While we consider ourselves firm believers in the phrase, “a hero is only as good as their villain,” there are some villains whom we actually prefer over their heroes. While everybody loves a good and earnest antagonist who invokes genuine fear, those characters are not quite as memorable as the exuberant, and, in many cases, just plain ridiculous psychopaths who may not win in the end, but do manage to steal the show. We took a look back at some of the best action movies of all time and found some of our favorite examples of scenery-chewing, over-the-top villains.
Howard Payne (Speed)
The late Dennis Hopper has many an over-the-top villain in his versatile resume, but he gives one of his most absorbing and truly convincing performances of the like as Howard Payne in Speed. Established early on as "crazy, not stupid" in Jan de Bont's 1994 directorial debut, the mad bomber would prefer to be called "eccentric." Regardless, his idea of putting a speed-controlled explosive device on a bus is certainly not stupid, but very much qualifies as crazy.
Clarence Boddicker (RoboCop)
You can tell that Kurtwood Smith was destined to play the absurdly strict sitcom dad Red Forman in the That '70s Show cast from his performance as Clarence Boddicker in Paul Verhoeven's 1987, RoboCop. His almost hilariously sadistic approach to crime — from physically and verbally abusing his henchpeople over nothing and spouting beautiful one-liners to accompany his cruel acts — makes him one of the best movie villains of the 1980s.
Simon Phoenix (Demolition Man)
Demolition Man is an essential example of an over-the-top action movie for many reasons and among them — in addition to the weird three seashells bit — is Wesley Snipes' performance as a terrorist out of time, Simon Phoenix. Never has the actor played a role with such free-wheeling whimsey, which lends beautifully to the 1993 futuristic thriller's intentionally absurdist tone.
Immortan Joe (Mad Max: Fury Road)
Out of the many bizarre antagonists from the Mad Max movies, Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) from 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road might be the maddest of them all by aesthetic alone. The Wasteland warlord's heavily decorated, transparent body plate and oxygen mask bearing a toothy grin are certainly intimidating, but we would never be able to fault anyone for snickering at the peculiar ensemble either.
Norman Stansfield (The Professional)
We are always so excited to see Gary Oldman play a bad guy because it is those types of roles that tend to garner the best results from the Academy Award winner's chameleonic talents. Case in point: morally and psychologically corrupt DEA agent Norman Stansfield, who forever changed the way we perceive the word "everyone" in Luc Besson’s 1994 classic, The Professional.
The Joker (The Dark Knight)
Heath Ledger might not have won his post-humous Academy Award for his now iconic portrayal of The Joker in 2008’s The Dark Knight if he had ever taken a single moment to dial himself down from 11. While the performance naturally borders on comical, it also keeps us on the edge of our seats and reminds us why the Clown Prince of Crime is not the kind of clown you want to laugh at.
Bodhi (Point Break)
In 1991’s Point Break, even after after he discovers that his new friend, Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) is actually a federal agent, Ex-Presidents leader Bodhi (Patrick Swayze) has no interest in dismantling his group's operation. Why? Because to him, robbing banks is never about the money, but about feeling the ultimate rush that even surfing the biggest and most dangerous tidal wave imaginable would not provide.
William Strannix (Under Siege)
You would have to be careful using the word "insane" around William Strannix (Tommy Lee Jones) in 1992’s Steven Seagal-led favorite, Under Siege. However, the disgraced former CIA operative is kind of asking for it by seizing control of a U.S. battleship, his '80s hair band-esque fashion sense, and his general manner of being, really.
Agent Smith (The Matrix)
As Agent Smith in the Matrix movies, Hugo Weaving accomplishes a rare balancing act for antagonistic portrayal. While maintaining a straight, nearly emotionless face for most of his performance, he still manages to express an unsettling, voracious rage brewing from within in each and every mannerism.
