# Movies where the good guy and the bad guy never see each other **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 14, 2008, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-good-guy-and-the-bad-guy-never-see-each-other/449274 "2008-05-14T13:12:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-good-guy-and-the-bad-guy-never-see-each-other/449274/1 "2008-05-14T13:12:17Z")
**SMALL SPOILER FOR FIFTH ELEMENT** \*\* I thought this was a particularly charming idea in Fifth Element, although I didn’t notice it until someone pointed it out. Bruce Willis’ character (Korben Dallas) and Gary Oldman’s character (Zorg) never actually see each other, and they don’t even communicate once. I don’t think Korben is even aware of Zorg. I started trying to think of any other examples of this last night and couldn’t. So I turn to you guys. Other movies like this? ---
**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:** [May 14, 2008, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-good-guy-and-the-bad-guy-never-see-each-other/449274/2 "2008-05-14T13:38:29Z")
Well, _Nobody_ saw Ernst Stavro Blofeld’s face in the first several James Bond movies (and Bond himself never physically came into his presence) until 1967’s **You Only Live Twice** , even though Blofeld was the Prime Mover behind the mayhem in every Bond movie up until that point (except for **Goldfinger** ). Although it must be admitted that Bond did meet the other villains in each film. So the Bond-doesn’t-meet-Blofeld movies are: **Doctor No From Russia With Love Thunderball** ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-good-guy-and-the-bad-guy-never-see-each-other/449274/3 "2008-05-14T14:24:45Z")
President Muffley and Premier Kissov in _Dr. Strangelove_? “I’m calling about the bomb, Dmitri… the bomb… the _hydrogen_ bomb…” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-good-guy-and-the-bad-guy-never-see-each-other/449274/4 "2008-05-14T14:27:44Z")
[QUOTE=Anaamika] I thought this was a particularly charming idea in Fifth Element, although I didn’t notice it until someone pointed it out. Bruce Willis’ character (Korben Dallas) and Gary Oldman’s character (Zorg) never actually see each other, and they don’t even communicate once. I don’t think Korben is even aware of Zorg. [/QUOTE] I think it would be hard for him to be completely unaware - the taxi company he works for is owned by Zorg. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-good-guy-and-the-bad-guy-never-see-each-other/449274/5 "2008-05-14T14:30:05Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] President Muffley and Premier Kissov in _Dr. Strangelove_? “I’m calling about the bomb, Dmitri… the bomb… the _hydrogen_ bomb…” 😃 [/QUOTE] The closest thing to a bad guy in that movie, though, is AF General Jack Ripper. The president never meets or sees him, either – but the closest thing to a good guy is RAF Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, who does. ---
**Author:** ![Engineer\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9fc29f/32.png) [@Engineer\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Engineer_Dude)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-good-guy-and-the-bad-guy-never-see-each-other/449274/6 "2008-05-14T14:33:41Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] So the Bond-doesn’t-meet-Blofeld movies are: **Doctor No From Russia With Love Thunderball** [/QUOTE] Then in _For Your Eyes Only_, the camera never shows his face in the opening scene. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-good-guy-and-the-bad-guy-never-see-each-other/449274/7 "2008-05-14T14:34:34Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] I think it would be hard for him to be completely unaware - the taxi company he works for is owned by Zorg. [/QUOTE] Yes, but he has no idea that Zorg is the one trying to hurt Lelu, does he? Or that he is trying to get the stones? Basically Zorg is a faceless entity to him. It would be like being laid off by IBM. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-good-guy-and-the-bad-guy-never-see-each-other/449274/8 "2008-05-14T14:41:13Z")
I’m sure this discussion has come up a couple of times, and _Enemy at the Gate_ is always held up as an example or near-example as well. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-good-guy-and-the-bad-guy-never-see-each-other/449274/9 "2008-05-14T14:47:27Z")
