Greatest Film Antiheroes of All Time

[areaseven]

They walk a thin line between good and evil. They're not in it for fame or recognition, just mostly for themselves. Nevertheless, they epitomize the word "badass" on screen. They are antiheroes, and this thread is dedicated to them.

To start, here are 10 of the best antiheroes of all time.


Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken (Escape from New York)
"I don't give a fǚck about your war... or your President."

Former U.S. Special Forces operative who is the youngest soldier to be decorated by the President during World War III. After his tour of duty, he robs the Federal Reserve Bank of Colorado and is arrested before being given a life sentence. Upon his arrival in New York, Snake is given one last chance at freedom by Bob Hauk when Air Force One crashes into Manhattan Island maximum security prison. Snake has 24 hours to rescue the President; failure to do so will result in a couple of capsules exploding in his carotid arteries, killing him instantly.


Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky (Mad Max series)
"The chain in those handcuffs is high-tensile steel. It'd take you ten minutes to hack through it with this. Now, if you're lucky, you can hack through your ankle in five minutes. Go!"

An officer of Australia's Main Force Police (MFP), until the biker gang Zed Runners burn his partner alive and kill his wife and son. He loses his humanity after going on a one-man rampage and killing Toe-Cutter and his gang. Several years later, Max regains part of his humanity after helping a group of denizens flee with their supply of oil from Lord Humungus' gang.


Clint Eastwood as The Man with No Name (The Dollars Trilogy)
"Get three coffins ready. My mistake, four coffins."

Although nicknamed "Joe", "Manco" and "Blondie" in The Dollars Trilogy, this lone cowboy is best known without a name. He travels into a town overrun by two rival gangs and stirs trouble between them, eventually wiping them out of the town. Later in his adventures, he goes on a treasure hunt to recover $200,000 in gold during the Civil War.


Toshiro Mifune as Sanjuro Kuwabatake (Yojimbo)
"I'm not dying yet. I have to kill quite a few men first."

This nameless ronin was the core inspiration for The Man with No Name.


Harrison Ford as Han Solo (The Star Wars saga)
"Han Solo. I'm captain of the Millennium Falcon. Chewie here tells me you're lookin' for passage to the Alderaan system?"

It's sad how kids these days no longer see Han Solo as an antihero due to George Lucas' edits on Episode IV: A New Hope.


Al Pacino as Tony Montana (Scarface)
"Say hello to my little friend!"

A Cuban immigrant who starts out washing dishes then moves up in his career by killing drug lord Frank Lopez and taking over his business. Although considered a villain for his drug smuggling business, Tony knows when to say no to an ordered hit, as he prevents a car bombing when he notices the target is with his family. This leads to the downfall of Tony's empire, as Bolivian cartel lord Alejandro Sosa sends in assassins to Tony's mansion for a shootout.


Jean Reno as Léon Montana (Léon)
"No women. No kids. That's the rules."

French assassin in New York who spends his free time exercising, drinking milk, watering his houseplant and watching Gene Kelly movies. He is friends with his neighbor Mathilda, but gets himself in a world of trouble when he shelters her after DEA agent Norman Stansfield and his goons massacre her family.


Clint Eastwood as Harry Callahan (Dirty Harry series)
"I know what you're thinking. 'Did he fire six shots or only five?' Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?"

San Francisco Inspector who has no problems with breaking the law to enforce it in the streets.


Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle (Taxi Driver)
"You talkin' to me?"

Former U.S. Marine who works as a New York cabbie to compensate for his chronic insomnia. One day, he falls in love with Betsy, a volunteer for Presidential Candidate Charles Palantine. He takes her out on a date, but she dumps him after he brings her to watch a porno film. In return, he plots to assassinate Palantine, but turns away at the last minute. Meanwhile, Travis meets 12-year-old prostitute Iris and tries to convince her to go back to her parents. After the failed assassination attempt, Travis storms into Iris' apartment and kills her pimp Sport and his thugs.


Ryan Gosling as The Driver (Drive)
"There's a hundred-thousand streets in this city. You don't need to know the route. You give me a time and a place, I give you a five minute window. Anything happens in that five minutes and I'm yours. No matter what. Anything happens a minute either side of that and you're on your own. Do you understand? Good. And you won't be able to reach me on this phone again."

