When you need a villain you should cast...

[Moltisanti]

I say Lance Henricksen. I was watching the end of STONE COLD the other day, I swore I wouldn't until it came out on DVD but a buddy was watching his tape and I had to watch the stuff at the courthouse. But that film, along with HARD TARGET, EXCESSIVE FORCE, and JOHNNY HANDSOME makes Henricksen the guy I would go with when you need someone to raise hell. I know he can do more, ALIENS shows that, but he's perfectly suited to play the bad guy. I wish he'd get good evil roles these days but I suppose when you have characters like Xander Cage and whatever the hell Colin Farrell's name in SWAT was they'd look pretty weak next to Henricksen.

So who would some of you guys take as the best actor to play the villain?

[Lead Salad]

Adam West. No explanation necessary.

[Bayouradio]

Michael Ironside

Now and forever.

[sith happens]

Willem Dafoe or of corse the obvious Christopher Walken.

[Geoff Foster]

Gary Oldman.

1. He can act.
2. He looks like he could carve out someone’s innards whilst eating a ham sandwich.
3. He is a master of foreign accents.
4. He is English.

All the above attributes (number 4 especially) make him the ideal screen villain.

[RathBandu]

"I wanted this to be efficient, professional. Alas, your Mr. Naktomi did not see it that way, so he won't be joining us for the rest of his life."

Enough said.

[Bayouradio]

Enough said.True that.

[Andrew O.]

Is that Alan Rickman? because that's what I was going to say but with different evidence:

"Because it's dull, you TWIT! It'll hurt more!"

One of that movie's only redeeming qualities.

[Geoff Foster]

Ver are my detonatorz?!?!

[KBM]

Christopher Lee

Ian McDiarmid

Ray Park

Anjelica Huston (Witches comes to mind)

Ian McKellen

George C. Scott (just watched Anatomy of a Murder, the second film I've seen of Scott's, the first being Dr. Strangelove)

Pei-pei Cheng (loved her as "Jade Fox")

Bill Moseley ("Chop-Top" from TCM 2, what a character)

Jim Siedow (another TCM 2 alum, his turn as "Cook" is just classic)

Robert Englund

Kiefer Sutherland (Lost Boys)

[Bayouradio]

In an offshoot of the main discussion, regardless of who you cast as the main villain, his team of henchmen should include any one or all of the following:

Al Leong
Danny Trejo
Michael Berryman
Chiaki Kuriyama
Michael Madsen (as long as he's not in SIN CITY mode)
Mekhi Phifer
Sid Haig
(feel free to add your own)

As for main villains, I want to throw in Erik Todd Dellums, who was amazing as Luther Mahoney in HOMICIDE. He's a woefully underused actor with a load of talent and I'd kill to see him get another juicy lead villain role before I die.

[Chun006]

Michael Wincott - cursed with a voice that type-cast him as a villain... but he did it well. And if my memory served me he was quite handy with a sword (that is as handy as a villain could be).

Beware the rasp!

[Matt Ocallaghan]

I really like it when actors more known for their comedic performances turn to villians. There is something about the familiarity of comedy that makes it more malevolant when these performers turn up as the heavies
I cant think of too many right now as im on my fifth scotch and second bong for the evening but the ones i can think of just off hand are:

John Cleese in Eric the Viking
Michael Palin in Brazil
Jim Carrey in A Series of Unfortunate Events AND Batman Forever (film sucked. He was cool)
Leslie Nielson in the third installment of the Tales Of the Crypt film. It was pre-Naked Gun but post Police Squad and Airplane which i saw first.
Woody Harrelson in Natural Born Killers.
Robin Williams in One Hour Photo AND Insomnia

and just quickly, i think Ronny Cox is a fucking shit hot mother fucking bad guy. Michael Ironside might be the Man now and Forever, but only Ronny Cox could tell him what to do.

[OhioJones]

Kevin Spacey.

[xbutterx]

Michael Ironside
Ronny Cox
Gary Oldman (He owns just about every movie he is in, especially True Romance)
Rickman

grrrreat choices !!!!!!!