Castor Troy (Face/Off)
The only villain on our list who is portrayed in the same movie by two different actors — and with mind-blowing results from both — is Castor Troy in John Woo's already over-the-top, 1997 classic, Face/Off. Nicolas Cage initially plays the demented terrorist in one of his most definitively unplugged roles before a face-swapping procedure with FBI agent Sean Archer allows John Travolta to go wild.
Ernst Stavro Blofeld (You Only Live Twice)
Donald Pleasance's scenery-chewing performance as the scarred, cat-petting Spectre leader Blofeld in You Only Live Twice would come to define common traits of most James Bond movie villains. The fact that Mike Myers did not divert too far from his appearance and overall demeanor when playing Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers movies really says a lot about how wonderfully weird this portrayal was.
The Sheriff Of Nottingham (Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves)
Alan Rickman's most memorable villainous role is easily Hans Gruber from Die Hard, who is an action movie antagonist we would never quite call "over-the-top." That is why we also have a soft spot for his portrayal of the Sheriff of Nottingham in 1991’s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, which sees him as his most irresistibly animated and deliciously dastardly.
Edward "The Riddler" Nygma (Batman Forever)
In one of Jim Carrey's most memorable quotes from 1995’s Batman Forever, he asks if he is too "over-the-top,” after bellowing about being a “god” while wearing a sequined jumpsuit. Indeed, his now iconic performance as Edward Nygma (a.k.a., The Riddler) is one of most extreme and cartoonish of all of the live-action Batman movies.
Cyrus Grisson (Con Air)
It is rare to see Nicolas Cage get out-Caged by one of his co-stars, but John Malkovich absolutely runs away with the show in 1997’s Con Air. As Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom, he takes a stuffed rabbit hostage, uses his own name as a deadly pun ("Cy!" "-onara!"), and other memorably riotous moments while leading a prison plane revolt.
Zorg (The Fifth Element)
Where shall we start with Gary Oldman's Zorg, Gary Oldman from 1997's The Fifth Element — the Southern accent, the haircut complete with a transparent dome covering his bald half, or his flamboyant wardrobe? If not for that scary black goo emitting from his forehead for whatever reason, we might not be able to take him seriously at all.
Richmond Valentine (Kingsman: The Secret Service)
The fact that Richmond Valentine is a character played none other than Samuel L. Jackson with a lisp is enough to put him in the over-the-top category. However, the main antagonist of 2015's Kingsman: The Secret Service has plenty more ammunition than that — such as his choice to serve dinner guests McDonald's and an apparent self-awareness of being a spy movie villain.
Mr. Joshua (Lethal Weapon)
Academy Award nominee Gary Busey has played a number of memorable antagonistic roles, but none match the intensity of Mr. Joshua in 1987’s Lethal Weapon. The moment he shows his undying loyalty to General Peter McAllister by letting him burn his hand with a Zippo is equal parts disturbing and uproarious.
Jaws (The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker)
Played by Richard Kiel, the towering James Bond henchperson known as "Jaws" gets his name from his set of metal chompers. While not the primary antagonist of 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me, his almost absurdly unique appearance made him memorable enough to return for Moonraker two years later.
Captain Bennett (Commando)
Out of all of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s best movies, 1985’s Commando boasts one of the most intelligent and truly fearsome antagonists in Bennett. Still, he earns a spot on this list for the way Australian actor Vernon Wells plays the sadistic military captain like a giddy schoolboy at times.
Lord Humungus (The Road Warrior)
When George Miller first steered the Mad Max franchise right into its post-apocalyptic era with 1981’s The Road Warrior, he introduced an appropriately mad villain in the form of Lord Humungus (Kjell Nilsson). Like fellow Wasteland warlord Immortan Joe, the hulking leader of the Marauders earns his over-the-top reputation by his attire alone, which resembles a medieval Jason Voorhees of sorts.
Sho'Nuff (The Last Dragon)
Actor Julius Carry certainly lives up to his name by the way he “carries” 1985’s The Last Dragon as Sho’Nuff. From his boisterous swagger to his wicked hairstyle and attire, the self-described “Shogun of Harlem” makes this cheesy martial arts flick an essential selection of B-movie cinema.
