Top 50 Heroes and Villains

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AFI rates Hollywood's best heroes, villains

The American Film Institute revealed its list Tuesday of the top 50 movie heroes and villains of the past 100 years. A jury of 1,500 film experts (directors, writers, actors, historians, critics, scholars) chose from 400 names. The picks:

TOP 50 HEROES

1. Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird
2. Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark
3. James Bond, Dr. No
4. Rick Blaine, Casablanca
5. Will Kane, High Noon
6. Clarice Starling, Silence of the Lambs
7. Rocky Balboa, Rocky
8. Ellen Ripley, Aliens
9. George Bailey, It's a Wonderful Life
10. T. E. Lawrence, Lawrence of Arabia
11. Jefferson Smith, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
12. Tom Joad, The Grapes of Wrath
13. Oskar Schindler, Schindler's List
14. Han Solo, Star Wars
15. Norma Rae Webster, Norma Rae
16. Shane, Shane
17. Harry Callahan, Dirty Harry
18. Robin Hood, Adventures of Robin Hood
19. Virgil Tibbs, In the Heat of the Night
20. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid
21. Mahatma Gandhi, Gandhi
22. Spartacus, Spartacus
23. Terry Malloy, On the Waterfront
24. Thelma Dickerson & Louise Sawyer, Thelma & Louise
25. Lou Gehrig, The Pride of the Yankees
26. Superman, Superman
27. Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein, All the President's Men
28. Juror #8, 12Angry Men
29. Gen. George Patton, Patton
30. Luke Jackson, Cool Hand Luke
31. Erin Brockovich, Erin Brockovich
32. Philip Marlowe, The Big Sleep
33. Marge Gunderson, Fargo
34. Tarzan, Tarzan the Ape Man
35. Alvin York, Sergeant York
36. Rooster Cogburn, True Grit
37. Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars
38. The Tramp, City Lights
39. Lassie, Lassie Come Home
40. Frank Serpico, Serpico
41. Arthur Chipping, Goodbye, Mr. Chips
42. Father Edward, Boys Town
43. Moses, The Ten Commandments
44. Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, The French Connection
45. Zorro, The Mark of Zorro
46. Batman, Batman
47. Karen Silkwood, Silkwood
48. Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day
49. Andrew Beckett, Philadelphia
50. General Maximus Decimus Meridus, Gladiator


TOP 50 VILLAINS

1. Dr. Hannibal Lecter, The Silence of the Lambs
2. Norman Bates, Psycho
3. Darth Vader, The Empire Strikes Back
4. The Wicked Witch of the West, The Wizard of Oz
5. Nurse Ratched, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
6. Mr. Potter, It's a Wonderful Life
7. Alex Forrest, Fatal Attraction
8. Phyllis Dietrichson, Double Indemnity
9. Regan MacNeil, The Exorcist
10. The Queen, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
11. Michael Corleone, The Godfather Part II
12. Alex De Large, Clockwork Orange
13. HAL 9000, 2001: A Space Odyssey
14. The Alien, Alien
15. Amon Goeth, Schindler's List
16. Noah Cross, Chinatown
17. Annie Wilkes, Misery
18. The Shark, Jaws
19. Captain Bligh, Mutiny on the Bounty
20. Man, Bambi
21. Mrs. John Iselin, The Manchurian Candidate
22. Terminator, The Terminator
23. Eve Harrington, All About Eve
24. Gordon Gekko, Wall Street
25. Jack Torrance, The Shining
26. Cody Jarrett, White Heat
27. Martians, The War of the Worlds
28. Max Cady, Cape Fear
29. Reverend Harry Powell, The Night of the Hunter
30. Travis Bickle, Taxi Driver
31. Mrs. Danvers, Rebecca
32. Clyde Barrow & Bonnie Parker, Bonnie and Clyde
33. Count Dracula, Dracula
34. Dr. Szell, Marathon Man
35. J.J. Hunsecker, Sweet Smell of Success
36. Frank Booth, Blue Velvet
37. Harry Lime, The Third Man
38. Caesar Enrico Bandello, Little Caesar
39. Cruella De Vil, One Hundred and One Dalmations
40. Freddy Krueger, A Nightmare on Elm Street
41. Joan Crawford, Mommie Dearest
42. Tom Powers, The Public Enemy
43. Regina Giddens, The Little Foxes
44. Baby Jane Hudson, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane
45. The Joker, Batman
46. Hans Gruber, Die Hard
47. Tony Camonte, Scarface
48. Verbal Kint, The Usual Suspects
49. Auric Goldfinger, Goldfinger
50. Alonzo Harris, Training Day

[Fritz]

poof assed lists

[Maple Leafs]

The wife and I watched the special, taking bets on who could pick the most. I nailed the top three villians, but some were surprises. I'm stunned that nobody from Apocalypse Now was on the list, for example.

