My Favorite Villains
by DarkDefender_81 | created - 10 Dec 2010 | updated - 22 Jan 2013 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Angel Heart (1987)
X | 113 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A private investigator is hired by a man who calls himself Louis Cyphre to track down a singer named Johnny Favorite. But the investigation takes an unexpected and somber turn.
Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet, Charlotte Rampling
Votes: 95,714 | Gross: $17.19M
Robert De Niro as Louis Cyphre
"How terrible is wisdom when it brings no profit to the wise, Johnny"?
De Niro's probably most underrated performance. When I watched the film for the first time it made my skin crawl. The four scenes he shares with Mickey Rourke are one of the best in cinematic history, especially their second scene in the restaurant when De Niro is peeling the egg.
2. The Godfather (1972)
R | 175 min | Crime, Drama
The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Diane Keaton
Votes: 2,009,556 | Gross: $134.97M
Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone
"I'm gonna make him an offer he cannot refuse".
I was 14 years old when I watched this film for the first time and it blew me away, especially Brando's performance. Up to that point I was more or less on a Schwarzenegger, Stallone Van Damme testosterone trip. I didn't know acting could ever be this good.
3. Marathon Man (1976)
R | 125 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
After the shocking murder of his older brother, a New York history student finds himself inexplicably hounded by shadowy government agents on the trail of a Nazi war criminal who is trying to retrieve smuggled diamonds.
Director: John Schlesinger | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier, Roy Scheider, William Devane
Votes: 70,175 | Gross: $21.71M
Laurence Olivier as Christian Szell
"Is it safe"?
Watch the scene where Olivier is torturing poor Dustin Hoffman and you'll know why he's my number three.
4. Dial M for Murder (1954)
PG | 105 min | Crime, Thriller
A former tennis star arranges the murder of his adulterous wife.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, John Williams
Votes: 188,626 | Gross: $0.01M
Ray Milland as Tony Wendice
What I love about this character is that he's not your typical villain. He's smart, educated and always thinks one step ahead. He simply is one silky son of a bitch. Milland's performance is magical.
5. Dexter (2006–2013)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
He's smart. He's lovable. He's Dexter Morgan, America's favorite serial killer, who spends his days solving crimes and nights committing them.
Stars: Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, David Zayas, James Remar
Votes: 764,352
John Lithgow as The Trinity Killer (Season 4)
When I first saw the trailer to season 4 and saw that John Lithgow will be a part of this show I couldn't wait to see him. Every day was like Christmas morning. And what can I say? He didn't disappoint. The great thing about his performance is that you'll never know what he's going to do next which makes him even more terrifying. Watch the 8th episode of season 4 when he's dancing in the parking lot. I'm sure there's a video on youtube.
6. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
R | 118 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims.
Director: Jonathan Demme | Stars: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine
Votes: 1,546,652 | Gross: $130.74M
Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lecter
As a German I can say that we had some pretty good and decent villains in movie history (which you will see when you scroll down the list), but we also had pretty bad ones. Just pick any Til Schweiger film where he played one and that's mainly because the actor thinks "Okay I'm the bad guy so for the next two hours I'll look grim without showing any emotions on my face at all". Rookie mistake! If you want to know how it's done (yes I'm talking to you Mr. Schweiger) watch one of the masters. Watch Anthony Hopkins. He's eloquent, smart, vicious and pure evil, but even a guy like him cracks a smile every once in a while.
7. The Dark Knight (2008)
PG-13 | 152 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine
Votes: 2,867,427 | Gross: $534.86M
Heath Ledger as The Joker
"Why so serious"?
"A film is only as good as his villain". These words of wisdom are not mine, but from the master of suspense himself Alfred Hitchcock. And they couldn't be more accurate. Ledger's performance IS The Dark Knight. Without him this film wouldn't be as half as good as it is. It's a tragedy he had to die so young. Rest in peace Heath.
8. Schindler's List (1993)
R | 195 min | Biography, Drama, History
In German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Caroline Goodall
Votes: 1,448,972 | Gross: $96.90M
Ralph Fiennes as Amon Goeth
9. Se7en (1995)
R | 127 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, Andrew Kevin Walker
Votes: 1,796,800 | Gross: $100.13M
Kevin Spacey as John Doe
Another master of his craft. Thanks to Andrew Kevin Walker, Spacey not only has one of the coolest dialogues in movie history, but it establishes him as one of the best and scariest villains as well. He is so cool in this film.
10. Wall Street (1987)
R | 126 min | Crime, Drama
An impatient young stockbroker is willing to do anything to get to the top, including trading on illegal inside information taken through a ruthless, greedy corporate raider who takes the youth under his wing.
Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Charlie Sheen, Michael Douglas, Tamara Tunie, Franklin Cover
Votes: 165,058 | Gross: $43.85M
Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko
"Greed is good".
11. The Godfather Part II (1974)
R | 202 min | Crime, Drama
The early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York City is portrayed, while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on the family crime syndicate.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton
Votes: 1,362,680 | Gross: $57.30M
Al Pacino as Michael Corleone
"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer".
The best way to describe Pacino's remarkable performance is to say: Less is more. A few gestures here and there nothing spectacular nothing fancy, BUT when he looks you in the eye it is on and it is pure magic!
12. Léon: The Professional (1994)
R | 110 min | Action, Crime, Drama
12-year-old Mathilda is reluctantly taken in by Léon, a professional assassin, after her family is murdered. An unusual relationship forms as she becomes his protégée and learns the assassin's trade.
Director: Luc Besson | Stars: Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman, Danny Aiello
Votes: 1,244,249 | Gross: $19.50M
Gary Oldman as Stansfield
13. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
PG-13 | 166 min | Western
A mysterious stranger with a harmonica joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad.
Director: Sergio Leone | Stars: Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards
Votes: 348,814 | Gross: $5.32M
Henry Fonda as Frank
"Keep your loving brother happy".
Thanks to Sergio Leone Fonda's character has one of the most powerful entrances in a movie ever. His blue eyes make him even more terrifying. Cool. Cool. Cool.
14. True Romance (1993)
R | 119 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
In Detroit, a pop-culture nerd steals cocaine from his new wife's pimp and tries to sell it in Hollywood, prompting the mobsters who own the drugs to pursue the couple.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer
Votes: 242,294 | Gross: $12.28M
Christopher Walken as Vincenzo Coccotti
"I haven't killed anybody since 1984".
Christopher Walken is the best and coolest Tarantino character in a Tarantino movie. Yes I consider this a Tarantino movie although he has "just" written the script. Walken's dialogue scene with Dennis Hopper is one of the best in movie history. When I ask people or they ask me "Say what is your favorite Tarantino dialogue", me and everyone else has only one answer: The Walken/ Hopper dialogue in True Romance. So don't miss it!
15. The Usual Suspects (1995)
R | 106 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The sole survivor of a pier shoot-out tells the story of how a notorious criminal influenced the events that began with five criminals meeting in a seemingly random police lineup.
Director: Bryan Singer | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Stephen Baldwin
Votes: 1,144,334 | Gross: $23.34M
Kevin Spacey as Keyser Soze
"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist".
16. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
Passed | 98 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
Dr. Jekyll faces horrible consequences when he lets his dark side run wild with a potion that transforms him into the animalistic Mr. Hyde.
Director: Rouben Mamoulian | Stars: Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins, Rose Hobart, Holmes Herbert
Votes: 15,798 | Gross: $2.79M
Frederic March as Mr. Hyde
17. No Country for Old Men (2007)
R | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong and over two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.
Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen | Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson
Votes: 1,058,869 | Gross: $74.28M
Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh
"What's the most you ever lost in a coin toss. Call it. FRIENDO".
Again: Less is more. When you watch him closely, he doesn't really do much, but what he does is so powerful and intriguing that you want him to appear in every scene of the movie. He gives you the chills.
18. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
R | 99 min | Crime, Thriller
When a simple jewelry heist goes horribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn
Votes: 1,087,204 | Gross: $2.83M
Michael Madsen as Mr. Blonde
19. The Untouchables (1987)
R | 119 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
During Prohibition, Treasury agent Eliot Ness sets out to stop ruthless Chicago gangster Al Capone, and assembles a small, incorruptible team to help him.
Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Robert De Niro, Charles Martin Smith
Votes: 330,526 | Gross: $76.27M
Robert DeNiro as Al Capone
Next to De Palma's great visual style it's De Niro's dialogue/ monologue scenes that really put this movie on another level. De Niro's scenes are the purest acting drug. So just sit back, watch and ENJOY!
20. There Will Be Blood (2007)
R | 158 min | Drama
A story of family, religion, hatred, oil and madness, focusing on a turn-of-the-century prospector in the early days of the business.
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson | Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Ciarán Hinds, Martin Stringer
Votes: 640,413 | Gross: $40.22M
Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview
"I have a competition in me. I want no one else to succeed".
