Top 10 Movie Villains

There's nothing like a good villain; every story needs at least one. But most movies are horrible, and there are a plethora of crappy actors out there, and some of them try to play the villain sometimes. But they can't. There's a reason why I don't consider Tom Hanks to be one of the best actors, and this is it. The guy could never be a villain. The best actors can play a great villain. It's that simple. So, without further a-blah blah:

10. The Joker (Batman) - Batman Begins was a very good movie, but the first one was the best, and the Joker is the reason why. I don't need to tout Jacky Nick's skills here too much; he's simply one of the best. Jack Nicholson just looks like the Joker, even without makeup. No one can deliver "Where does he get all those wonderful toys?" like Jack. Keep wearin' those sunglasses inside and throwing voo-doo hexes on the Lakers' opponents- you da man Jack.

9. Nurse Ratched (One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest) - Nurse Ratched is the kind of character that you actually hate by the end of the film. She is so good at being a careless, abusive bitch that you actually believe she is like this in real life. One of the all time greats, Cuckoo's nest owes just as much of it's acclaim to Nurse Ratched as it does to old Jack.

8. Max Cady (Cape Fear) - I've seen the original, and as great as it is, DeNiro just nailed this character so perfectly that I'm giving this spot to him. If there's anyone on this earth who may actually be a better actor than Jack, it's this guy right here. For anyone who thinks DeNiro lacks range, just check this remake out, along with "This Boy's Life," "Awakenings," "Men of Honor," "Taxi Driver," "Sleepers," "Angel Heart," "Brazil," and even the "Meet The Parents" movie and then come talk to me. He's not just the goomba mafia guy, which he also excels at. These are the words of the Taft.

7. Hannibal Lecter (Silence of the Lambs) - Great book character, great film character and probably the best role of Anthony Hopkins' impressive career. Lecter is pure evil, and also a brilliant mastermind who mostly wins the audiences' affections, mostly. Just writing this is making me hungry for some farber beans (probably misquoted, misspelled, or perhaps both, but so what, dick?) and a nice chianti.

6. Kaiser Soze (The Usual Suspects) - Also known as Verbal Kint in some circles, Kaiser Soze appears in the movie in a nearly mythical way, but still permeates every moment of it. Kevin Spacey made this film as great as it is, and the sheer fact that Soze decides to play this game with the police by sitting through an interrogation and making up his story on the fly is what makes the character such a great villain.

5. Norman Bates (Psycho) - Hitchcock is the man, and Norman Bates is perhaps his most complicated and brilliant character. Psycho is Alfred's masterpiece, and Bates is it's darling, with his sick obsession with his mother and his cross-dressing, murderous ways. Norman Bates will forever make people second guess the safety of the small town motels they are forced to stay at under my regime.

4. Frank Booth (Blue Velvet) - Fuck Heinekin! Pabst Blue Ribbon! No one wears a gas mask while yelling Mommy and sexually assaulting a woman better than Dennis Hopper as Frank Booth. In a lot of ways, I still see Hopper as Frank Booth. If you haven't seen this movie and you don't know who the hell David Lynch is, just turn your brain on for a couple of hours and check it out. I promise you out of all of Lynch's brilliant films you'll have the best chance of understanding this one, Adam.

3. Jack Torrance (The Shining) - Ok, so it's pretty clear that I love Jack Nicholson. What can I say? He really is one of the best. What do you get when you start with a recovering alcoholic, physically abusive character and then proceed to drive him completely insane with cabin fever and hauntings? You get Jack, my friend, or, as he liked to call himself during his crazy spells, Johnny.

2. The Wicked Witch of The West (The Wizard of Oz) - Far more villainous than her softy sister from the east, the Wicked Witch was a great original character with her own theme song. Her flying monkeys were creepy, her bicycle was creepy in the real world, and her voice and laugh are unforgettable. In a film that was way ahead of it's time, the Wicked Witch held shit down. Words of the Taft figure.

1. Darth Vader (Star Wars, the originals, not the crappy new ones) - Fools like Chief Sneed, aka the beast, might call this a safe choice and guess my age to be around 9. Well guess what Chiefy, deal with it, because DV belongs at the top spot. Star Wars was an original film and Darth Vader was the best character in it- his costume is cool, his swagger is bad, and he will choke your gift wrappin' ass with only his mind- now that's a villain!