7 Smartest Villains That Alone Make Their Movies Worth Watching
These antagonists are more than just bad guys.
There is no doubt the typical movie villains are those who are less appealing and not as clever as the protagonists, who must win over them. However, there are some evil characters which are even superior to the good guys in terms of their intelligence.
Here are 7 of the most voiced examples of the extremely intelligent onscreen villains, chosen by Redditors in a recent discussion.
7. Se7en (1995) - John Doe
Kevin Spacey’s serial killer is always ahead of the detectives, while committing his chilling murders inspired by the seven deadly sins. The police don't even know his real name, and when finally catching him, they realize his scheme worked out against them.
6. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) - Tom Ripley
Matt Damon’s titular character knows how to pretend to be who he isn’t, how to climb the social ladder and how to be convincing enough to deceive all the people, interfering with him taking the identity of a person whom he secretly kills. Even if you like Andrew Scott or Alain Delon more, Damon’s iteration is definitely a chef’s kiss!
5. The Usual Suspects (1995) - Keyser Söze
This movie villain combines the traits of the two previous ones - he is played by the brilliant Kevin Spacey and is also known for convincing everyone that he’s another person, calculating every next step he makes towards his success with a cold heart.
4. Die Hard (1988) - Hans Gruber
This action classic gave birth to the ruthless, yet uniquely smart villain, played by Alan Rickman. Gruber’s outstanding planning and improvising skills keep him one step ahead of his rivals, forcing the main one, John McClane, to do the impossible to defeat him.
3. Watchmen (2009) - Adrian Veidt / Ozymandias
Matthew Goode’s crime-fighter turned businessman appears to be the onscreen world's smartest man, who was a prodigy capable of being successful in a variety of disciplines and professional spheres, and this includes his outstanding skills of a retired superhero.
2. Collateral (2004) - Vincent
The role of an insightful and gifted assassin can be considered the most remarkable one in Tom Cruise’s whole career. His Vincent always figures out how to talk or shoot his way out of any problem on his way with the help of his fast thinking brain.
1. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) - Hannibal Lecter
Anthony Hopkins’s iconic villain is the one who manages to manipulate people behind the confines of a small cell, using the ones who are sure that they’re using him and doing it with a uniquely calm disposition and sophisticated understanding of psychiatry.
Source: Reddit