21. Goodfellas (1990)
R | 145 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, covering his relationship with his wife Karen and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco
Votes: 1,255,857 | Gross: $46.84M
Joe Pesci as Tommy DeVito
Just like John Lithgow playing The Trinity Killer in season 4 of the TV series Dexter you never know what Joe Pesci is going to do next. He can be calm on the outside like a volcano that hasn't been active for decades, but then there's an eruption and all of a sudden all hell breaks loose and in Pesci's case you better be as far away as possible or he will kill you. An awesome and scary performance by Joe Pesci in Scorese's best film. Unfortunately only Pesci went home with an Oscar.
22. Apocalypse Now (1979)
R | 147 min | Drama, Mystery, War
A U.S. Army officer serving in Vietnam is tasked with assassinating a renegade Special Forces Colonel who sees himself as a god.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest
Votes: 709,361 | Gross: $83.47M
Marlon Brando as Colonel Walter E. Kurtz
23. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
G | 149 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi
After uncovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface, a spacecraft is sent to Jupiter to find its origins: a spacecraft manned by two men and the supercomputer HAL 9000.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Daniel Richter
Votes: 718,734 | Gross: $56.95M
HAL 9000 (Voice: Douglas Rain)
Sometimes all it takes is a voice and this one haunts you in your darkest dreams. Perfect!
24. Primal Fear (1996)
R | 129 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An altar boy is accused of murdering a priest, and the truth is buried several layers deep.
Director: Gregory Hoblit | Stars: Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Edward Norton, John Mahoney
Votes: 246,676 | Gross: $56.12M
Edward Norton as Aaron
I remember watching this film in a movie theatre thinking "Who is this guy? He's incredible". This performance is just one of many great performances by Norton, but this early film in his career is definitely an absolute highlight you shouldn't miss. He should have received the Oscar for best supporting actor in 1997 not Cuba Gooding Jr.
25. Breaking Bad (2008–2013)
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer turns to manufacturing and selling methamphetamine with a former student in order to secure his family's future.
Stars: Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Betsy Brandt
Votes: 2,131,888
Giancarlo Esposito as Gustavo 'Gus' Fring
26. Goldfinger (1964)
PG | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
While investigating a gold magnate's smuggling, James Bond uncovers a plot to contaminate the Fort Knox gold reserve.
Director: Guy Hamilton | Stars: Sean Connery, Gert Fröbe, Honor Blackman, Shirley Eaton
Votes: 202,414 | Gross: $51.08M
Gerd Fröbe as Auric Goldfinger
The best Bond villain of all time...and he is German!
27. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
R | 136 min | Crime, Sci-Fi
In the future, a sadistic gang leader is imprisoned and volunteers for a conduct-aversion experiment, but it doesn't go as planned.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael Bates, Warren Clarke
Votes: 880,577 | Gross: $6.21M
Malcolm McDowell as Alex
28. Psycho (1960)
R | 109 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin
Votes: 717,595 | Gross: $32.00M
Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates
29. Blow Out (1981)
R | 108 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A movie sound recordist accidentally records the evidence that proves that a car accident was actually murder and consequently finds himself in danger.
Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow, Dennis Franz
Votes: 63,124 | Gross: $13.75M
John Lithgow as Burke
Another awesome and memorable performance by one of the greatest actors of all time John Lithgow in my favorite Brina De Palma film.
30. M (1931)
Passed | 99 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
When the police in a German city are unable to catch a child-murderer, other criminals join in the manhunt.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Peter Lorre, Ellen Widmann, Inge Landgut, Otto Wernicke
Votes: 168,307 | Gross: $0.03M
Peter Lorre as Hans Beckert
His entrance in the film alone by just showing his shadow gives you nightmares. The first German villain super star. No one played the monster next door better than him. Peter Lorre is BRILLIANT!
31. Dobermann (1997)
R | 103 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Dobermann is the world's most ruthless bank robber and with his gang rob bank after bank, now in Paris. What can the police do but to let the mad, morally bankrupt police commissioner loose on him?
Director: Jan Kounen | Stars: Vincent Cassel, Tchéky Karyo, Monica Bellucci, Antoine Basler
Votes: 18,742
Tcheky Karyo as Inspecteur Sauveur Cristini (German voice: Jürgen Heinrich)
"Gangster sind genau wie Wild. Das Fleisch muss erst 'ne weile abnhängen, damit es schmeckt".
32. Der Tanz mit dem Teufel - Die Entführung des Richard Oetker (2001 TV Movie)
184 min | Crime, Drama
When wealthy college student Richard Oetker is kidnapped and held for a hefty ransom, state police officer Georg Kufbach becomes obsessed with bringing the kidnapper to justice. This film is based on a true story.
Director: Peter Keglevic | Stars: Tobias Moretti, Sebastian Koch, Christoph Waltz, Günther Maria Halmer
Votes: 213
Christoph Waltz as Dieter Cilov
"Das Ding macht nur Klack"!