I also like :
J T Walsh (see Pleasantville, Breakdown, Needful things, and Backdraft)
Charles Dance (see Last Action Hero, the Golden Child)
F Murray Abraham (see Scarface and Last Action Hero: "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?")
James Earl Jones (see Conan the Barbarian and Darth Vader, of course)
Stephen Dorf (see blade)

and all of them have to have Al leong as a the henchman that dies, of course.

[Frank Gordon]

Michael Wincott - cursed with a voice that type-cast him as a villain... but he did it well. And if my memory served me he was quite handy with a sword (that is as handy as a villain could be).

Beware the rasp!


Damn skippy.

[Frank Gordon]

No no no, when you need a villain, you choose the actor/actress no one expects. Remember Harrison Ford in "What Lies Beneath"? That was great, because no one saw it coming, and he usually portrays admirable characters. These would be good villains, to:

- Tom Hanks
- Meg Ryan
- Julia Roberts
- Matthew Broderick (I know, it's hard to see Ferris Bueller as evil, but hey...)

[Grofield]

- Matthew Broderick (I know, it's hard to see Ferris Bueller as evil, but hey...)

He was great playing a sleazeball in ELECTION.

FAVORITE BAD DUDES WHO ARE STILL ALIVE AND I'M GUESSING COULD USE THE WORK:

Stacy Keach
John Saxon
Henry Silva
William "Big Bill" Smith
Richard Lynch
Bill McKinney
Ed O' Ross
James Remar
David Patrick Kelly
Clancy Brown

[Brad Millette]

Clancy Brown gets quite a bit of good voice acting work these days.

And he's actually surprisingly good at it, too. He's got a lot of range in terms of the voices that he's capable of.

[Moltisanti]

Leong and Trejo are awesome henchmen, but I believe Patrick Kilpatrick should be part of that holy trinity. Just don't make him the main bad guy or you end up with DEATH WARRANT.

[Spike Marshall]

I would love to see Sonny Chiba play a villain with Marc Dacoas (sp?) as his henchman. I just love both the actors and they both can kick pretty much anyone's ass.

[Grofield]

Leong and Trejo are awesome henchmen, but I believe Patrick Kilpatrick should be part of that holy trinity. Just don't make him the main bad guy or you end up with DEATH WARRANT.

I love Kilpatrick's first scene with Bruce Willis in LAST MAN STANDING...

FINN: It's not a good idea to be lookin' at Mr. Doyle's girl that way.
SMITH: Seems to me, a guy once told me this was a free country.
FINN: Jocko, this guy thinks it's a free country.

[Jocko puts his fist through Smith's windshield]

FINN: Now you're free to go.

[Moltisanti]

That was a good scene. It was cool to see Kilptarick in MINORITY REPORT. I probably would have liked the movie better if there was more Kilpatrick and less Collin Farrell.

Another cool thing about the triple threat of Leong, Trejo, and Kilpatrick, all 3 meet their maker thanks to Chow Yun Fat in THE REPLACEMENT KILLERS. Reason enough for me to like that film.

[Charlie Brigden]

Ian McDiarmid isn't a bad villain. I'd kill to see him actually be directed by a proper actor's director.

[Bayouradio]

Michael Ironside might be the Man now and Forever, but only Ronny Cox could tell him what to do.Careful or he'll make your head explode.

[Geoff Foster]

Let's face it, my American friends: you need a strong Englishman to chill your blood to ice.

[Bayouradio]

Let's face it, my American friends: you need a strong Englishman to chill your blood to ice.
Do you think this is some sort of national residual fear passed down since the Revolution (do you all call it an Insurgency?) or are we just scared that your actors are better than ours?

[Geoff Foster]

Do you think this is some sort of national residual fear passed down since the Revolution (do you all call it an Insurgency?)

Actually, I think it stems from Robert Shaw's chilling performance in the excellent The Taking of Pelham 123. English actors have been staple "bad guy" material ever since.

Or are we just scared that your actors are better than ours?

It would be nice if that were true, but no. We have more than our fair share of terrible actors. For every Gary Oldman there is a Vinnie Jones.

[RathBandu]

Speaking of very good British villains: Jason Issacs.

[Geoff Foster]

Speaking of very good British villains: Jason Issacs.

Roland Emmerich certainly agrees. I thought Isaacs chewed up Peter Pan and spat out the remains.