Ah well. The whole point of these lists is to stir debate, nothing more. Harmless fun.

[sachmo71]

You know who was a bad villan? Dr. Doom. That dude made Hitler look like an angel. He was wicked bad, man.

[QuikSand]

Originally posted by AnalBumCover
48. Verbal Kint, The Usual Suspects

I think listing it this was is an actual disservice. I'd think it better to list "Keyser Soze."

[mckerney]

What about Tyler Durden? And Mr. Blonde? Tell me that what he did doesn't warrent being placed up there as a villain. And why the hell is Lou Gehrig listed as a hero, didn't he play for the Yankees?

And in all honesty, is anyone more heroic than Steve-O from SLC Punk?

[Happy29]

Where the hell is Godzilla ?

[Calis]

And what about The Gimp from Pulp Fiction? I believe he deserves a spot.

[cthomer5000]

I'm glad to see Dr. Szell was included. He's the first thing that popped into my mind when I thought of a movie villain.


MARATHON MAN SPOILERS

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Beyone the "Iz it Zafe?" torture stuff, I find the scene where Dustin Hoffmans character is in his bathroom, and they start going to work on the door-frame one of the best "scary" scenes in any movie.

[mckerney]

If they ever make a movie about Lobo he'll be the biggest villain hands down. Lobo kicks everyone's ass if they give him a reason. Hell, he doesn't even need a reason to kick the shit out of someone, he'd just start wiping out villages and attacking hospital patients. No one can touch Lobo is badass villainy.

[Marmel]

Dr. Evil is quite the villian.

[revrew]

Gotta like these Heroes. When I think of great, memorable heroes:
1. Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird
7. Rocky Balboa, Rocky
25. Lou Gehrig, The Pride of the Yankees
28. Juror #8, 12Angry Men
50. General Maximus Decimus Meridus, Gladiator

Y'know, I really wasn't impressed with the villains. Sure, Lecter and Vader. But I'm surprised how shallow many villianic caracters are. One that I thought could have made the list: Captain Ahab, Moby Dick.

[Craptacular]

C'mon, no characters from any Mel Brooks movies?!?!? Another reason why I rarely give a crap what these so-called "experts" say.

[Travis]

In one of the men's magazine's, they did they're top 50 villians, with #1 being the boys from Deliverance, which in my mind, totally justified.

Though you gotta love the Terminator making both lists, what versatility Arnie shows between the two movies...

Oh, and Mr. Blonde placed I think top 15 in the other list for villians as well.

[SuburbanPimp]

Originally posted by AnalBumCover
TOP 50 HEROES

50. General Maximus Decimus Meridus, Gladiator

Alright, I'm gonna open a big can of worms here.

Gladiator is not only one of the most overrated films of all time, but is one of the worst to receive "Best Picture".

There, I said it.

I think Russell Crowe is a fine actor (even if I think South Park's "FIGHTIN' ROUND THE WORLD!" was hilarious), giving fantastic performances in both "The Insider" and "A Beautiful Mind". But, it just seemed like he was going through the motions, and with the material he had to work with, it was certainly understandable.

It was as if the screenwriter(s) for Gladiator took the scripts from "Braveheart", "Ben Hur" and "Spartacus" and threw them into a blender. Yes, it is difficult to come up with original scripts these days, but for this rehash of epics (like the three listed above) to not only be considered good, but being considered epics along with those movies, is absolutely offensive. But you know what's even worse than all of THAT?

They're making a sequel.

Ugh.

[Chief Rum]

Actually, I understand it's a prequel of sorts.

I agree that Gladiator is one of the worst movies to win Best Picture, and it is also way ovverrated. That said, I still really enjoy this movie, and it's a lot of fun. Just to see the Roman army in action, and for the gladiator fights alone (short of the cheesy CGI tiger), that makes it all worth it. The fact that hero is someone most viewers can really follow, and that Jaoquin P{hoenix does such a great job of being a villainous emperor just adds to the flavor of it all.

Chief Rum

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally posted by SuburbanPimp
Alright, I'm gonna open a big can of worms here.

Gladiator is not only one of the most overrated films of all time, but is one of the worst to receive "Best Picture".