Waltz's best acting performance (yes even better than his Oscar-winning performance in Ingluorious Basterds). To be honest I'm not a big fan of German TV movies, because in most cases they spent a fortune (and praise themselves by telling the whole world) BUT still manage to come up with nothing but total rubbish. Latest example RTL TV movie "Hindenburg" (watching a frog having diarrhea is more fun). In this German TV movie from 2001 however everything is as perfect as it can be. The acting by all actors, but especially Waltz's performance as a kidnapper, the direction, cinematography and score by Jürgen Ecke are all just wonderful. When you get the chance to watch this film with english subtitles take it. You won't regret it.
33. Fanny and Alexander (1982)
R | 188 min | Drama
Two young Swedish children in the 1900s experience the many comedies and tragedies of their lively and affectionate theatrical family, the Ekdahls.
Director: Ingmar Bergman | Stars: Bertil Guve, Pernilla Allwin, Kristina Adolphson, Börje Ahlstedt
Votes: 67,451 | Gross: $4.97M
Jan Malmsjö as Bishop Edvard Vergerus
34. Die Hard (1988)
R | 132 min | Action, Thriller
A New York City police officer tries to save his estranged wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson
Votes: 944,520 | Gross: $83.01M
Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber
One of the best action movies of all time, with one of the best action heroes of all time and last but not least with one of the best villains of all time: Alan Rickman! I didn't know an English could be such a cool "German" villain.
35. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
Approved | 178 min | Adventure, Western
A bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery.
Director: Sergio Leone | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef, Aldo Giuffrè
Votes: 810,360 | Gross: $6.10M
Lee van Cleef as Angel Eyes
There are faces that say more than words. Van Cleef's is one of them.
36. The Terminator (1984)
R | 107 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A human soldier is sent from 2029 to 1984 to stop an almost indestructible cyborg killing machine, sent from the same year, which has been programmed to execute a young woman whose unborn son is the key to humanity's future salvation.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn, Paul Winfield
Votes: 923,232 | Gross: $38.40M
Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator
"I'll be back".
37. Sexy Beast (2000)
R | 89 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Brutal gangster Don Logan recruits "retired" safecracker Gal for one last job, but it goes badly for both of them.
Director: Jonathan Glazer | Stars: Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley, Ian McShane, Amanda Redman
Votes: 69,125 | Gross: $6.95M
Ben Kingsley as Don Logan
In an okay movie it's Kingsley crowning himself King. His performance is funny, weird, dangerous...Kingsley simply is sensational.
38. Fargo (1996)
R | 98 min | Crime, Thriller
Minnesota car salesman Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson.
Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen | Stars: William H. Macy, Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare
Votes: 725,874 | Gross: $24.61M
Steve Buscemi & Peter Stormare as Carl Showalter & Gaear Grimsrud
39. Swordfish (2001)
R | 99 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A covert counter-terrorist unit called Black Cell led by Gabriel Shear wants the money to help finance their war against international terrorism, but it's all locked away. Gabriel brings in convicted hacker Stanley Jobson to help him.
Director: Dominic Sena | Stars: John Travolta, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle
Votes: 196,146 | Gross: $69.77M
John Travolta as Gabriel Shear
John Travolta is Mr. Cool. If anyone needed one last proof, it's this movie.
40. Basic Instinct (1992)
R | 127 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A violent police detective investigates a brutal murder that might involve a manipulative and seductive novelist.
Director: Paul Verhoeven | Stars: Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, George Dzundza, Jeanne Tripplehorn
Votes: 218,868 | Gross: $117.73M
Sharon Stone as Chaterine Tramell
This film is perfect. Great script by Joe Eszterhas. Great direction by Paul Verhoeven. Great score by Jerry Goldsmith and great cinematography by Jan de Bont (hopefully he is retiring himslef as a director by making one or two more sh***y movies and then goes back to his roots being a cinematographer, because that's what he is brilliant at) and the acting of all actors is superb, but Sharon Stone's performance makes the difference. She was never and will never be better than she was in this film. I will never understand those lesbian frigid feminists who hate this movie. A masterpiece like this only comes along every 20 or 30 years. So *beep* enjoy it BITCHES!
41. Paths of Glory (1957)
Approved | 88 min | Drama, War
After a failed attack on a German position, a general orders three soldiers, chosen at random, court-martialed for cowardice and their commanding officer must defend them.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou, George Macready
Votes: 212,065
George Macready as Gen. Paul Mireau
42. RoboCop (1987)
R | 102 min | Action, Crime, Sci-Fi
In a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.
