In film, everybody hates the villain or the “bad guy.” But in essence, the villain has always been more intriguing and complex than any other character, especially the hero. We wonder why he does this, what made him this way, etc. Either way, I enjoyed their performances from minute one. As always, I will try not to spoil the movie. 

Starting from number five is Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) in “Fight Club.” His philosophy on life, religion, nature, nurture, etc, seems extreme but he also might be onto something. Being able to manipulate men not only to beat each other to a pulp but to do whatever he says is impressive. As the narrator states “In Tyler We Trust.”

The number four spot belongs to Benjamin “Lefty” Ruggiero (A1 Pacino) in “Donnie Brasco.” Unlike your typical rise and fall of a mafia leader, such as “Scarface,” Lefty already knows he failed in life. He has no money, a junkie for a son, has cancer, no stature in the mob and the only thing keeping him from committing suicide is being a mentor to Donnie (Johnny Depp). Being able to teach him the language and loyalty of the mob, he passes a part of himself to Donnie.

Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton) in “American History X” claims the number three spot. Having his father killed by a minority, he turns to hatred and racism. You’d think with his intelligence, he’d be smart enough not to. But having his own people turn on him in prison in the worst possible way, it broke him. The most dramatic events in his life changes the course of his thinking, as it does for us. Given the ending, you wonder if he’ll stay the course or change his thinking yet again

 My number two spot is occupied by two characters but the same actor. It is Kevin Spacey for Roger “Verbal” Kint in “The Usual Suspects” and John Doe in “Seven.” Both characters are equally manipulative with a master plan so flawless that their egos aren’t required to beat all odds. It’s ironic to note that Verbal addresses “someone” as the devil and Doe addresses “someone” as God.

The best of the best, the number one spot and the greatest villain of all time is none other than Hannibal Lector (Anthony Hopkins). Knowing he has a life sentence, why does he continue to help the police find another serial killer? He is so twofaced that sometimes we don’t know which side we are seeing. He is a sophisticated gentleman who loves art and the symphony, but on the other hand, he eats people. And he only eats rude people, isn’t that a contradiction? His mind has so many depths that a lifetime wouldn’t be long enough to comprehend it.

Those are my top five. Obviously for reasons of length, I could only explain five. Also female villains belong in a separate rank. Please email me at [email protected] if you have any favorites for follow up.