Luther (The Warriors)
Rival gang leader Luther causes the titular gang from The Warriors a whole lot of trouble in Walter Hill's 1979 favorite. However, actor David Patrick Kelly made the character an icon in one classic improvised moment in which he entices his rivals to "come out to play" while clinking three glass bottles together with his fingers.
Harvey "Two-Face" Dent (Batman Forever)
It is ironic to learn that, according to Jim Carrey, Tommy Lee Jones told his Batman Forever co-star that he could not “sanction [his] buffoonery.” Anybody who has seen Joel Schumacher’s debut DC film would probably agree that the Oscar winner surprisingly out-crazies Carrey’s Riddler with his performance as Two-Face.
Oddjob (Goldfinger)
As far as James Bond movie henchpeople go, Oddjob (Harold Sakata) from 1964’s Goldfinger, might be the most recognizable. Yet, how could you forget a character who preys on his victims with a razor-sharp bowler hat?
Wez (The Road Warrior)
While Lord Humungus may be the central antagonist of The Road Warrior — George Miller's first follow-up to Mad Max — the, arguably, more iconic villain is his right-hand man, Wez (Vernon Wells). Like Humungus, the maniacal motorhead already makes an impression with his one-of-a-kind look — from his red-tinged mohawk to his football and leather chaps — but his hot temper makes him a real force to be reckoned with in the Wasteland.
Dr. Victor "Mr. Freeze" Fries (Batman & Robin)
If there is any reason to be a fan of 1997’s Batman & Robin, it has to be Arnold Schwarzenegger’s explosively hammy performance as Mr. Freeze. His increasingly infantile ice puns — such as “What killed the dinosaurs? The Ice Age!” and “Let’s kick some ice!” — lend to some of the funniest Batman movie moments and make the otherwise widely reviled DC flick a laugh riot worth revisiting.
Ming The Merciless (Flash Gordon)
The great Max von Sydow disappears into the role of galactic emperor, Ming the Merciless, in the 1980 adaptation of of Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon comic strip. His performance as the Earthling-hating monarch — and those eyebrows especially — are key to the space opera’s irresistibly campy tone.
Ma-Ma (Dredd)
There is nothing particularly absurd or even remotely funny about Lena Headey's performance as Madeline "Ma-Ma" Madrigal in 2012's underrated comic book flick, Dredd. However, her use of excessive violence is what really pushes her over the top.
Ramon Cota (Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection)
Billy Drago shared the screen with Chuck Norris in multiple titles, but their finest dance was in Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection. The 1990 sequel saw the actor at his most frightening, but also uproarious at times, as the ruthless, sniveling Ramon Cota.
Major Chip Hazard (Small Soldiers)
In director Joe Dante’s somewhat family-friendly, underrated ‘90s flick, Small Soldiers, a line of military action figures become equipped with an A.I. that leads them to start a legitimately dangerous conflict. The war-mongering Commando Elite are led by Major Chip Hazard — a combination of every laughable war movie cliche rolled into one character, who could have only been voiced by Tommy Lee Jones.
Max Zorin (A View To Kill)
Academy Award winner Christopher Walken is one of Hollywood’s most skilled masters in the art of over-the-top acting and an essential example of this comes from 1985’s A View to Kill. Facing off against Roger Moore’s James Bond, Walken dons a bleach-blonde hairdo and an unrecognizable accent as the dastardly Max Zorin.
Pamela "Poison Ivy" Isley (Batman & Robin)
Even before passionate botanist Dr. Pamela Isley undergoes a physical and psychological transformation into the seductive Poison Ivy, she already seems pretty unbalanced. Of course, it when Uma Thurman channels the old-fashioned femme fatale persona and turns the heat up to the highest degree is when she really makes a case for Batman & Robin being a “one-woman show.”
We would watch a whole team-up movie with these villains together.