Automotive mechanic and stunt driver during the day, this nameless antihero is a hired criminal driver by trade. He befriends his neighbor Irene and her son Benicio, but learns that Irene's recently released husband Standard Gabriel owes protection money to Albanian gangster Cook. The Driver offers to help Standard do a job at a pawnshop, but the job goes sour when Standard is shot dead by the pawnshop owner and Cook's men hunt him down. After interrogating Cook, the Driver discovers that the heist was orchestrated by Jewish mobster Nino Paolozzi, who stole the money from an East Coast Mafia. Intent on keeping Irene and Benicio safe for good, the Driver hunts down Nino and Bernie Rose, with the money as leverage.

Edited July 28, 2014 by areaseven

[taksraven]

Here's some more.....

ALEX from "A Clockwork Orange"

Psychopath, rapist, murderer, we should hate Alex DeLarge with a passion, but instead, by the end of Kubricks vision of A Clockwork Orange, we essentially see him as a sympathetic/pathetic character, stuck in the middle of events far beyond his control (This is a common theme for antiheroes....) and let down by a system that was meant to help him.

JULES from "Pulp Fiction". A cold and ruthless hired killer, or something else? Not even Jules himself knows for certain but he clearly suspects that he is capable of more. Perhaps he is even capable of good?

Edited October 9, 2013 by taksraven

[taksraven]

WILLIAM "D-FENS" FOSTER from "Falling Down".

Come on, admit it, the scene in the fast food restaurant alone makes it clear that in some deranged way, we are supposed to be on his side. (Everybody in the Western world knew what he was talking about and which burger chain was the real target of the rant) Oh, and he kills that Neo-Nazi dude.

[Dynaman]

I don't have a picture but Riddick (the original, pre "Chronicles of Riddick" Riddick that is) needs to be in this list somewhere.

[areaseven]

Roddy Piper as Nada (They Live)

"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And I'm all out of bubblegum."

A nameless vagabond that finds some construction work in Los Angeles, but discovers through a pair of sunglasses that the city has been overrun by aliens. With the help of co-worker Frank Armitage (Keith David), Nada goes all out to expose the aliens' true motives by disrupting the signal that camouflages them.

Carlos Gallardo and Antonio Banderas as El Mariachi (The Mexico Trilogy)

"It's strange how pulling a trigger is easier than playing the guitar. Easier to destroy, than to create."

Armed with a guitar case loaded with countless guns, the former guitarist wanders all over Mexico to hunt down drug lords after a traumatic incident that killed his first love and left him with a gunshot wound on his left hand that rendered him unable to play the guitar.

And, by request...

Vin Diesel as Richard B. Riddick (Riddick series)

"You're not afraid of the dark, are you?"

Intergalactic fugitive of Furyan descent and the last of his kind. He possesses exceptional survival skills and surgically installed eye implants that enable him to see in the dark perfectly. He is also able to obliterate his opponents with a blue energy wave generated from his body.

Edited October 9, 2013 by areaseven

[ErikElvis]

Kenny F'ing Powers. Not really what you would call "FILM" antihero but he does fit the bill.

[Duke Togo]

I disagree strongly with William Foster from Falling Down. The revelations at the end of the film completely destroy any notion of his actions being just or righteous.

[reddsun1]

He is also able to obliterate his opponents with a blue energy wave generated from his body.

Dafu--what?!

WILLIAM "D-FENS" FOSTER from "Falling Down".

Come on, admit it, the scene in the fast food restaurant alone makes it clear that in some deranged way, we are supposed to be on his side. (Everybody in the Western world knew what he was talking about and which burger chain was the real target of the rant) Oh, and he kills that Neo-Nazi dude.

It's been quite some time since I've seen this one, but it was pretty good I thought. I thought he was meant to be seen as a sympathetic--or maybe just pathetic--character, but not really an antihero. Although, time and circumstances tend to change your views of the world; as a father, I can empathize with the notion that no length is too great to go to, for the love of our child(ren).

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

They walk a thin line between good and evil. They're not in it for fame or recognition, just mostly for themselves. Nevertheless, they epitomize the word "badass" on screen. They are antiheroes, and this thread is dedicated to them.

To start, here are 10 of the best antiheroes of all time.

Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken (Escape from New York)

"I don't give a fǚck about your war... or your President."

