Over the years that movies and TV have focused on the “bad guy” in modern day settings, be they factual, fictional, or even fantasy, certain actors have acquired the persona of “the bad guy” to the point that they rarely get other roles. On the other hand, some accomplished actors have been cast for the “good guy” or at least a “neutral guy” often enough that their “bad guy” roles don’t force them into a typecasting situation.
Given the breadth of roles that would qualify as “bad guy” who do you think is the consummate bad guy in a modern day situation?
Please don’t include the “bad guy” from Westerns or Period Pieces, even if the actor you nominate has done successful interpretations in those eras. Use the period from the Jazz Age (1920’s) to current as the period in question.
Here are some examples you might choose from:
Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone
Robert DeNiro as Vito Corleone
Al Pacino as Michael Corleone
James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano
Warren Beatty as Clyde Barrow
James Cagney in many roles
George Raft in many roles
Robert Mitchum in Cape Fear
Michael Rooker in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
If you can’t narrow it down to one actor or one role, it’s okay to give a short list. The main idea is to develop a list of the very best of the bad.
Christopher Walken as Vincenzo Coccotti in True Romance.
“That smarts, doesn’t it? Getting slammed in the nose. Fucks you all up. You get that pain shootin’ through your brain, your eyes fill up with water. That ain’t any kind of fun, but what I have to offer you, that’s as good as it’s gonna get. And it won’t ever get that good again.”
Alan Ford as Brick Top Polford in Snatch.
“Feed 'em to the pigs, Errol.”
P.H. Moriarty as ‘Hatchet’ Harry Lonsdale in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels .
“I mean, it’s a liberty. And I can’t have liberties taken, can I Barry?”
Kevin Spacey as ‘John Doe’ in Se7en .
“I visited your home this morning after you’d left. I tried to play husband. I tried to taste the life of a simple man. It didn’t work out, so I took a souvenir…”
Nicely done, Scupper, and I’m sorry I overlooked the Walken character in True Romance myself.
Here are some others I’ve though of since the OP:
Robert DeNiro as Al Capone in The Untouchables
Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter in several movies
Michael Madsen as Mr. Blonde in Reservoir Dogs
Mickey Rourke as Harry Angel in Angel Heart
Samuel L. Jackson as Jules Winfield in Pulp Fiction
Ving Rhames as Marsellus Wallus in Pulp Fiction
James Cromwell as Lt. Dudley Smith in L.A. Confidential
Peter Lorre in The Maltese Falcon (“You faaaat, bloated eediot!”)
Speaking of Gary Oldman, he did great as the miscolored gangster/pimp Drexel in True Romance. “I know I’m pretty. But I ain’t as pretty as a couple of titties.”
Alan Rickman ought to count as one of my all-time favorite movie villains, Hans Gruber in Die Hard.
And what about Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs?
Although the role was tiny, Richard Widmark as Tommy Udo in Kiss of Death (which starred Victor Mature – not the remake with David Caruso) was sufficient to land him fatter roles of the sort as follow ups. He became much more varied in his portrayals and some of them were even “good guy” types, but the Tommy Udo giggle was blood curdling.
We might consider adding spoilers for some of these…
Hitman: Joubert (Max von Sydow) in Three Days of the Condor.
Serial Killer: Gotta go with Jame Gumb (Ted Levine) in Silence of the Lambs.
Gangster-Mobster: Too numerous to count. I personally liked Teddy KGB (John Malkovich) from Rounders for over-the-top performances. As for real-life portrayals, I figured most real gangsters are like Chuck Pancamo (Chuck Zito) in Oz.
Robert Loggia’s “Mr. Eddie” in David Lynch’s Lost Highway is pretty amazing.
*I want you to get a driver’s manual ! I want you to study that motherfucker! And I want you to obey
the goddamn rules! Fifteen fucking thousand people were killed on the highway last year because of fucking assholes like you !
Tell me you’re going to get a manual !
I will g-get a manual.
Fucking ldiot!
I’m sorry about that, Pete. But tailgating is one thing I cannot tolerate.*
Most of my favorites have been mentioned, but I’ve got one for mobster: Bob Hoskins as Harold Shand in The Long Good Friday.
Oh yeah, andwhat the hell: for hitman I’ll nominate Paul Genge and Bill Hickman as the pair of Dodge Charger-driving hitters in Bullitt. They never have a spoken line, but somehow they seem totally realistic and therefore all the more frightening; a couple of anonymous, middle-aged guys who are all business.