There, I said it.

I think Russell Crowe is a fine actor (even if I think South Park's "FIGHTIN' ROUND THE WORLD!" was hilarious), giving fantastic performances in both "The Insider" and "A Beautiful Mind". But, it just seemed like he was going through the motions, and with the material he had to work with, it was certainly understandable.

It was as if the screenwriter(s) for Gladiator took the scripts from "Braveheart", "Ben Hur" and "Spartacus" and threw them into a blender. Yes, it is difficult to come up with original scripts these days, but for this rehash of epics (like the three listed above) to not only be considered good, but being considered epics along with those movies, is absolutely offensive. But you know what's even worse than all of THAT?

They're making a sequel.

Ugh.

Eh, I agree. It's a crap movie. The pre-battle scene right at the beginning is excellent. Awesome. The battle itself falls way short, but the build-up is amazing. The gladiator fight scenes are decent. The dialogue is attrocious. Awful. Abysmal. Definitely not "Best Picture" material, but what are you gonna do?

[KWhit]

I agree. "Gladiator" sucks. Joaquin Phoenix sucks. The special effects sucked. The script really sucked.

I didn't really care for it.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally posted by SuburbanPimp
Gladiator is not only one of the most overrated films of all time, but is one of the worst to receive "Best Picture".

I enjoyed it. I thought Crowe was fine and the Phoenix was excellent. I admit to being surprised to see it win Best Picture, given the type of movie it was, but then what do I know. It was a good, solid movie.

First I've heard about a sequel, though. That can't be good.

[Calis]

Yes, Gladiator sucked. I didn't really enjoy the film at all.

That being said, how the hell does Maximus get listed and William Wallace is nowhere to be found?

Ughh, I hate lists.

[sachmo71]

Gladiator was a better best picture winner than Titanic. Gawd.

[Samdari]

Originally posted by SuburbanPimp
Gladiator is not only one of the most overrated films of all time, but is one of the worst to receive "Best Picture".

Agreed. Studio Execs saying "let's remake Braveheart, but with Russel Crowe, and in Roman times."

Possibly the shallowest movie ever even nominated.

DISCLAIMER: I never saw Titanic, so if you want to tell me it is more shallow tham Gladiator, I can't argue with you.

[revrew]

Now, I started this thing with highlighting Maximus. And I agree that Gladiator was no where near a "Best Picture." Crowe was SOO much better in Beautiful Mind. The movie's script, particularly, needed some serious help. But movie aside, and Crowe's later prowess aside, the character Maximus was one of Hollywood's best heroes. His commitment to duty, honor, family, his fellow soldiers (and gladiators), and keeping his word were exemplary. His dying breath is spent fulfilling his promises. The only thing to tarnish it is his revenge theme, but that kind of goes with Hollywood territory.

And enough with the Titanic bashing. Yes, I know Leonardo is annoying. The love story angle was a roller coaster of compelling to stupid, inspiring to insipid. But the scenery, sets, costumes, music, historical theme, and filmography were the best I've ever seen in any movie (I'll give an exception to the original Star Wars, which while not as impressive as Titanic, it was incredible for its time). I've seen better scripts, I remember way better love stories, but the visual and musical elements make Titanic one of my top 10 all time.

You may now question my masculinity all you want. But I have 8 children. So there.

[Calis]

Not to mention it had Billy Zane in it, he's a cool dude.

[Samdari]

Originally posted by revrew
You may now question my masculinity all you want. But I have 8 children. So there.

I thought it was 23?

[B & B]

CR -

Whats with the P}hoenix, I can only assume thats not a typo, but rather some miscreantly oriented act of sanctimonious grammatical psychosis.

[Airhog]

I have to disagree, I thought Gladiator was a wonderful movie. I totally enjoyed it, and It would be a movie I would own in my dvd collection If I had one.

It may not have been film of the year material but it was a great movie.

[Cuckoo]

I can't believe they're considering half these people heros. The villain list isn't too bad, but the hero one is terrible.

[sachmo71]

Rev,

I'm sorry but I will never stop bashing Titanic. To be fair, I thought "Leo" did a decent job in the movie, and Kate Winslet makes my pants go crazy. However, as a packge, I think it was one of the worst best picture choices of all time. *shrug*

[WussGawd]

Originally posted by sachmo71
Gladiator was a better best picture winner than Titanic. Gawd.

Of course, this isn't the first time that the Oscars have awarded a questionable best picture.

