When Do You Side with the Bad Guy?
Filed under: Fandom
Oh, the wiley and elusive bad guy. The masses might wonder why guys and gals always fall for the bad boy or bad girl, but let's face it -- evil looks irresistibly good on the big screen, and it's hard to settle for the vanilla world of reality when evildoers make life look fun. We're supposed to follow the good guys -- cheer for the hero -- but then the nemesis sweeps in and steals all the thunder.Sometimes, they steal it before the film even begins. The Hollywood Reporter posts that Justin Theroux has joined Your Highness. David Gordon Green's comedy follows Danny McBride's lazy prince as he sets out to save his father's kingdom. Theroux will be "Leezar, an evil wizard with a bejeweled magical staff" who kidnaps the virginal princess (Zooey Deschanel) -- bride of James Franco. Luckily, he doesn't steal Natalie Portman's character, because there is no way that a princess would be fighting her way out of Theroux confinement to be with McBride. Heck, even with Franco, I'm already rooting for Leezar.
And this certainly isn't the first time. I found it impossible to root for Harrison Ford in Air Force One when Gary Oldman's Ivan Korshunov was so much more charismatic and fun. The scene that remains burned in my memory these 12 years later? The disappointment that Korshunov was foiled by President Marshall.
Or, what about Danny Huston's Arthur Burns in The Proposition? From the moment he came on the screen, Huston balanced this insane mixture of evil madness and relatable charm. It was just as easy to love Burns as it was to loathe him and his atrocious and violent acts.
But what about you? Did you root for Agent Smith in The Matrix? Were you one of the people who watched Toy Soldiers only to root for the bad guys and watch Wesley Crusher die? When do you side with the bad guy?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
8-25-2009 @ 12:45PM
Chupacabra said...
The Joker in the Dark Knight.
Darth Vader, always.
Godzilla, always.
Reply
8-25-2009 @ 12:47PM
TeknoStorm said...
Antonio Banderas in Assassins.
Reply
8-25-2009 @ 12:52PM
Rich said...
and of course...
Hannibal Lector
Reply
8-25-2009 @ 1:05PM
Tanner said...
The Terminator in T1 obviously.
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8-25-2009 @ 1:41PM
Nicholas W. said...
I completely disagree with your assessment of Danny Huston in The Proposition - did he voice some genuinely insightful and touching sentiments? Yes. Did he also participate in several rape/murders? Yes. The two just don't balance out for me. Wonderful movie, great acting, but I was so grateful when Guy Pearce arrived and blew that traveling circus to pieces.
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8-25-2009 @ 1:31PM
Shalekendar said...
Mizaguchi (Spelling?) in Returner. Hits every one of the "bad guy" checklist items!
Reply
8-26-2009 @ 3:22PM
danger355 said...
couldn't help but like Denzel Washington in 'Training Day'
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8-25-2009 @ 11:59PM
YouFaceTheTick said...
Training Day was fun until the end when the movie went so damn hollywood and opted for the cliche ending. I really love when the good guy loses.
8-26-2009 @ 3:28PM
danger355 said...
true.
your comment made me think of another good one. Kevin Spacey in 'Se7en'. That was a really horrible/great ending.
Brad Pitt in 'Fight Club' was easy to root for, too.
8-25-2009 @ 2:02PM
Exidor said...
Michael Douglas in Falling Down
Michael Myers in Halloween (the original)
Reply
8-26-2009 @ 8:27AM
Mangorilla said...
Yeah, I thought of Michael Douglas in Falling Down immediately. Glad someone else agrees.
8-25-2009 @ 2:07PM
Ryan said...
Twilight. As long as SOMEONE kills Bella.
Reply
8-25-2009 @ 3:35PM
Jennifer said...
AMEN!!!!!
8-25-2009 @ 2:11PM
Wexler said...
Tyler Durden, Zombies in Day of the Dead and Land of the Dead, Voldemort, Gary Oldman as Dracula, and Rasputin and Kroenen (I'm very curious to see Hellboy fighting in post apocalyptic earth, plus Kroenen is badass.)
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8-25-2009 @ 2:20PM
Riley Freeman said...
better believe im going to be rooting for gerard butler in law abiding citizen.
i always rooted for jigsaw in the saw movies.
cant think of any others right now.
i gues ill include aaron eckhart in thank you for smoking
Reply
8-26-2009 @ 12:50PM
RTM said...
You beat me to it, Riley. I was talking to a friend seconds ago that Butler's character Clyde in LAC will get my sympathy.
I quite like Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) in 3:10 to Yuma and Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) in Die Hard.
Reply
8-25-2009 @ 2:29PM
Count3D said...
The two best bad guys in movie history which have NOT been mentioned here are the antagonist in the original version of The Vanishing and Michael Caine in A Shock To The System.
Reply
8-25-2009 @ 2:48PM
Dave said...
While I'm not sure I "like" Beatrice Dalle's murderous, frighteningly-focused "La Femme" in Inside, you gotta give her some serious respect for her demonic determination and cold-blooded efficiency.
Reply
8-25-2009 @ 3:42PM
Kate said...
Miranda Priestly. I've accepted that the movie is mostly a morality play, but I have never been able to root for Anne Hathaway's whingey "omg this job is so hard" character when Miranda and Emily are kicking ass.
Reply
8-25-2009 @ 4:10PM
Ron Mwangaguhunga said...
Although "Gangs of New York" was terribly cut, I rooted for Daniel Day Lewis' "Bill the Butcher." Just a devious, oily rogue. Roy Batty in Bladerunner (obvs). And Charles W. Kingsfield Jr. in the Paper Chase.
Reply