Structuring a cinematographic narrative around a vile, repulsive and selfish character like There Will Be Blood's token capitalist pig Daniel Plainview may seem counter intuitive. In fact, in theory, what kind of person would want to sit through 158 minutes of Plainview mercilessly manipulating his way into an oil baron's fortune and the vast amount of power that comes with it?
Apparently the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, because Anderson's film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
The only possible conclusion to make is this: movie audiences love to hate. In honor of this, below is a compilation of the best of the worst characters in cinematic history. Whether they be serial killers, thieves, or just good old-fashioned villains, nothing is more entertaining than these bad to the bone characters.
1. Hannibal Lecter (The Silence of the Lambs (1991); Anthony Hopkins)
The most quotable serial killer in the history of cinema, the cannibal doctor is undoubtedly the most interesting character that appears in Silence of the Lambs (sorry, Starling). As the unttoppable master of manipulation, he manages to influence plot events... while locked behind bars. This man is so good at playing mind games, he is able talk someone into committing suicide. Even more chilling, he has no apparent motivation for being a cannibalistic psychopath. Evil for evil's sake? Sounds like the best kind of villain.
2. Walter White (Breaking Bad; Bryan Cranston)
What makes the audience pay attention to Walter White, centerpiece of the AMC television series Breaking Bad, is his epic metamorphosis. Throughout the series, he changes from innocuous cancer victim looking to pay for medical treatment to relentless drug-dealer, murderer, and sociopath. There is nothing more entrancing than watching a person transform from mild-mannered chemistry teacher to gun-wielding, meth-cooking badass.
3. Anton Chigur (No Country For Old Men (2007); Javier Bardem)
You would never say no to a bowl cut, a quarter, and a modified cattle stun gun, right? Right. Chigur is an intimidating, vicious gun-for-hire who uses his twisted morality to murder anyone who stands in his way. A flip of the coin determines if his victim lives or dies. According to Chigur, it's all in the hands of fate.
4. Nurse Ratched (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975); Louise Fletcher)
Nurse Ratched knows how to silence an entire room of men with a look. A single glance. Granted, these men inhabit a psych ward, but that's just semantics. Ratched has perfected the cold, condescending cruelty of a woman who 'knows what's best.' Her clashes with the liberated R.P. McMurphy are film legend. She may look like your middle school English teacher, but never has a woman managed to be so sweetly terrifying.
5. The Joker (The Dark Knight (2008); Heath Ledger)
Ledger's Joker is the most terrifying comic book villain to come to life onscreen. He has become pop culture legend, despite being a thief, murderer, and confirmed sadist. Onscreen, Ledger was fascinating to watch, and performance gave the world a visual explanation for why clowns are so incredibly terrifying.
6. Hans Landa (Inglorious Basterds (2009); Christoph Waltz)
Manipulative? Self-serving? Ambitious? Hilarious? Check, check, check, check. Never has a Nazi been so lovably evil as Colonel Hans Landa, the Jew Hunter. Thanks in part to Quentin Tarantino's clever dialogue and unique pop-culture focused sensibility, this performance earned Waltz an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and Best Leading Actor at Cannes.
7. Scar (The Lion King (1994); Jeremy Irons)
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Other Disney villains of the nineties pale in comparison to the sheer vileness of Scar. As an egotistical, power-hungry maniac, he murders his own brother to gain the throne. And he doesn't stop at fratricide. His bad lion puns in "Be Prepared" are practically murder. We're almost sad to see him eaten by hyenas. Almost.
8. Joffrey (Game of Thrones; Jack Gleeson)
Joffrey is a sadistic little bastard, and is solely responsible for one of the most upsetting plot events in modern television. He is universally despised, by everyone but his mother. It's not surprising that he turns out the way he does, as the circumstances of his birth are fairly morally reprehensible. Despite all of this, we are still delighted when his character appears onscreen.
9. Mark Zuckerberg (The Social Network (2010); Jesse Eisenberg)
Aaron Sorkin's version of Mark Zuckerberg is condescending, acerbic, and egotistical. Regardless of what Zuckerberg is like in real life, in the atmosphere of The Social Network, he is ruthless. There is nothing more fascinating than watching the confrontation between Eduardo Saverin and Zuckerberg; it is simultaneously heart-wrenching and impressive to watch Zuckerberg destroy the only true friendship that he has left. Zuckerberg may display some unethical business practices and a raging case of egomania, but he is entrancing to watch.
10. Frank Costello (The Departed (2006); Jack Nicholson)
Frank Costello's sense of morality is more twisted than the plot of Inception. But there's no denying that he is the most effortless badass in all of Scorsese's filmography. Costello is clever, manipulative, self-serving, and most of all, charming. At least in a sociopathic, violent sort of way.
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