Lists, Top 5s — September 23, 2011 3:03 am

KAI’S TOP 5 GREAT VILLAINS FROM BAD MOVIES

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I don’t know about you but, every now and then, I’ll be watching a below average film and still be totally hooked into watching because of a really great performance. That’s the basis for today’s list. We’ll stick with the bad guys for this one though. Five standout villain performances in arguably bad films. Here are mine (in order):

Honorable Mention: CYRUS THE VIRUS (JOHN MALKOVICH) – CON AIR.

Why the honorable mention? Well, Con Air is a bit of a conundrum! It is by no means a good film but everyone I know, including myself, love the film for it’s horrible cheesy goodness. It’s like a Meximelt from Taco Bell. For that reason, I cannot, in good faith, put it on the list. I can, however, make an argument that Malkovich gives the standout performance of the film… if not his career.

5. SABRETOOTH (LIEV SCHREIBER) – X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE.

So, we finally get a Wolverine movie and it turns out to be this. Such a shame. Though, I am going to make a bold statement on this one. Liev Scheiber as Sabretooth was amazing. In fact, I think it might be my favorite depiction of the character ever… including comic books.

4. STUNTMAN MIKE (KURT RUSSELL) – DEATH PROOF.

Not everyone loves this film. I hear a lot of “The last twenty minutes is great.” or “I prefer Planet Terror.” Personally, aside for a few long stretches of Tarantino indulging himself with some extraneous dialogue, I love the film. Still, I can see why other people don’t. What’s hard to dismiss is Russell’s performance as Stuntman Mike. It’s always great to see Q.T. rediscover old talent and it was nice to see him playing a badass again.

3. BULLSEYE (COLIN FARRELL) – DAREDEVIL.

Again, (I’m sensing a theme here) I don’t hate this movie but I can’t exactly argue that it’s great either. What was great was Farrell’s take on what has always been, in my opinion, somewhat of a boring character. It was nice to see some life breathed into Bullseye.

2. GENERAL THADE (TIM ROTH) – PLANET OF THE APES (2001).

Tim Burton’s POTA remake was a forgettable film, at best. However, I found Tim Roth to be awesome every time he took the screen as Thade. He truly was a menacing foe. Such a shame when an amazing performance is blown on a film like this.

1. DARTH MAUL (RAY PARK) – STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 – THE PHANTOM MENACE.

I wish I had a sexier, out of right-field, pick to throw up at number one but what can you do? Episode 1 is clearly the biggest blemish in the Star Wars universe. Yet it had one silver lining: DARTH MAUL! Every time I watch this film, it’s worth it just to see that 2 minute fight sequence at the end where Darth Maul squares off with Obi-Wan and Qui-Gan… which is saying a lot… because the rest of the movie is crap!

So, do you guys like any really good villains from really bad movies?

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Author: Master list maker and perpetuator of awesomeness!

42 Comments

  • Reply
    Sir Phobos
    Twitter:
    September 23, 2011 3:21 am

    I’m sort of drawing a blank right now for bad movies. It’s 4am, so I reserve that right.

    For whatever reason, the only movie popping into my head is Speed, and how awesome Dennis Hopper is. “The whim of a madman,” so to speak.

  • Reply
    Sir Phobos
    Twitter:
    September 23, 2011 3:22 am

    This is the first time I’ve heard about people not liking Death Proof, by the way. I have a Stuntman Mike bobblehead standing right in front of my TV.

  • Reply
    Univarn September 23, 2011 4:17 am

    You know, this may not be a popular stance, but I’m going to throw him out there anyways – Jigsaw from the Saw series. For my money the concept was always better than the execution in each and every installment. The first one was the best, but even there I’d have to be in one heck of a generous mood to give it a passing score.

    It’s funny to me that so many of my fellow Star Wars geeks are heavy on the Darth Maul love, but even at the impressionable age of 13 he didn’t leave much of an impression on me. Of course it didn’t help that at 13 I was at just the right stage in puberty to perform a killer Jar Jar Binks impersonation on any given day… much to the annoyance of everyone around me, I’m sure.

    • Reply
      Sir Phobos
      Twitter:
      September 27, 2011 1:01 am

      Saw got retarded pretty much after the first one, which is great. James Wan is the man. Check out his other movies if you haven’t.

      • Reply
        Kaiderman
        Twitter:
        September 27, 2011 8:37 pm

        Insidious is great!

