Leon played by Jean Reno.
Cant believe no one’s mentioned Billy Jack…
He was a righteous badass!
Another vote for the man with no name, hence the sig…
And here I was thinking that you were talking about Sgt. Ash on Brimstone (played by Teri Polo). She was hotter than burning sulfer!
Clint Eastwood in pretty much anything, bust most notably Dirty Harry and the Man with No Name. (in High Plains Drifter he kills 3 people and rapes a woman within the first 20 minutes of the movie)
If I had to hire one character from any movie ever to protect my butt (ignoring God, Superman, and other non-humans) (and also assuming that they would be protecting me in a society where they were familiar with the rules, technology, etc.), I would go with Li Mu Bai, Chow Yun Fat’s character from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. My logic is simple:
That young girl was enough of an ass-kicker that she could casually fight her way through an entire restaurant full of tough, experienced fighters, and come out the other end, basically bored at the experience. And Li Mu Bai was such an ass-kicker that he could outduel her when she had the Green Destiny Sword and he had just a stick.
Yeah… Jack Burton in Big Trouble in Little China.
When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, looks you crooked in the eye and asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol’ Jack Burton always says at a time like that: “Have ya paid your dues, Jack?” “Yessir, the check is in the mail.”
** Jake Heke**
I know most dopers haven’t seen the New Zealand film Once Were Warriors. Jake Heke in this film is the scariest man on the planet. Temuera Morrison plays him as a man with a limitless potential for sudden violence. I’m really shocked Morrison hasn’t become an international star yet (although you may recognize him as Jango Fett in the crapfest Attack of the Clones).
He is not a heroic bad ass, but he is the person I would least want to offend in the celluloid world.
If it’s any consolation, fruitbat, I can honestly say that when Temuera pulled off his helmet in that Star Wars flick I said out loud, “WTF is Jake doing in this picture?”
As a consolation prize, he is the projenitor of an entire army of easily confused badasses with very poor aim.
Lemme toss out a couple for your consideration:
Drexl Spivey: “He must have thought it was white boy day. It ain’t white boy day, is it?”
The Reverend Harry Powell
I’m gonna go with Clint Eastwood as Will Munny. His line about killing everything that walks, crawls or creeps was good. So was the one about burning down your house and killing your wife & dog.
I gotta go with Sgt. Todd 3465 in Soldier:
Sandra: What are you going to do [against 17 men]?
Todd: I’m going to kill them all, sir.
How’s this for a benevolent, low-key badass: Mr. Miyagi from the Karate Kid movies. In four movies and numerous fight scenes against younger, fitter foes, Miyagi has only been hit once – with a spade across the back by one of the Japanese gangsters in Part 2.
In every other fight, Miyagi dominates his opponents without breaking a sweat.
I agree with Keith Berry - Clint’s spaghetti western persona.
Since we seem to be including both heroes and villains, here are one of each:
Hero: Rutger Hauer’s character in Ladyhawke. After being shot with a crossbow, he rides up to the crossbowman, pulls the bolt out of his own chest, and stabs the man with it.
Villain: Max Cady, played by Robert Mitchum in the 1962 version of Cape Fear. Cady sneaks up on a deputy sheriff who’s on guard duty waist-deep in a river, and mercilessly holds him underwater until he drowns, remarking in a conversational tone: “I’m gonna kill you and not leave a mark on you.” Then when the deputy’s dead, Cady pats him on the back and says “Just got too big for your pants!”
Though I’m surprised nobody’s nominated Dr. Hannibal Lecter.
If they ever made a movie of Watchmen, I’d put forth Rorschach… although I’m not sure how to classify him.
** Sofa King**
Great call on Mitchum in Night of the Hunter. One of my favorite movies of all time as well. Strange that given the thread title I keep thinking of villains.
For my hero vote it would have to be Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke. Shares quite a bit in common with Andy Dufresne, plus the fifty eggs of course.
Extra bonus points gained by Russell doing large parts of the role with a broken ankle.
Adding to the Darth Vader love.
“I find your lack of faith… disturbing.”
“I am altering the deal. Pray I don’t alter it any further.”
Too bad he wimped out in Jedi and spent the first 18 years of his life as the most annoying kid in the galaxy.
First of all, until it was explained, I thought Ash was the robot who gets his head ripped off in Alien.
Second of all … Tyler Friggin’ Durden!
Yet another character from Hombre, the Mexican Bandit, played by Frank Silvera.
I dunno about badass, meaning evil, but talk about tough. I mean, the guy gets drilled not quite dead center, and comes up with, “'Ey, hombre! You put a hole in me-e-e.”
DD
And here I thought I’d be the first to say Lucas “Cool Hand Luke” Jackson. 
Sometimes nothin’ can be a real cool hand.