Former U.S. Special Forces operative who is the youngest soldier to be decorated by the President during World War III. After his tour of duty, he robs the Federal Reserve Bank of Colorado and is arrested before being given a life sentence. Upon his arrival in New York, Snake is given one last chance at freedom by Bob Hauk when Air Force One crashes into Manhattan Island maximum security prison. Snake has 24 hours to rescue the President; failure to do so will result in a couple of capsules exploding in his carotid arteries, killing him instantly.

Hideo Kojima gives homage and says Snake's character design from MGS2 is from Escape from New York. From the mullet and beard and to the eye patch (MGS 3) He also named Snake in MGS2 "Pliskin" if anyone's in doubt

[frothymug]

Dafu--what?!

Watch the director's cut/extended version of Chronicles of Riddick. They cut out a lot of scenes for the theatrical release; and probably for good reason. It'll answer your question, though.

[reddsun1]

Watch the director's cut/extended version of Chronicles of Riddick. They cut out a lot of scenes for the theatrical release; and probably for good reason. It'll answer your question, though.

Hehe, much like Conan The Destroyer, I thought it was so disappointing compared to the original I just preferred to ignore it and pretend it never happened...

[Dynaman]

Watch the director's cut/extended version of Chronicles of Riddick. They cut out a lot of scenes for the theatrical release; and probably for good reason. It'll answer your question, though.

There is a reason I specified PRE Chronicles of Riddick, sadly that just adds more reasons.

[taksraven]

I disagree strongly with William Foster from Falling Down. The revelations at the end of the film completely destroy any notion of his actions being just or righteous.

Yeah, that's why he is the "anti-hero". If he was just or righteous he would be the "hero". A lot of anti-heros can be pure evil or pretty close. Look at Travis Bickle or Tony Montana.

[taksraven]

CHARLES FOSTER KANE from "Citizen Kane"

He starts off as an idealist but slowly falls into the ruthless pursuit of power. Even with all that power and wealth, he knows that there is a gaping hole in his life he is unable to fill, only in his last moments with his dying breath does he realise his loss....

[areaseven]

Kurt Russell as Jack Burton (Big Trouble in Little China)

"Just remember what ol' Jack Burton does when the earth quakes, and the poison arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just looks that big ol' storm right square in the eye and he says, 'Give me your best shot, pal. I can take it.'"

Loudmouth trucker that gets himself in a world of trouble when he accompanies his friend Wang Chi to the airport to pick up Wang's fiancee Miao Yin. First, Miao Yin is kidnapped by the street gang Lords of Death. Then during the chase that leads into San Francisco Chinatown, Burton is caught in the crossfire between two rival syndicates before running over the evil sorcerer Lo Pan. In the ensuing chaos, Burton's truck is stolen. He discovers that Miao Yin has been abducted by Lo Pan's minions because she is green-eyed, and a green-eyed girl is required as a sacrifice to break Lo Pan's curse. When Lo Pan notices that lawyer Grace Low also has green eyes, he changes his mind and takes her to sacrifice while keeping Miao Yin as his bride. As a result, Burton allies with the Chang Sing clan to not only save the two girls, but to also get his truck back.

Sonny Chiba as Duke Togo/Golgo 13 (Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon)

This is the closest we'll ever get to a live-action incarnation of everyone's favorite assassin. He's not an Italian schmuck from New York who spends his time in front of a computer trolling message boards and instigating personal attacks on anyone he doesn't agree with. He only does what he's paid to do, and that's killing people his clients want out of the picture.

And here's the first antiheroine on the thread:

Uma Thurman as Beatrix Kiddo a.k.a. "The Bride" (Kill Bill)

"As I said before, I've allowed you to keep your wicked life for two reasons. And the second reason is so you can tell him [bill] in person everything that happened here tonight. I want him to witness the extent of my mercy by witnessing your deformed body. I want you to tell him all the information you just told me. I want him to know what I know. I want him to know I want him to know. And I want them all to know they'll all soon be as dead as O-Ren."

Formerly known as "Black Mamba" in the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, the pregnant Bride is brutally beaten and left for dead by the clan and their leader, Bill. Four years later, she awakens from her coma and discovers that she no longer carries her baby. After leaving the hospital, she goes on a one-woman mission to hunt down every Deadly Viper until she gets her hands on Bill.

Edited October 19, 2013 by areaseven

[Duke Togo]

Yeah, that's why he is the "anti-hero". If he was just or righteous he would be the "hero". A lot of anti-heros can be pure evil or pretty close. Look at Travis Bickle or Tony Montana.

