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Top Six Christopher Nolan Movies

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Christopher Nolan isn’t in the movie business, he’s in the masterpiece business. He is the greatest artist to have ever directed in film and I just had to make this list. I’ll change it if necessary, but this is my opinion on the matter at hand. I’ve made one for all of my other favorite directors so how can I not give some recognition to my absolute favorite director. All of the films he’s made have been magnificent and this list is a celebration of those films.

6. Following

Nolan’s first film is basically just a tease for exactly what’s to come from this great man’s career.  It’s filled with interesting and defined characters circumnavigating a strange plot amplified by its structure and execution. The best moment in the film comes from a subtle bat symbol placed on one of the character’s doors. Nolan’s been asked and maybe it is just coincidence, but that doesn’t make it any less awesome.

5. Insomnia

I saw Insomnia awhile ago and wasn’t blown away, but upon watching it a handful of times more recently I just fell in love with this movie. Sure it doesn’t have the innovation and scope of other Nolan masterpieces, but it still has that same flawless direction. As with all of his films, no shot is out of place and the acting is incredible. Both Al Pacino and Robin Williams play brilliantly off of each other, giving some of the best performances of their long careers.

4. The Prestige

Through a marvelous tale of two rival magicians, Nolan establishes a story of obsession, dedication and art. The Prestige is such glorious film that entertains throughout. The performances are fantastic especially when it comes to Christian as the enigmatic Alfred Borden. This a film that explores the wondrous world of magic and he does so brilliantly with a dark, brooding story of how far a person will go  when someone is working against them.

3. Memento

Memento is just a classic at this point and it’s the film that got Christopher Nolan’s name out there. In Memento we’re shown the ending of film, while the rest of the story is told backwards in order to put you in the shoes of protagonist, Leonard Shelby who, despite his condition of short-term memory loss, is desperately attempting to avenge the death of his wife. With a very original detective story, Nolan creates tense and ominous where nothing is as it seems and by the end everything makes a bit more sense.

2. Inception

Inception is masterpiece in every sense of the word. Its tells story that is both innovative and fascinating. Its never enough to be just original with Christopher Nolan. Sure, you can have the great new idea for a movie plot, but if its not backed by human characters, emotions and high stakes than you won’t get the beautiful outcome that original “parasite” of an idea may have deserved. Inception gets the execution it deserves from the greatest director in film. What Nolan has crafted with Inception is a vastly entertaining spectacle that never ceases to amaze.

1. The Dark Knight Legend

Christopher Nolan is and will always be my favorite director because he told a single story. Not only is The Dark Knight Legend (or The Dark Knight Trilogy if that tastes better going down) Christopher Nolan’s greatest feat, it’s the greatest movie ever made. Film is the greatest art form in existence and with this perfect tale of  heroism, villainy, good, evil, hope, despair (I could go on) Nolan has crafted the greatest piece of art these eyes will ever know.

The word epic was never fully exemplified until Batman’s journey was unveiled in The Dark Knight Legend. In Batman Begins we watch the perfect hero’s journey as Bruce Wayne becomes the legend known as Batman. In The Dark Knight, Batman we watch Gotham face trails and tribulations as Batman has to become the good to The Joker’s pure evil. Though the idea of balance is established in the continuous battle between good and evil in the previous film, the stakes are even higher in The Dark Knight Rises as Batman has to become the hope to the despair that Bane represents. These stories and characters are the greatest  in film and they combine and collide to tell the greatest story of all time.

Top Ten Breaking Bad Episodes

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I love Breaking Bad. I love every single flawless second of it. Walter White’s dark and twisted journey makes for one hell of a roller coaster ride. This section of my site is called “The Greatest TV Show Ever Created” and I created it in order to express my admiration towards LOST, but having just finished the first eight episodes of Breaking Bad’s last season I can’t help but admit what Breaking Bad is, truly the greatest television show I’ve seen. Here is my list of the greatest episodes of Breaking Bad.

!!!UPDATE!!!

This list has been updated and improved upon… Top 25 Breaking Bad Episodes

!!!UPDATE!!!

10. Live Free or Die

This episode is proof that though incredible since the beginning, Breaking Bad just gets better with age. This first episode of the fifth season opens with a brilliant scene that simply teases at just how insane this final season will get. It then ties up some loose ends left after the showdown that was Season 4 in a truly exhilarating fashion all while we watch as Walter settles into his new seat of power.

9. Dead Freight

Breaking Bad is and was always amazing from the first to the fifth season, but if you look through my list you’ll notice that I’ve included no episodes from either the first or second season. The first two seasons are just as incredible as the rest, but I for one enjoy the characters and story arcs of other parts of this deep, dark and human epic. One example is this brilliant train robbery, which tragically ends in true Breaking Bad fashion.

8. Crawl Space

Vince Gilligan himself, the mastermind behind the creation of this tale, has often compared the entirety of season 4 to that of a chess game between Walter White and Gustavo Fring. If that’s true, which it is, this episode represents Gustavo Fring putting Walter White in check as everything in Walter White’s life quite seriously falls apart around him. In all this madness and sadness what else can the depraved man they call Heisenberg do, but laugh.

7. One Minute

This is just a no-brainer. It cannot be argued that this is one of the finest hours of Breaking Bad. From the intriguing beginning of season 3, we are brought on a journey of two seemingly soulless men intent on killing the antihero of our story only to be vanquished by the true hero of our story. In one fell swoop Breaking Bad allows its two main characters to come back together as friends and partners all while Heisenberg’s ironic guardian angel saves his ass quite savagely.