        • Reply
          Sir Phobos
          Twitter:
          September 29, 2011 2:07 am

          The first time I watched Insidious, I just about lost my damn mind. I loved it with a PASSION. I watched it for the second time with my girlfriend, and she actually tempered my enthusiasm ever so slightly. I still love the movie, but I’m forced to agree with her that the ending was a bit of a let-down. It explained a little too much. Maybe it’s not the fact that it explained too much, necessarily, but it’s what the explanation turned out to be. I still really love the house with the people trapped in limbo or whatever the hell (the girl shotgunning the family, etc), but something felt a little too over-the-top, especially compared with the rest of the film.

          Still, James Wan rocks the fucking house, and Insidious is awesome.

  • Reply
    SJHoneywell September 23, 2011 7:49 am

    I’ll throw out one that I think a lot of people have forgotten–Charles Dance as Benedict from Last Action Hero. The movie is cheese-filled and not very good, but Benedict (the guy with the glass eye) is a really entertaining villain.

    @Sir Phobos–Dennis Hopper is the only thing worth watching in Waterworld, too. Also, you can sign me up as someone intensely disappointed with Death Proof. Loved the first half, hated the second half of it.

    • Reply
      Dylan
      Twitter:
      September 23, 2011 9:10 am

      Do you mean the first/second halves of Grindhouse? Because the second half of Death Proof is essentially the same as the first half, isn’t it?

      • Reply
        SJHoneywell September 23, 2011 9:53 am

        No, I meant specifically the first half/second half of Death Proof. I like the film up to the point of the giant accident and then I don’t care about it any more. It is very much the same as the first half, but done worse.

        • Reply
          Nick September 23, 2011 2:54 pm

          See, I still disagree with that. I think the majority of the film is just painfully dull… until the last 20 minutes. But then the last 10 seconds is stupid again.

    • Reply
      Sir Phobos
      Twitter:
      September 27, 2011 1:03 am

      Oh, God. I don’t even remember Waterworld, it’s been so long.

      Benedict was also the villain in The Golden Child, which is also one of my favorite Eddie Murphy movies. That dude is a great asshole.

      Stop with the Death Proof hate already. I might have to punch an unarmed civilian.

  • Reply
    Dylan
    Twitter:
    September 23, 2011 9:15 am

    “Episode 1 is clearly the biggest blemish in the Star Wars universe.”

    Really? I’ll take it over AOTC any day.

    Anyway, fun list. Good call by Steve w/ Charles Dance. Both he and Tom Noonan were fun in Last Action Hero, a movie that I would copy Kai’s “I don’t hate this movie but I can’t exactly argue that it’s great either” line for – I actually like Last Action Hero quite a bit.

    Surely, Gary Busey needs to be on this list somewhere. And maybe Tommy Lee Jones for Under Siege.

  • Reply
    Sebastian
    Twitter:
    September 23, 2011 9:18 am

    Did you know that Tim Roth passed on playing Severus Snape to do POTA. Just think about where’d he be right now if he hadn’t.

  • Reply
    Nic Cage September 23, 2011 11:01 am

    Oh man, love this list! Darth Maul should have been in all three movies I-III. The hell with Count Dooku.

    Escape at the end of episode one, whoop ass in episode two, then get killed in episode three. Lucas screwed up on this one.

    I agree with Dylan, Tommy Lee Jones for Under Siege should be on this list, maybe remove Kurt Russell, as much as I love him.

    • Reply
      Kaiderman
      Twitter:
      September 23, 2011 4:02 pm

      Lucas messed up like he did with Boba Fett. He always says if he had known how popular Boba would be, he wouldn’t have killed him off like a bitch. Though, I wonder if we’d be as intrigued with him had he not came and gone in the fashion he did!

  • Reply
    Fitz
    Twitter:
    September 24, 2011 9:42 am

    Joan Allen from Death Race?

  • Reply
    Wesley September 24, 2011 4:13 pm

    Christopher McDonald as Shooter McGavin in ‘Happy Gilmore’. I wouldn’t call the movie bad, but Shooter is so awesome he deserves mention.

  • Reply
    Noata January 25, 2012 5:16 am

    How could this list not have Raul Julia as M. Bison and Frank Langella as Skeletor?

    Those two were the only thing worth watching in both their crappy movies.

  • Reply
    David C March 27, 2012 8:34 am

    Awesome call, Noata. Loved those performances. I hate Steven Seagal but loved Forsythe’s bad guy in Out for Justice.

  • Reply
    Nic Cage March 27, 2012 9:03 am

    Another addition…

    The Sandman from the bad-yet-good Van Damme movie: Death Warrant

    “You can’t hurt me Burke, I’m The Sandman” Great quote.

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