Director: Paul Verhoeven | Stars: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy, Ronny Cox
Votes: 282,784 | Gross: $53.42M
Kurtwood Smith as Clarence
"Let's the give the guy a hand".
43. Predator (1987)
R | 107 min | Action, Adventure, Horror
A team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Kevin Peter Hall, Elpidia Carrillo
Votes: 454,268 | Gross: $59.74M
Kevin Peter Hall as The Predator
Kevin Peter Hall demonstartes impressively that sometimes your body is enough to create a truely great performance.
44. Network (1976)
R | 121 min | Drama
A television network cynically exploits a deranged former anchor's ravings and revelations about the news media for its own profit, but finds that his message may be difficult to control.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Peter Finch, Robert Duvall
Votes: 170,437
Faye Dunaway as Diana Christensen
45. It Happened in Broad Daylight (1958)
97 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Having doubts about the guilt of the obvious suspect in the murder of an eight year old girl, a police detective decides to investigate the case on his own.
Director: Ladislao Vajda | Stars: Heinz Rühmann, Sigfrit Steiner, Siegfried Lowitz, Michel Simon
Votes: 5,578
Gerd Fröbe as Schrott
Not a lot of screen time for Gerd, but damn he is so GOOD!
46. The Shining (1980)
R | 146 min | Drama, Horror
A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers
Votes: 1,105,181 | Gross: $44.02M
Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrence
"Here is Johnny"!
Maybe a little bit over the top acting here and there, but Jacky Boy is the icing on the cake in this masterpiece film.
47. True Romance (1993)
R | 119 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
In Detroit, a pop-culture nerd steals cocaine from his new wife's pimp and tries to sell it in Hollywood, prompting the mobsters who own the drugs to pursue the couple.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer
Votes: 242,294 | Gross: $12.28M
Gary Oldman as Drexl Spivey
You can never go wrong casting Gary Oldman as a villain. A small, but very memorable role. His scene with Christian Slater is kick-ass!
48. The Last King of Scotland (2006)
R | 123 min | Biography, Drama, History
Based on the events of the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin's regime as seen by his personal physician during the 1970s.
Director: Kevin Macdonald | Stars: James McAvoy, Forest Whitaker, Gillian Anderson, Kerry Washington
Votes: 195,924 | Gross: $17.61M
Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin
49. The Matrix (1999)
R | 136 min | Action, Sci-Fi
When a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth--the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence.
Directors: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving
Votes: 2,050,459 | Gross: $171.48M
Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith
Wanna know why they did the sequels? Watch his preformance and you'll know.
50. Hellraiser (1987)
R | 94 min | Horror, Thriller
A woman discovers the newly resurrected, partially formed, body of her brother-in-law and lover. She starts killing for him to revitalize his body and escape the demonic beings that are pursuing him after he escaped their underworld.
Director: Clive Barker | Stars: Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, Sean Chapman
Votes: 140,357 | Gross: $14.56M
Doug Bradley as Pinhead
"No tears please. It's a waste of good suffering".
51. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
PG | 124 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
After the Rebel Alliance are overpowered by the Empire, Luke Skywalker begins his Jedi training with Yoda, while his friends are pursued across the galaxy by Darth Vader and bounty hunter Boba Fett.
Director: Irvin Kershner | Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams
Votes: 1,378,323 | Gross: $290.48M
David Prouse as Darth Vader (Voice: James Earl Jones)
"I am your father Luke".
52. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
R | 83 min | Horror
Five friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something armed with a chainsaw.
Director: Tobe Hooper | Stars: Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, Allen Danziger, Paul A. Partain
Votes: 183,348 | Gross: $30.86M
Gunnar Hansen as Leatherface
A totally underrated performance. This guy is real *beep* great. When you watch films like "The Hills Have Eyes", "Wrong Turn" etc. all the actors who play the degenerate rednecks try to imitate Gunnar Hansen, but none of them comes close. Damn I think I should rank him higher.
53. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
Approved | 116 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A veteran British barrister must defend his client in a murder trial that has surprise after surprise.
Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton, Elsa Lanchester
Votes: 137,688 | Gross: $8.18M
Marlene Dietrich as Christine Vogel
La grande dame of german cinema. There is only one thing we can do. BOW.
54. Misery (1990)
R | 107 min | Drama, Thriller
After a famous author is rescued from a car crash by a fan of his novels, he comes to realize that the care he is receiving is only the beginning of a nightmare of captivity and abuse.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: James Caan, Kathy Bates, Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen
Votes: 235,259 | Gross: $61.28M
Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes
55. Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)
R | 128 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
John McClane and a Harlem store owner are targeted by German terrorist Simon in New York City, where he plans to rob the Federal Reserve Building.