It's a matter of perspective. The actions of all of these characters directly feed some central motive, and you "root" for then to achieve their objective. This is not true of William Foster. That's the whole point of the ending of the movie, really, and it forces you to reevaluate the thoughts and feelings you had while watching it.

Kurt Russell as Jack Burton (Big Trouble in Little China)

"Just remember what ol' Jack Burton does when the earth quakes, and the poison arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just looks that big ol' storm right square in the eye and he says, 'Give me your best shot, pal. I can take it.'"

In my book, Jack Burton will always be a flat out hero.

[renegadeleader1]

Mad Martigan? Thief, adulterer, scoundrel, liar, female imprsonator, and perhaps the greatest swordsman of all time.

[areaseven]

A tale of two Djangos:

Franco Nero as Django (Django)

"You can clean up the mess, but don't touch my coffin."

A former Union soldier who wanders all over the west while dragging a coffin. He searches for Major Jackson and his bandits, who murdered his wife.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjZDFQk3wpc

Jamie Foxx as Django Freeman (Django Unchained)

"I like the way you die, boy."

A freed slave who is trained by dentist/bounty hunter Dr. Schultz (Christoph Waltz) to become a bounty hunter himself in hopes of freeing his wife Brünnhilde.

[areaseven]

Norman Reedus as Murphy McManus and Sean Patrick Flanery as Connor McManus (The Boondock Saints series)

"And shepherds we shall be, for Thee, my Lord, for Thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy hand, that our feet may swiftly carry out Thy command. So we shall flow a river forth to Thee, and teeming with souls shall it ever be. In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti."

Irish Catholic fraternal twin brothers from Boston who kill a couple of Russian thugs in self-defense. While staying overnight in a prison cell, the brothers decide that God has given them the mission to rid Boston of all evil by massacring the city's crime syndicates, from the Russians to "Papa Joe" Yakavetta's mafia.

Billy Connolly as Noah McManus a.k.a. "Il Duce" (The Boondock Saints I-II)

"When I raise my flashing sword, and my hand takes hold on judgment, I will take vengeance upon mine enemies, and I will repay those who hate me. Oh, Lord, raise me to Thy right hand and count me among Thy saints."

Following the brutal murder of his father at the hands of a New York mob, Noah McManus became "Il Duce" ("The Duke"), a vigilante who wiped out numerous gangs until his incarceration in 1975. When the McManus brothers begin their killing spree, "Papa Joe" Yakavetta has Il Duce released from prison to eliminate them. Shortly after exchanging gunfire, father and sons reunite, and the trio storm into Yakavetta's trial to give the mafia head his sentence.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlZvYu19IUY

[Duke Togo]

I've never seen The Boondock Saints. True story.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

It's a matter of perspective. The actions of all of these characters directly feed some central motive, and you "root" for then to achieve their objective. This is not true of William Foster. That's the whole point of the ending of the movie, really, and it forces you to reevaluate the thoughts and feelings you had while watching it.

In my book, Jack Burton will always be a flat out hero.

Big Trouble Little China, got to give a thumbs up for this!

[areaseven]

Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams (The Evil Dead trilogy)

"Good. Bad. I'm the guy with the gun."

It's not easy being Ash Williams, a housewares clerk as S-Mart. His sister and friends are killed shortly after they play an audio recording of the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis (Book of the Dead) in a log cabin and unknowing awaken evil spirits. Ash is forced to amputate his right hand when a Deadite possesses it, but that introduces his iconic chainsaw attachment. His battles with the Evil Dead send him and his Oldsmobile to 1300 A.D., where he must retrieve the Necronomicon in order to return to his timeline.

[Mog]

Does Spike Spiegel in Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door count as one?

Bounty hunter. Guy that doesn't give a damn. Dogfights the military for getting in his way. Looking to fight the main baddie just to "pay back the favor I owe ya'."

He's gotta qualify as an antihero, right?

[areaseven]

Does Spike Spiegel in Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door count as one?

Bounty hunter. Guy that doesn't give a damn. Dogfights the military for getting in his way. Looking to fight the main baddie just to "pay back the favor I owe ya'."

He's gotta qualify as an antihero, right?

Good choice right there.

[Vepariga]

You guys disappoint me lol.

The Crow.

[areaseven]

You guys disappoint me lol.

The Crow.