[RathBandu]

Yeah, I know he was playing a grotesque cariacture with no basis in reality in The Patriot, but he was just so damn good at it.

[Charlie Brigden]

Actually, I think it stems from Robert Shaw's chilling performance in the excellent The Taking of Pelham 123.

Everybody should watch that movie. It's absolute fucking class all the way. To think it was directed by the same guy who helmed JAWS, THE REVENGE.

[Geoff Foster]

Everybody should watch that movie.

For the opening score alone!

[Stew]

Yeah, I know he was playing a grotesque cariacture with no basis in reality in The Patriot, but he was just so damn good at it.

Actually, he had some historical roots. Bannastre Tarleton was the leader of the Dragoons in the real Battle of Cowpens, and wasn't a particularly well-regarded character IIRC. He was definitely embellished, but similar to how Gibson is loosely based on Fransic Marion the SWamp Fox, Tavington has roots in history. Only whereas Gibson was changed to be more sympathetic (Marion owned slaves), Isaacs got embellished to be more evil. A great performance though, and he was a terrific Captain Hook.

Brian Cox has to be considered on speed dial too. "X2" was perfect for him, "Rob Roy" was so evil he made me physically uncomfortable, of course "Manhunter", and he even had some good scenes in "Troy".

[Bayouradio]

I didn't expect this thread to spin out into unabashed PELHAM love, but since it has this is now my favorite thread ever. The affection I have for that movie reaches alarming levels at times. (I stare at its poster which hangs on the wall beyond my computer monitor, so I stare at it all day.) I think there's something to the Shaw as father of the Brit villain.

[NathanW]

Linda Fiorentino. When you need a world class bitch I just can't see anyone else after watching Last Seduction.

[Sharpel007]

watch Inspector Morse : The Masonic Mysteries if you want Ian McDiamirid as a great villian beside the emporer

[Steve Byron]

Christopher Lee

Ian McDiarmid

Ray Park

Anjelica Huston (Witches comes to mind)

Ian McKellen

George C. Scott (just watched Anatomy of a Murder, the second film I've seen of Scott's, the first being Dr. Strangelove)

Pei-pei Cheng (loved her as "Jade Fox")

Bill Moseley ("Chop-Top" from TCM 2, what a character)

Jim Siedow (another TCM 2 alum, his turn as "Cook" is just classic)

Robert Englund

Kiefer Sutherland (Lost Boys)

KBM, a friendly suggestion: If you thought George C. Scott was bad in Anatomy of a
Murder, you've got to see The Hustler. He's such a great scumbag in that. One of
my all-time favorite films.

[Steve Byron]

In an offshoot of the main discussion, regardless of who you cast as the main villain, his team of henchmen should include any one or all of the following:

Al Leong
Danny Trejo
Michael Berryman
Chiaki Kuriyama
Michael Madsen (as long as he's not in SIN CITY mode)
Mekhi Phifer
Sid Haig
(feel free to add your own)

As for main villains, I want to throw in Erik Todd Dellums, who was amazing as Luther Mahoney in HOMICIDE. He's a woefully underused actor with a load of talent and I'd kill to see him get another juicy lead villain role before I die.

I am so fucking happy someone else shares the Luther Mahoney love. One of the coolest
villains in any medium. I'm sick that I haven't seen Dellums in anything else that I can re-
call since Homicide. I thought he was gonna blow up huge off that show. Nobody ever
paid much attention to Homicide, tragically.

[Chris Wood]

Willem Dafoe or of corse the obvious Christopher Walken.

You took the words right out of my mouth. Those are my two top picks. I mean, it just doesn't get any better.

However, as others have said, Oldman and Rickman are also good, and after seeing Gangs of New York I have to add Daniel Day-Lewis.

[Stormin]

Michael Wincott - cursed with a voice that type-cast him as a villain... but he did it well. And if my memory served me he was quite handy with a sword (that is as handy as a villain could be).

Beware the rasp!

Nothing makes me happier than reading this thread and seeing Wincott already named. The guy gets no credit for being one of the best movie badasses ever.

Daniel von Bargen is another great villainous actor.

[Samurai Mike]

I know he's dead, but Peter Cushing was a kickass villain - no-one rolled their 'r's quite like Tarkin.