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Jeremy Irons, Samuel L. Jackson, Graham Greene
Votes: 407,866 | Gross: $100.01M
Jeremy Irons as Simon Gruber
"Simon says".
56. Mission: Impossible III (2006)
PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
IMF agent Ethan Hunt comes into conflict with a dangerous and sadistic arms dealer who threatens his life and his fiancée in response.
Director: J.J. Abrams | Stars: Tom Cruise, Michelle Monaghan, Ving Rhames, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Votes: 390,455 | Gross: $134.03M
Philip Seymour Hoffman as Owen Davian
"Do you have a wife? Girlfriend? I'm gonna find her and I'm gonna hurt her".
57. Collateral (2004)
R | 120 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A cab driver finds himself the hostage of an engaging contract killer as he makes his rounds from hit to hit during one night in Los Angeles.
Director: Michael Mann | Stars: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo
Votes: 432,737 | Gross: $101.01M
Tom Cruise as Vincent
58. Barton Fink (1991)
R | 116 min | Comedy, Drama, Thriller
A renowned New York playwright is enticed to California to write for the movies and discovers the hellish truth of Hollywood.
Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen | Stars: John Turturro, John Goodman, Judy Davis, Michael Lerner
Votes: 128,867 | Gross: $6.15M
John Goodman as Charlie Meadows
59. The Departed (2006)
R | 151 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
An undercover cop and a mole in the police attempt to identify each other while infiltrating an Irish gang in South Boston.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg
Votes: 1,420,774 | Gross: $132.38M
Jack Nicholson as Frank Costello
60. The Lion King (1994)
G | 88 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
Lion prince Simba and his father are targeted by his bitter uncle, who wants to ascend the throne himself.
Directors: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff | Stars: Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Whoopi Goldberg
Votes: 1,140,749 | Gross: $422.78M
Jeremy Irons as Scar
"Simba it's to die for".
61. Inglourious Basterds (2009)
R | 153 min | Adventure, Drama, War
In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a plan to assassinate Nazi leaders by a group of Jewish U.S. soldiers coincides with a theatre owner's vengeful plans for the same.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, Eli Roth, Mélanie Laurent
Votes: 1,581,895 | Gross: $120.54M
Christoph Waltz as Hans Landa
I'm probably one of the very few people on this planet who think this film is super gay, totally overrated and not good at all, but Waltz's performance is GREAT and makes the film watchable. At least the scenes where he's in.
62. Notes on a Scandal (2006)
R | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A veteran high school teacher befriends a younger art teacher, who is having an affair with one of her fifteen-year-old students. However, her intentions with this new "friend" also go well beyond a platonic friendship.
Director: Richard Eyre | Stars: Cate Blanchett, Judi Dench, Andrew Simpson, Tom Georgeson
Votes: 84,502 | Gross: $17.51M
Judi Dench as Barbara Covett
63. The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
PG-13 | 109 min | Comedy, Drama
A smart but sensible new graduate lands a job as an assistant to Miranda Priestly, the demanding editor-in-chief of a high fashion magazine.
Director: David Frankel | Stars: Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Adrian Grenier, Emily Blunt
Votes: 466,279 | Gross: $124.74M
Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly
What can I say? The queen of acting and her performance speak for itself. Truely great.
64. Lost (2004–2010)
TV-14 | 5,445 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
The survivors of a plane crash are forced to work together in order to survive on a seemingly deserted tropical island.
Stars: Jorge Garcia, Josh Holloway, Yunjin Kim, Evangeline Lilly
Votes: 594,385
Michael Emerson as Ben Linus
There are many reasons to watch Lost. One of them is Michael Emerson.
65. Dexter (2006–2013)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
He's smart. He's lovable. He's Dexter Morgan, America's favorite serial killer, who spends his days solving crimes and nights committing them.
Stars: Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, David Zayas, James Remar
Votes: 764,352
Jimmy Smits as Miguel Prado (Season 03)
66. Man Bites Dog (1992)
NC-17 | 95 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A film crew follows a ruthless thief and heartless killer as he goes about his daily routine. But complications set in when the film crew lose their objectivity and begin lending a hand.
Directors: Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, Benoît Poelvoorde | Stars: Benoît Poelvoorde, Jacqueline Poelvoorde-Pappaert, Nelly Pappaert, Hector Pappaert
Votes: 43,696 | Gross: $0.21M
Benoit Poelvoordes as Ben
67. The French Connection (1971)
R | 104 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A pair of NYPD detectives in the Narcotics Bureau stumble onto a heroin smuggling ring based in Marseilles, but stopping them and capturing their leaders proves an elusive goal.
Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, Fernando Rey, Tony Lo Bianco
Votes: 135,518 | Gross: $15.63M
Fernando Rey as Alain Charnier
68. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
PG-13 | 201 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Gandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom
Votes: 1,976,994 | Gross: $377.85M
Andy Serkis as Gollum
69. Face/Off (1997)
R | 138 min | Action, Crime, Sci-Fi
To foil a terrorist plot, FBI agent Sean Archer assumes the identity of the criminal Castor Troy who murdered his son through facial transplant surgery, but the crook wakes up prematurely and vows revenge.
Director: John Woo | Stars: John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Joan Allen, Alessandro Nivola
Votes: 400,527 | Gross: $112.23M
John Travolta & Nicolas Cage as Castor Troy
Although Cage is actually playing Castor Troy, John Travolta (as the better actor) is not only better, but simply cooler.
70. Broken Arrow (1996)
R | 108 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
Terrorists steal nuclear warheads from the U.S. military but don't count on a pilot and park ranger spoiling their plans.
Director: John Woo | Stars: John Travolta, Christian Slater, Samantha Mathis, Delroy Lindo
Votes: 105,164 | Gross: $70.77M
John Travolta as Maj. Vic 'Deak' Deakins
Another cool and solid bad guy performance by Travolta.
71. Point Break (1991)
R | 122 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
An F.B.I. Agent goes undercover to catch a gang of surfers who may be bank robbers.
Director: Kathryn Bigelow | Stars: Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Gary Busey, Lori Petty
Votes: 201,972 | Gross: $43.22M
Patrick Swayze as Bodhi
Who would have thought that Dirty Dancing boy toy Patrick Swayze could portray a charismatic villain. Good performance and may he rest in peace.
72. Casino Royale (2006)
PG-13 | 144 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
After earning 00 status and a licence to kill, secret agent James Bond sets out on his first mission as 007. Bond must defeat a private banker funding terrorists in a high-stakes game of poker at Casino Royale, Montenegro.
Director: Martin Campbell | Stars: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright
Votes: 694,080 | Gross: $167.45M
Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre
73. American Psycho (2000)
R | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A wealthy New York City investment banking executive, Patrick Bateman, hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he delves deeper into his violent, hedonistic fantasies.
Director: Mary Harron | Stars: Christian Bale, Justin Theroux, Josh Lucas, Bill Sage
Votes: 714,127 | Gross: $15.07M
Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman
74. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
R | 91 min | Horror
Teenager Nancy Thompson must uncover the dark truth concealed by her parents after she and her friends become targets of the spirit of a serial killer with a bladed glove in their dreams, in which if they die, it kills them in real life.
Director: Wes Craven | Stars: Heather Langenkamp, Johnny Depp, Robert Englund, John Saxon
Votes: 262,151 | Gross: $25.50M
Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger
75. Halloween (1978)
R | 91 min | Horror, Thriller
Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.
Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tony Moran, Nancy Kyes
Votes: 306,537 | Gross: $47.00M
Michael Myers
76. Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
R | 97 min | Action, Horror
Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees return to terrorize the teenagers of Elm Street. Only this time, they're out to get each other, too.
Director: Ronny Yu | Stars: Robert Englund, Ken Kirzinger, Kelly Rowland, Monica Keena
Votes: 127,175 | Gross: $82.62M
Jason Voorhees
77. Speed (1994)
R | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A young police officer must prevent a bomb exploding aboard a city bus by keeping its speed above 50 mph.
Director: Jan de Bont | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock, Joe Morton
Votes: 391,450 | Gross: $121.25M
Dennis Hopper as Howard Payne
78. Sin City (2005)
R | 124 min | Crime, Thriller
An exploration of the dark and miserable Basin City and three of its residents, all of whom are caught up in violent corruption.
Directors: Frank Miller, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez | Stars: Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba
Votes: 793,448 | Gross: $74.10M
Nick Stahl as Yellow Bastard
79. Natural Born Killers (1994)
R | 119 min | Action, Crime, Romance
Two victims of traumatized childhoods become lovers and psychopathic serial murderers irresponsibly glorified by the mass media.
Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Rodney Dangerfield
Votes: 251,588 | Gross: $50.28M
Woody Harrelson & Juliette Lewis as Mickey & Mallory Knox
80. Dexter (2006–2013)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
He's smart. He's lovable. He's Dexter Morgan, America's favorite serial killer, who spends his days solving crimes and nights committing them.
Stars: Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, David Zayas, James Remar
Votes: 764,352
Christian Camargo as Rudy Cooper aka The Ice Truck Killer (Season 01)
"You can't be a killer and a hero. It doesn't work that way".