*Snip*

That's because we were waiting for someone else to mention him.

[areaseven]

Shuichi Ikeda as Char Aznable (Mobile Suit Gundam series)

"I'll show you that a superior mobile suit has its limits when it goes up against a superior mobile suit pilot!"

Born Casval Rem Deikun, the son of Zeon Zum Deikun of the Republic of Zeon. Following Zeon Zum Daikun's assassination, Casval and his younger sister Artesia Som Deikun (now Sayla Mass) fled to Earth after the Zabi clan restructured the republic into the Principality of Zeon and ordered the elimination of Deikun's clan and followers. Taking the name of an identical-looking friend who was mistakenly killed under Kycilia Zabi's orders, Casval became Char Aznable and entered the Zeon military ranks to exact revenge on the Zabi clan. Despite initially being depicted as one of the main antagonists of Mobile Suit Gundam, Char is clearly an antihero seeking his own justice.

"Garma, blame this on the misfortune of your birth."

Despite his supposed death at the end of the One Year War, Char resurfaces as one of the protagonists in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam under the pseudonym "Quattro Bajeena" before reappearing as the main antagonist in Char's Counterattack. Regardless of how people have viewed him over the past three decades, Char Aznable has become one of the most iconic characters in anime history.

"Garma, I'm sending your sister to join you. Consider this my farewell gift."

[taksraven]

T.E. Lawrence from Lawrence of Arabia.

A bit trickier since this is an account based on a real person. And there has been a lot of criticism levelled at how the real man was portrayed in this film.

But, as a character portrayed by Peter O'Toole in this film, he is clearly an anti-hero. A man of *many* contradictions (as evidenced by the opinion of those at his funeral at the start of the film), his actual motivations are never really explained. Basically, he sets out to aid the Arabs in their revolt against the Turks during World War One. He is often in direct conflict with those commanding him as well as those he works with and tried to help. Indeed, he ends up killing several people that he probably would have liked to consider "friends" as he ruthlessly tries to achieve his goals. By the end of the conflict he has not achieved what he set out to do and he is ultimately alone.

A freedom fighter, a ruthless butcher and murderer (the way he leads an attack on retreating/surrendering Turkish soldiers has to be seen to be believed) , a "shameless self promoter", by the end of the film he is nearly as enigmatic as he seems at the start.

[electric indigo]

It's only a small step from Peter O'Toole's Lawrence to Michael Fassbender's David in "Prometheus".

He sabotages the expedition to keep things moving, gets his human comrades killed, looses his head and single-handedly (almost) saves a doomed movie.

[areaseven]

Ellen Page as Hayley Stark (Hard Candy)

"I am every little girl you ever watched, touched, hurt, screwed, killed."

An innocent-looking 14-year-old girl who is picked up by freelance photographer Jeff Kohlver (Patrick Wilson) and brought to his house. She drugs him and ties him up before finding evidence in the house that he is a pedophile who kidnapped, raped, and murdered an underage girl months prior. After thwarting his first attempt to escape the house, she...

ties him up on a table and prepare him for castration. She then makes an offer that if he hangs himself, she will remove all evidence of his crime...

... or not.

[areaseven]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YedqV4Gl_us
John Goodman as Walter Sobchak (The Big Lebowski)
"Has the whole world gone crazy? Am I the only one around here who gives a sh!t about the rules? Mark it zero!"

A Vietnam War veteran who is best buddies with "The Dude" (Jeff Bridges) and sometimes with Donny (Steve Buscemi). Born with a short fuse, he does not take sh!t from anyone - especially on Saturdays.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PztgWdMEJdg

It's a shame John Goodman never received an Oscar nomination for this role, as it's his single best performance in his career.

[areaseven]

Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo (First Blood)

"I could have killed 'em all, I could kill you. In town you're the law, out here it's me. Don't push it. Don't push it or I'll give you a war you won't believe. Let it go. Let it go."

A Vietnam War Veteran who wanders around Hope, WA, after discovering that the last of his comrades has died of cancer. When he is wrongly arrested by Sheriff Will Teasle for vagrancy and abused by the police, Rambo snaps and escapes into the forest. After Chief Deputy Art Galt is accidentally killed when he falls off the police helicopter during the manhunt, Rambo offers to surrender, but the police push his limits when they open fire at him. Soon, the town becomes a war zone when the Army National Guard are called in to take him down.