Christopher Lee would be another choice, mainly for The Wicker Man, where he managed to make dancing in a long wig and a dress scary.

[Stew]

He was the Russian ambassador in "The Hunt for Red October" and the nice old hockey skate maker in "The Mighty Ducks". But before that he was one evil bastard in "Lethal Weapon II". I give you fat, bald, accented, Joss Auckland.

[xbutterx]

-"Diplomatic Immunity!"
BLAMMM!!!!

-...."has just been revoked!"

[Moltisanti]

Hey Stew, didn't Ackland appear in a bad movie where he teamed up with Ted Levine to take down a certain Belguim martial artist who would be perfect for Gambit?

[Disciple_72]

you can take your pick from the veritable who's who that is THE STEVEN SEAGAL ROGUE'S GALLERY:


Henry Silva

Bill Sadler

Branscombe Richmond (in many ways the thinking man's Al Leong)

Bill Forsythe

the legendary Nick Dimitri

Basil "stop di blaadclaat cryin" Wallace

Sir Juicy of Busey

Tommy Lee Jones

David Suchet

Michael Caine

John C McGinley

R Lee Ermey

Billy Bob Thornton

Eric Bogosian

Everett McGill (truly underrated horror/action bad guy)

Patrick "Sandman" Kilpatrick

Bob Gunton

Brian Cox

the bald guy from TV's Jag

Stephen Tobolowsky

Kris Kristofferson

Steve Lang

Mark Collie

Michael Jai White

Bruce McGill




you couldn't ask for a better list of baddies... but alas, Henriksen was the one that got away.

[Disciple_72]

British bad guys should probably have their own list.

Jason Isaacs I'm not a fan of. Bruce Payne did the classic no frills evil looking, well spoken, vaguely sadisitic british bad guy better (and in cheaper movies, too)

I do like Stuart Wilson, he's old school Steven Berkoff/Terence Stamp material.

[Moltisanti]

Everett McGill (truly underrated horror/action bad guy)

No kidding there. How did that guy not get on every director's rolodex for "Bad Guy" after UNDER SIEGE 2. I was begging for him to take Bogosian out himself like he did with Kilpatrick.

No love for Gailard Sartain in THE PATRIOT? I don't blame you.

[Disciple_72]

couple more that I forgot should be on that list:

big Mike Starr

Scott Schwartz

Sven Ole Thorsen

Plus you can even spot veteran stunt toughs like Kane Hodder and Nils Allen Stewart in his movies if you look closely. yeah that's right... Sensei dispatched JASON VOORHEES himself. Witness:

[Disciple_72]

No kidding there. How did that guy not get on every director's rolodex for "Bad Guy" after UNDER SIEGE 2. I was begging for him to take Bogosian out himself like he did with Kilpatrick.



I agree. Everett McGill has to be one of the most physically intimidating bad guys ever. also his characters always seem to enjoy their work. so he's great.

[Moltisanti]

Think about A MAN APART (I know it's tough but try), BAD BOYS 2, and XXX. Make McGill the villain and those movies just became at least 20% better. Still not enough to make XXX good but what the hey.

[Disciple_72]

I love the way he switches between normal and gimp mode in People Under the Stairs.

and out of all of them, he does the best Frustrated Scream at Ryback (so much more passionate and convincing than say the Godunov outbursts at McClane)

[Smeagol]

No no no, when you need a villain, you choose the actor/actress no one expects. Remember Harrison Ford in "What Lies Beneath"? That was great, because no one saw it coming, and he usually portrays admirable characters. These would be good villains, to:

- Tom Hanks
- Meg Ryan
- Julia Roberts
- Matthew Broderick (I know, it's hard to see Ferris Bueller as evil, but hey...)

Elijah Wood in Sin City being the BEST example of this. :D

[Momotaro]

No one has mentioned Udo Kier, Randall 'Tex' Cobb, Robert Z'Dar or Brion James (rest his soul). All excellent bad guys. Although the last three are dated...

[Grofield]

No one has mentioned Udo Kier.

You're right. No one does bad guy better than Kier in BLOOD FOR DRACULA and FLESH FOR FRANKENSTEIN. I'm not being facetious, either -- he's fucking brilliant in those movies.