81. Dexter (2006–2013)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
He's smart. He's lovable. He's Dexter Morgan, America's favorite serial killer, who spends his days solving crimes and nights committing them.
Stars: Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, David Zayas, James Remar
Votes: 764,352
Johnny Lee Miller as Jordan Chase (Season 05)
"Tic, tic, tic. That's the sound of your life running out".
82. Universal Soldier (1992)
R | 102 min | Action, Sci-Fi
Soldiers who were killed in action are brought back to life in a top secret military experiment that creates superhuman warriors.
Director: Roland Emmerich | Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Ally Walker, Ed O'Ross
Votes: 96,107 | Gross: $36.30M
Dolph Lundgren as Andrew Scott/ GR 13
83. Platoon (1986)
R | 120 min | Drama, War
Chris Taylor, a neophyte recruit in Vietnam, finds himself caught in a battle of wills between two sergeants, one good and the other evil. A shrewd examination of the brutality of war and the duality of man in conflict.
Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Keith David
Votes: 439,094 | Gross: $138.53M
Tom Berenger as Sgt. Barnes
84. Iron Man 2 (2010)
PG-13 | 124 min | Action, Sci-Fi
With the world now aware of his identity as Iron Man, Tony Stark must contend with both his declining health and a vengeful mad man with ties to his father's legacy.
Director: Jon Favreau | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle
Votes: 867,752 | Gross: $312.43M
Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko
85. Kalifornia (1993)
R | 117 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A journalist duo goes on a tour of serial-killer murder sites with two companions, unaware that one of them is a serial killer himself.
Director: Dominic Sena | Stars: Brad Pitt, Juliette Lewis, Kathy Larson, David Milford
Votes: 58,129 | Gross: $2.40M
Brad Pitt as Early Grayce
86. Cliffhanger (1993)
R | 113 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A botched mid-air heist results in suitcases full of cash being searched for by various groups throughout the Rocky Mountains.
Director: Renny Harlin | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, John Lithgow, Michael Rooker, Janine Turner
Votes: 139,864 | Gross: $84.05M
John Lithgow as Eric Qualen
You need a good villain in an okay movie? Cast Lohn Lithgow. You can never be wrong with that choice. He delivers.
87. Lock Up (1989)
R | 109 min | Action, Crime, Drama
With only six months left of his sentence, inmate Frank Leone is transferred from a minimum security prison to a maximum security prison by a vindictive warden.
Director: John Flynn | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Donald Sutherland, John Amos, Sonny Landham
Votes: 46,393 | Gross: $22.10M
Donald Sutherland as Warden Drumgoole
88. Hard Target (1993)
R | 97 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A woman hires a drifter as her guide through New Orleans in search of her missing father. In the process, they discover a deadly game of cat and mouse behind his disappearance.
Director: John Woo | Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lance Henriksen, Yancy Butler, Chuck Pfarrer
Votes: 56,204 | Gross: $32.59M
Lance Henriksen as Emil Fouchon
89. Road to Perdition (2002)
R | 117 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A mob enforcer's son in 1930s Illinois witnesses a murder, forcing him and his father to take to the road, and his father down a path of redemption and revenge.
Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Tom Hanks, Tyler Hoechlin, Paul Newman
Votes: 284,336 | Gross: $104.45M
Jude Law as Harlen Maguire
90. RoboCop (1987)
R | 102 min | Action, Crime, Sci-Fi
In a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.
Director: Paul Verhoeven | Stars: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy, Ronny Cox
Votes: 282,784 | Gross: $53.42M
Ronny Cox as Dick Jones
91. Total Recall (1990)
R | 113 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
When a man goes in to have virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars implanted in his mind, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real - or is he?
Director: Paul Verhoeven | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside, Rachel Ticotin
Votes: 354,142 | Gross: $119.39M
Michael Ironside as Richter
92. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
R | 133 min | Drama
In the Fall of 1963, a Korean War veteran and criminal pleads insanity and is admitted to a mental institution, where he rallies up the scared patients against the tyrannical nurse.
Director: Milos Forman | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Michael Berryman, Peter Brocco
Votes: 1,071,352 | Gross: $112.00M
Louise Flechter as Nurse Ratched
93. Dexter (2006–2013)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
He's smart. He's lovable. He's Dexter Morgan, America's favorite serial killer, who spends his days solving crimes and nights committing them.
Stars: Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, David Zayas, James Remar
Votes: 764,352
Peter Weller as Stan Liddy (Season 05)
Great performance by Peter "RoboCop" Weller, but they wasted his great talent in this rather small role. They should have given him a role as a main villain just like they did with John Lithgow as Arthur Mitchell aka The Trinity Killer in season 4. Pity.
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