Anybody remember The Goodbye Girl, Terms of Endearment, or Driving Miss Daisy?

[sachmo71]

At the risk of sounding like a Wuss (ba dum dum), I liked Terms of Endearment.

[cuervo72]

Originally posted by Cuckoo
I can't believe they're considering half these people heros. The villain list isn't too bad, but the hero one is terrible.

Thelma and Louise for instance.

[Fritz]

any hero list that does not have bruce willis on it is just wrong

[Cuckoo]

Originally posted by Fritz
any hero list that does not have bruce willis on it is just wrong

That's exactly what I was thinking. And Erin Brockovich? Come on. If that's your definition of movie hero, you have some serious issues.

[Fritz]

Micky and Mallory would have been better than Gordon Gekko

[Fritz]

dola, DeNiro's Capone (Untouchables) would have been MUCH better than many on the list.

[cuervo72]

And if the Terminator and Alien are there....where is the Predator?

Moses is there, but no Pharaoh.

Oh, and Hans Gruber from Die Hard did make the villian list...what a slight to Bruce!

[sabotai]

I liked Gladiator, but did not think it was "Best Picture". I have my suspicions that the reason they gave it to Galdiator was an attempt to pull in some younger viewers to the awards... :shrugs:

I agree with QS, it should have been listed as Keyser Soze. And he should have been higher on the list.

I also think Max Cady and Jack Torrance should be higher.

[sterlingice]

They had a special on CBS the night before which did a "countdown" of these for three hours.

There was a lot of shoehorning going on. Everytime a woman was announced as a hero, for instance, you could tell the PC police on the AFI had bumped them up 10 or so places: Clarice Starling at 6? You have got to be kidding me. I was chatting with some friends online (while we were all watching this) and everyone knew these were basically thrown in to appease some feminist group or something. For every Thelma and Louise who deserve their spot, there's a Marge Gunderson or Erin Brockovich who are way too high. This list, as all the AFI ones, was hugely affected by politics.

The villain list was a lot better, tho, I think the shark in Jaws got the shaft. He needs a better agent

SI

[Chief Rum]

Originally posted by B & B
CR -

Whats with the P}hoenix, I can only assume thats not a typo, but rather some miscreantly oriented act of sanctimonious grammatical psychosis.

Sorry to bust your worldview, B&B, but it is indeed a typ}o.

Chief Rum

[Frozenrope]

I love these AFI lists... And I thought this particular one was pretty good. It included Hans Gruber and Oskar Schindler, two of my favorite characters.

[Aylmar]

Originally posted by sabotai
I liked Gladiator, but did not think it was "Best Picture". I have my suspicions that the reason they gave it to Galdiator was an attempt to pull in some younger viewers to the awards... :shrugs:

If they wanted to do that, they could have easily given the award to Traffic Or Erin Brockovich (for the female segment).

[sabotai]

Aylmer, but I would argue that at least Traffic (never saw Erin Brockovich) was a picture that's beleiveable as a Best Picture winner. I thought Traffic was a great movie.

[sterlingice]

Originally posted by sabotai
Aylmer, but I would argue that at least Traffic (never saw Erin Brockovich) was a picture that's beleiveable as a Best Picture winner. I thought Traffic was a great movie.

Hmm... I like most "drug" type movies but Traffic was blah. It was just boring and had bad, low budget cinematography.

SI

[sabotai]

I like a lot of films that most people find boring.

[sterlingice]

Originally posted by sabotai
I like a lot of films that most people find boring.

I'm the opposite. I like some of the mindless faire that Hollywood churns out for what it is. You know, the stuff that critics look at and wretch.

SI

[mckerney]

Originally posted by WussGawd
Of course, this isn't the first time that the Oscars have awarded a questionable best picture.

Anybody remember The Goodbye Girl, Terms of Endearment, or Driving Miss Daisy?

I thought the best picture award always went to a shitty movie. Hell, didn't Chicago win this year?

[sabotai]

"I'm the opposite. I like some of the mindless faire that Hollywood churns out for what it is. You know, the stuff that critics look at and wretch."

Actually, I like them too. I'm a real movie goer. I like most movies I see. But when I see one I don't like...watch out.

[Craptacular]

I think Clark Griswold should have been hero #1.

[cuervo72]

Originally posted by Craptacular
I think Clark Griswold should have been hero #1.

Bob and Doug McKenzie. They saved a brewery!

And I nominate the "I WANT MY TWO DOLLARS!!!" kid for the best villain list.