# Movies with no good guys **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 2, 2004, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-no-good-guys/243167 "2004-05-02T17:13:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-no-good-guys/243167/1 "2004-05-02T17:13:59Z")
I was reading the thread [Eastwood fans: Which is the best Clint Eastwood movie?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=254021), ; there were quite a few votes for _Unforgiven_. I thought that was a terrific movie, and particularly enjoyed the fact that it wasn’t a typical “good guys vs. bad guys” western; every main character in the movie was despicable in his own right, it was just that Gene Hackman was “more bad” than Clint Eastwood. The fact that we are able to root for the “not quite as bad as the other guy” guy is what made it the best picture of the year and one of my favorite westerns ever. Any other movies you can recommend that have no “good guys”? ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-no-good-guys/243167/2 "2004-05-02T17:15:59Z")
_The Usual Suspects_ ? ---
**Author:** ![TPWombat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@TPWombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TPWombat)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-no-good-guys/243167/3 "2004-05-02T17:16:56Z")
**A Clockwork Orange**. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-no-good-guys/243167/4 "2004-05-02T17:20:58Z")
- Rexevoir Dogs\*. Even the cop wasn’t good. He was just… there. Bleeding and screaming, and bleeding some more. I think that was the freakiest beginning of a movie I have ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-no-good-guys/243167/5 "2004-05-02T17:23:17Z")
Payback Pulp Fiction Casino Goodfellas ---
**Author:** ![Engywook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bc8723/32.png) [@Engywook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Engywook)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-no-good-guys/243167/6 "2004-05-02T17:42:25Z")
> [@Thea Logica](#): > > - Rexevoir Dogs\*. > > Even the cop wasn’t good. He was just… there. Bleeding and screaming, and bleeding some more. What about Harvey Keitel’s character? I do need to see this film again, but IIRC he was full of compassion and integrity. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-no-good-guys/243167/7 "2004-05-02T17:45:15Z")
**The Getaway** with Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-no-good-guys/243167/8 "2004-05-02T17:45:22Z")
“Monster” with Charlize Theron. But for all time “nobody good at all” movie try [Twisted Obsession](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098407/) (US title) with Jeff Goldblum. Ick, ick, ick. ---
**Author:** ![JoeSki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b487fb/32.png) [@JoeSki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeSki)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-no-good-guys/243167/9 "2004-05-02T17:46:53Z")
The Good the Bad and the Ugly. The name might have you beleiee otherwise, but don’t forget Clint kills three bounty hunters in the very beggining just so he could have Tuco all to himself. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-no-good-guys/243167/10 "2004-05-02T17:49:07Z")
[Very Bad Things](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0124198/) ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-no-good-guys/243167/11 "2004-05-02T18:37:44Z")
Alien: Resurrection Natural Born Killers The 9th Gate Almost: Lolita (Mrs Haze in the movie may be stupid, but not a bad person.) Suicide Kings ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-no-good-guys/243167/12 "2004-05-02T18:45:34Z")
Knockaround Guys Leaving Las Vegas Training Day No Way Out Bound The Game The Heist ---
**Author:** ![kurivaim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7c8e57/32.png) [@kurivaim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kurivaim)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-no-good-guys/243167/13 "2004-05-02T18:50:13Z")
_The House of Sand and Fog_. Basically, everybody’s a fuckup. The main characters are incredibly close-minded and selfish, and then the biggest supporting character is a fucking scumbag through and through. It’s a really good film, but not what you’d call ‘the feel-good movie of the year’ or anything. ---
**Author:** ![Selkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Selkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Selkie)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-no-good-guys/243167/14 "2004-05-02T20:29:00Z")
L.A. Confidential ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-no-good-guys/243167/15 "2004-05-02T20:44:01Z")
If you read “L.A. Confidential” you would agree that their are no good guys, but in the film, the three principal characters (White, Exley, and Vincennes) are all flawed in some way, but they are all ultimately revealed to be good guys at heart. ---
**Author:** ![cmason32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@cmason32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmason32)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-no-good-guys/243167/16 "2004-05-02T21:21:28Z")
True Romance ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-no-good-guys/243167/17 "2004-05-02T23:11:07Z")
> [@kurivaim](#): > > _The House of Sand and Fog_. > > Basically, everybody’s a fuckup. The main characters are incredibly close-minded and selfish, and then the biggest supporting character is a fucking scumbag through and through. It’s a really good film, but not what you’d call ‘the feel-good movie of the year’ or anything. I don’t know. Depend on who you consider the “main characters”. I had a bit more sympathy for the Iranian couple then for the girl and the cop, even though the Col. was an asshole at times. The Iranian wife and kid were most sympathic, the Col. slighlty less so, the girl not much at all(Damnit, just take some responsibility instead of blaming everyone else!) and the cop got what was coming to him. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-no-good-guys/243167/18 "2004-05-02T23:11:34Z")
> [@kurivaim](#): > > _The House of Sand and Fog_. > > Basically, everybody’s a fuckup. The main characters are incredibly close-minded and selfish, and then the biggest supporting character is a fucking scumbag through and through. It’s a really good film, but not what you’d call ‘the feel-good movie of the year’ or anything. I don’t know. Depend on who you consider the “main characters”. I had a bit more sympathy for the Iranian couple then for the girl and the cop, even though the Col. was an asshole at times. ---
**Author:** ![EvilHamsterOnCrack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@EvilHamsterOnCrack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilHamsterOnCrack)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-no-good-guys/243167/19 "2004-05-02T23:15:35Z")
First thing to pop into my mind was “Once upon a time in mexico”. None of the main characters were “good”, the only one who can even be considered relatively good was El Mariachi, and even he was a badass in desperado. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-no-good-guys/243167/20 "2004-05-03T04:32:11Z")
“Glengarry Glen Ross.” One of my favorite movies, despite that fact that every character in it is a scumbag. It’s a mark of how well the movie succeeds that we find ourselves rooting for some of these guys to make a sale… even though we know that would entail some innocent person getting scammed. I’ve never been a Jack Lemmon fan, frankly. I always thought he was a one-note, overrated actor. But he was brilliant in this film- first, he shows us Sheldon Levine the Sad Sack Who Can’t Make a Sale But Desperately Needs To He makes us pity that guy and root for him. But when Sheldon finally thinks he’s made a sale, Lemmon quickly shows us what a bastard Sheldon must have been when he was on top of the game. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-no-good-guys/243167.md?page=2)