Top 10 Movie Villains

I've been thinking about movie villains recently, especially after watching Star Trek and really noticing its lack of a truly memorable villain. Without further adieu, I present my choice of the top 10 movie villains of all time. What do you think of my selections?

10. HAL 9000, 2001: A Space Odyssey
HAL is scary. A sentient on-board computer designed to help navigate the spaceship Discovery, HAL shows what could happen if mankind relies too much on technology and artificial intelligence, which has become even more relevant as the information age progresses. The computer wants to ensure mission success at any cost, even if it means killing the crew members on board when they threaten his disconnection...

9. Noah Cross, Chinatown
One of the most purely villainous characters in the history of cinema. Noah has no redeeming qualities and when the movie reveals how despicable his actions truly are, it comes as a great shock and with great revulsion to the viewer. He may seem like a kindly old man from this picture, but he is anything but. I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen the movie, but the last 20 minutes of this film really showcase how horrible human nature can be.

8. Eve Harrington, All About Eve
Eve is just so conniving and devious, all with an exterior of being this warm and good-hearted fan of her idol, Margo Channing. She is the epitome of the scheming youth seeking to supplant the older hero. What makes Eve memorable as a villain his how she starts out as a seemingly innocent fan; definitely a case of a pleasant exterior hiding something truly despicable on the inside. Everything comes full circle in the end though...

7. Phyllis Dietrichson, Double Indemnity
Dietrichson has come to fully embody the femme fatale character. Unhappy in her marriage, she seduces the seemingly innocent insurance salesman Walter Neff to murder her husband so they can be together. Of course, Phyllis' black widow character is using him. This motif has been mimicked in countless works, but the original is still the best, and creepiest.

6. Anton Chigurh, No Country for Old Men
What a chilling character. Chigurh is one of those memorable villains that scare the living bajeezus out of you whenever they are on-screen. From his coin-flipping to decide life and death, mop-top haircut, eerie bolt pistol, and distinctive voice, Chigurh is truly an unstoppable evil.

5. Nurse Ratched, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Nurse Ratched antagonizes her charges in the insane asylum as an iron-fisted dictator. She even drives one inmate to suicide through her cajoling and authoritarian rule. Ratched epitomizes what happens when power and authority go terribly wrong.

4. Hannibal Lecter, The Silence of the Lambs
Ah, Hannibal the cannibal. Such a creepy villain and a truly memorable performance. His cold intellect and remorselessness make him truly feared, although he does have a soft spot for Clarisse. Perhaps that makes him even more chilling, since the viewer realizes he has the capacity for human empathy but chooses to disregard it most of the time. Failed as a believable villain in his stand-alone effort, however. Still, what he did to those prison guards in Silence terrified me and countless others. I made a mistake when I first watched this for the home alone in my basement with the lights out...

3. The Joker, The Dark Knight
A maniacal clown bent on mayhem and destruction, portrayed flawlessly. What makes the Joker such a villainous and frightful character is his unpredictability. There is no method to his madness. Some villains can be understood and thus lose some of their ability to generate fear. The Joker has a depth that makes him impossible to comprehend, which adds to his evil mystique.

2. Norman Bates, Psycho
While Norman is an insane, knife-wielding "psycho," as exemplified by the infamous shower scene, his creepiest qualities are only revealed in hindsight at the end of the film. After discussing the role his mother plays in his life, when the astonishing reveal occurs it is like a fog lifts from the viewer's eyes, and the fog is replaced by horror. Hitchcock had a knack for creating great villains, and Bates is his finest. After seeing this for the first time, I didn't shower without some anxiety for weeks.

1. Darth Vader, The Empire Strikes Back
So we come at last to the number one villain of all-time: Darth Vader. You'll notice I put his movie credit as The Empire Strikes Back, with good reason. In Star Wars, we get a glimpse of Vader's evil. His intimidating presence, striking black helmet and outfit, that iconic voice, and his merciless slaying of his old mentor easily strike fear into the viewer. However, in Empire, his villainy is revealed fully when he announces he is Luke's father. Also, who can forget him force-choking Imperial fleet officers right and left. When Vader loses his cool during his duel with Luke on Cloud City, he is truly terrifying, especially when we realize he is committing these acts against his own son. While he partially regains his humanity in the third film, he will forever be remembered as the greatest film villain of all-time.

And there you have it. I hope you enjoy. If you think someone doesn't belong or I didn't include a villain who does, feel free to discuss below!

In Honor of the Preakness: Top 3 Horse Racing Movies

Since today is the 134th running of the Preakness Stakes, I thought it would be appropriate to share my top 3 horse racing movies of all time. Honestly, there have not been a slew of great movies on the subject. I'm not really sure why, possibly because horse racing is not as popular among the general public as some sports. Also, the stories must primarily focus on the human elements (jockeys, trainers, owners, fans) rather than the horses themselves. Without further ado, here are my top 3 best horse racing movies of all time.

3. National Velvet (1944)
An uplifting tale about Velvet Brown, a twelve-year old girl who saves a horse, dubbed "The Pie," from being slaughtered. Velvet, portrayed by Elizabeth Taylor in the role that launched her to stardom, trains The Pie for the Grand National steeplechase. Along the way, she's helped by Mi Taylor (Mickey Rooney). When the day of the big race comes around, The Pie's regular jockey expresses doubts of victory, so Velvet disguises herself as a male and runs her stallion to victory. Adapted from the novel of the same name, National Velvet is a great family movie that still delights fans over 60 years after its release.

2. Seabiscuit (2003)
This star-studded film brought horse-racing movies back into the national spotlight, although no others have replicated its success since. Nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture (winning none), Seabiscuit was modified for the big screen from Laura Hillenbrand's book, Seabiscuit: An American Legend. Placing the camera amidst the horses, the viewer feels like they are riding with the jockeys and horses as Seabiscuit and company gallop around the track. Another feel-good story. I smell a pattern among this genre of film.

1. The Black Stallion (1979)
The quintessential horse movie, the actual race is not as integral as the relationship that develops between Alec Ramsay and the Black, the horse he befriends after a shipwreck strands him on a desert isle. Alec returns to New York where Henry Dailey (Mickey Rooney again) helps him train the stallion to race. In the match race at the end of the film, Alec and the Black defeat the two heavyweights, Sun Raider and Cyclone, although everyone though their entry in the race was a publicity stunt. This movie, another feel-good tale, was also adapted from the popular novel that showcases the bond that develops between horse and rider. Roger Ebert called The Black Stallion the best movie of 1980, which is high praise since that puts it ahead of such classics as Empire Strikes Back and Raging Bull. Ebert may want to change his pick based on posterity, but he definitely singled out the greatest horse flick of all time.

Personally, I enjoy movies about horses and thoroughbred racing. I hope we see another great one in the coming years.