Ed Tom and Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men, if you accept Ed Tom as the good guy rather than Llewellyn Moss. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-good-guy-and-the-bad-guy-never-see-each-other/449274/10 "2008-05-14T14:48:48Z")
In _The Truman Show_, director Ed Harris can see Truman anytime he wants, but Truman never sees the guy controlling his destiny, does he? The Mexican crime boss in _Man on Fire_ and Denzel Washington’s character never see or meet each other, I think. ---
**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:** [May 14, 2008, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-good-guy-and-the-bad-guy-never-see-each-other/449274/11 "2008-05-14T14:58:45Z")
> [@](#): > > Then in For Your Eyes Only, the camera never shows his face in the opening scene. True, but Bond not only meets him, he pats him on the head\*. And he definitely sees his face. \*In **On Her Majesty’s Secret Service** Bond and Blofeld have a knock-down drag-out fight. That was an anomaly – Bond and Blofeld otherwise never got physical. In **For Your Eyes Only** they never touch. In **Diamonds are Forever** , Bond apparently fights Blofeld and apparently dshoots him, but those are revealed to be doubles. He later does bash the poor guy up, but Blofeld’s in his minisub and Bond’s in a crane, and they can’t even see eavh other. ---
**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:** [May 14, 2008, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-good-guy-and-the-bad-guy-never-see-each-other/449274/12 "2008-05-14T15:12:29Z")
Bond never meets Blofeld in the non-Eon film **Never Say Never Again** , too. Althopugh, again, he gets to beat up Largo in this remake of **Thunderball**. Come to think of it, in the first three \*\*Star Wars[/B[ movies made (#4-6 chronologically), only Luke, out of all the Good Guys, ever sees The Emperor. ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-good-guy-and-the-bad-guy-never-see-each-other/449274/13 "2008-05-14T15:14:39Z")
IIRC, the only time that Luke Skywalker sees Darth Vader in the first (fourth) Star Wars movie is when Vader fights Obi-Wan Kenobi – but he never gets to interact with him at all. Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-good-guy-and-the-bad-guy-never-see-each-other/449274/14 "2008-05-14T15:34:04Z")
**All the President’s Men** ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-good-guy-and-the-bad-guy-never-see-each-other/449274/15 "2008-05-14T16:50:56Z")
[QUOTE=zev\_steinhardt] IIRC, the only time that Luke Skywalker sees Darth Vader in the first (fourth) Star Wars movie is when Vader fights Obi-Wan Kenobi – but he never gets to interact with him at all. [/QUOTE] True, unless you count Vader’s TIE fighter chasing Luke’s X-wing and firing at him during the trench battle. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-good-guy-and-the-bad-guy-never-see-each-other/449274/16 "2008-05-14T16:55:29Z")
In Star Trek’s The Space Seed, Kirk meets Khan. But in the movie, they only interact on screen and with phasers. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-good-guy-and-the-bad-guy-never-see-each-other/449274/17 "2008-05-14T16:57:43Z")
In _Patton,_ Rommel puts a lot of effort into trying to understand Patton the general and the man, but of course they never meet. ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-good-guy-and-the-bad-guy-never-see-each-other/449274/18 "2008-05-14T17:07:13Z")
[QUOTE=gonzoron] True, unless you count Vader’s TIE fighter chasing Luke’s X-wing and firing at him during the trench battle. [/QUOTE] Right. But Vader wasn’t chasing Luke’s X-Wing because he was the hero. He was chasing him because he was just another rebel. It’s not so much a hero vs. villian fight as it is a villian vs. some-guy fight. Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-good-guy-and-the-bad-guy-never-see-each-other/449274/19 "2008-05-14T17:24:03Z")
Correct me if I’m wrong, but ISTR that no one ever caught up with or met the assassin in _Day of the Jackal_. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-good-guy-and-the-bad-guy-never-see-each-other/449274/20 "2008-05-14T17:35:12Z")
_Run Silent, Run Deep_ _Tora, Tora, Tora_ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-the-good-guy-and-the-bad-guy-never-see-each-other/449274.md?page=2)