The Best Bad Guys

by Mike Duran

Building bad guys is a necessary evil... at least, for authors. Stories need antagonists and the more sinister, heartless, cruel and demented, the better. Nothing deflates a tale like a wimpy villain.

Film and literature are filled with memorable baddies. After seeing The Dark Knight last weekend, I've been thinking lots about the archetypes of evil that populate our collective psyche. Below is a list of some of my all-time faves.

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NORMAN BATES -- Anthony Perkins in Psycho is a shoe-in for the Bad Guy's Hall of Fame. Perkins' perpetually twitchy, peephole-peering, hotel owner set the standard for cinematic headcases. (Alas, the actor was never able to shake the stereotype after Hitchcock got a hold of him.) Meeting Bates' mother is still one of the best film surprises ever, adding a whole new meaning to "momma's boy".

REVEREND HARRY POWELL -- Robert Mitchum in 1955's Night of the Hunter, may be the precursor to today's slasher flick. For its time, however, Mitchum's portrayal of the preacher / serial killer was both mesmerizing and disturbing. Full of biblical proverbs, Powell wanders the countryside on horseback, singing hymns before he offs his next victim. The juxtaposition of innocent faith with calculated deception may be the most creepy part of the entire flick.

CAPTAIN AHAB -- Melville's monomaniacal whale ship captain was immortalized by Gregory Peck in the 1956 John Huston film. The novel, written over 150 years ago, has embedded Ahab in the canon of pop culture as an icon of obsession; the soul-scarred captain would rather sacrifice his entire crew than surrender his search for the White Whale. And you thought Raider fans were myopic.

ANTON CHIGURH -- Last year's Best Supporting Actor award went to Javier Bardem for his portrayal of the professional hitman in No Country for Old Men. The Coen brothers adapted Cormac McCarthy's character into one of the best baddies ever. The robotic sociopath uses a cattle stungun to kill his victims. But it's his dispassionate demeanor and relentless drive that make this man a menace. And, oh, don't forget the bad haircut.

NURSE RATCHED -- From Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Louise Fletcher starred in the Milos Foreman adaptation and nailed the witch, er, woman. Mildred Ratched exercises near tyrannical rule over the mental ward. Like an automaton, she dispenses medication and "therapy" to the boys. The dear Nurse has since become synonymous with institutional coldness and therapeutic malpractice, and was named the fifth greatest villain in film history by the American Film Institute in their series 100 Years... 100 Heroes & Villains. Here was a woman you just wanted to slap.

HANNIBAL LECHTER -- Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs. No list of cinematic bad guys is complete without Hannibal the Cannibal. A thinking man's serial killer, Lechter outsmarted, rather than over-powered his prey. Hopkin's performance brought a chilling eloquence and precision to the character. And Agent Starling's slow walk down the subterranean corridor to Lechter's cell is still one of the great lead-in's in film history. There's a reason this guy is usually at the top of everyone's list of villains... and last on their list of dinner guests.

THE JOKER -- The late Heath Ledger's performance in The Dark Knight is getting much-deserved raves. This Joker is unlike any we've ever seen, a nihilistic freak who's taken his despair to its logical conclusion. The movie is often relentless, due mainly to The Joker's unnerving, no-holds-barred, creepy persona. He doesn't want money or power, he just wants to see the world burn. Ledger's Joker is sure to go down in the annals of big screen villains.

WICKED WITCH IN SNOW WHITE -- Okay, so this is personal. Snow White was the first movie we ever took our daughter Melody to see. She was five years old and we sat in the back of my pickup at the drive-in on a warm SoCal summer night. Melody was mesmerized. She didn't say anything until the very end. After the witch plummets off the cliff and the seven dwarfs waddle off high-fiving, Melody turned and said, "Mean lady fall down." Hey, don't they all?

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So what about you? You got a favorite baddie?