy in smaller roles (like Dana Delaney’s brother in “Tombstone”). I’ve not seen much of Bierko. But I do recall him being the good guy/lead in “The Thirteenth Floor”. As I checked his IMDB filmography, I didn’t realize he was Max Bear in “Cinderella Man”. I didn’t even recognize him ! I actually thought he did really well in that role. Danny Trejo pretty much can’t avoid playing a bad ass mo-fo just because of how he looks. But maybe his most toned down role was as part of the gang in “Heat”. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-guys-only/454040/17 "2008-06-24T14:49:21Z")
> [@](#): > > Peter Lorre perhaps. Peter Lorre’s played good guys – Heck, he starred as Japanese detective Mr. Moto in a series of films. He played a steward in **Around the World in 80 Days** , a naval officer in **Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea** (the original move), and arguably a good guy in the Roger Corman film **The Raven**. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-guys-only/454040/18 "2008-06-24T14:50:11Z")
[QUOTE=Sublight] [Danny Trejo](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001803/) is the first one who came to my mind. Granted, he may not have been an actual villain in every single role (he has over 150 listed on imdb), but he is consistently a bad mofo. [/QUOTE] Sheesh, he has a bunch of credits for 2008, busy guy! His bios said he’s only 5’ 6.5", but he always seems imposing. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-guys-only/454040/19 "2008-06-24T15:11:44Z")
Jason Isaacs played the reliable gay best friend who nurses a dying Charlize Theron (who’s had a carefree, yet altruistic, last fling with Keanu Reeves) in the execrable **Sweet November**. Trust me, although Isaacs’ character is like a bohemian Albert Schweitzer and his small role is probably the best thing in this movie, you really don’t want to waste two hours on this Bermuda Triangle of Cinematic Suck: the \*WTF?! \* plot and script; Keanu Reeves [always a \*WTF?! \* element in a film]; and the utterly unrealistic fake economics of this tale of a dying woman who still has a very nice apartment, no overly demanding career (that would use up the energy she needs for her altruistic flings) and yet apparently no money troubles. Well, that’s how I remember it, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2008, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-guys-only/454040/20 "2008-06-24T15:20:17Z")
[QUOTE=Linty Fresh] Gary Oldman strikes me as an actor who plays either villains or villains with mitigating circumstances. I’ve never seen him play a straight-up sympathethic character. [/QUOTE] He played Sid Vicious in _Sid and Nancy_ (whether that counts as “straight-up sympathetic” is debatable) and Sirius Black in _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban._ ETA: Tsk. Already covered. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-guys-only/454040.md?page=2)