6. Full Measure

After the extraordinary masterpiece that was Half Measures, all you could expect was sheer brilliance from the season finale entitled Full Measure. “Never give up control. Live life on your own terms.” It’s a defining quote from season 4 and this episode exemplifies exactly how far this king will go to continue his rise to power. Full Measure opens with a beautiful scene as Heisenberg approaches his adversary wearing his crown. How else could the episode end, but with a gunshot brought about by one of his subjects.

5. Buyout

Walter White is a liar. He is depraved, vindictive, manipulative and he is a villain. We have watched as Walter White has slowly and subtly become this villain. No matter how Walter chooses to rationalize it, he loves who he has become and this power he’s obtained. “You’d be selling to my competitors,” Walter snarls at his former partners as they tell him their selling out for “pennies on the dollar”. Among many ideas, Breaking Bad is a story about change and in Buyout, Walter White can’t help but show his now true colors.

4. Face Off

If the statement I made before is true and Crawl Space is Gus putting Walter in check in their game of chess, Face Off is Walter White putting the kingpin, Gustavo Fring in checkmate. Whereas Walter White has become a criminal mastermind, Fring is a brilliant businessman. That is not to say Gus isn’t a villain because he is, but it is Walt’s will to do evil that allows him to defeat this king. As an added bonus, the cartel’s involvement in this story really comes full circle as Walter’s enemies become a means to obtaining his goal. This list wouldn’t be complete without this episode.

3. Half Measures

Half Measures is an episode I’ve been attached to for a long time. Until recently it was the episode I would’ve considered my favorite. The ending of the episode just may be the best moment in the show. That just turns out to be a punctuation point to this episode about character and choices. Right in the middle is a seemingly odd scene that subtly becomes serious, dark and poetic. It also serves as a little coming out party for actor Jonathan Banks as he becomes Mike Ehrmantraut when illustrates why a man can’t choose half measures when they should go all the way.

2. Gliding Over All

I will change this list if it has to be done and I can easily see that happening, but this mid-point marking episode to Breaking Bad’s final season is incredible. I couldn’t help to place it right here as my second favorites episode. We witness, in a single episode, a Walter White who actually enjoys his reign as king to the point of boredom. Heisenberg, through sin and carnage, has reached his peak. He is king, but the fact that he doesn’t have to fight for his crown anymore makes him weary. He was more of a king than Gus Fring ever was and he will want for nothing as he sits back with his family and friends only for the hero of our story to realize the identity of the villain he would’ve willingly chased to his last breath.

1. Say My Name

I have seen every Breaking Bad episode and most of them I’ve seen a few times. I can say without a doubt that Say My Name is my favorite Breaking Bad episode. For a long time I considered Season 3 my favorite season, but with just 8 episodes Season 5 has managed to top the eloquent masterpiece that is Season 3. The beauty of Breaking Bad can be found in its characters and at the heart of these human stories is the character arc of Walter White.

In this episode we come face to face with the depravity that is Heisenberg. Walter White is a ruthless, criminal mastermind whose reputation proceeds him. In this episode Walter White has become a king and in the wake of this rise, there are many lost lives and lost friendships. It’s hard not to be speechless throughout and then it ends with what may be the greatest scene in Breaking Bad as Walter is consumed by the black heart beating inside of him and kills cool and calculating old professional Mike, Gus’ righthand man turned Walter White’s distributor. It’s a gritty, defining moment executed flawlessly with just character development and intense violence.

Top Ten Dark Knight Legend Scenes

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Through three masterpieces, Christoper Nolan has unimaginably created the greatest story in existence in The Dark Knight Legend (or Dark Knight Trilogy if that tastes better going down). There are so many moments and scenes that both flawlessly executed and endlessly entertaining. This is a list of my favorite scenes in The Dark Knight Legend. It took a lot of adjusting and second-guessing, but I eventually came to the conclusion of these ten supremely miraculous scenes.

10. Calling Card

The final scene in the tale of Batman’s origin is so spectacular that if it hadn’t been for one other scene I would consider this scene the greatest in Batman Begins. The fantastic tease of The Joker turns out to be the icing on this glorious cake of a scene. “I never said thank you.” Gary Oldman’s Gordon says with commanding subtlety to which Batman responds with the final line of the movie that defines Batman as a the hero he is, “And you’ll never have to.”

9. Mob Meeting

Every single second that Heath Ledger is on the screen in The Dark Knight is absolutely extraordinary. The Joker’s Bank Heist scene just barely missed the list and part of the reason is because this list wouldn’t be complete without this classic scene. It’s as if this malevolent “agent of chaos” sought out the darkest souls in Gotham just to give them a pep talk. Everything from entrance to exit is pure brilliance and it was hard to expect anything less from then on.

8. Train Crash

As Batman is the good to The Joker’s evil. Batman is the justice to Ra’s Al Ghul’s injustice and their final fight on the train headed towards Wayne Enterprises is easily the greatest scene in Batman Begins. Just as Batman has Ghul on the ropes Ra’s Al Ghul responds by doing the only thing he can that moment and demeans his formal pupil, “Have you finally learned to do what is necessary?” To which Batman responds with one of the greatest quotes in all of cinema, “I won’t kill you, but I don’t have to save you.”

7. The Pit

It’s one of the most inspirational and uplifting moments in this entire bleak epic. Batman himself has been broken and discarded like a piece of trash into “the worst hell on earth”. When he finally comes to terms with the fear and pain that consumes him, Batman triumphs and it’s realized that he’s both the hero Gotham deserves and needs. It’s a truly breathtaking moment because its almost like journey within a much grander journey because though he gets out of The Pit, there’s a lot of work to be done.

6. Hospital

For brilliant Joker, all of the pieces are set and all we get to do is watch idly by as Gotham’s “White Knight” is consumed by evil. Before our eyes, Harvey Dent finishes his transformation into the villain, Two Face. The power  is placed in Dent’s hand and The Joker gleefully becomes the first of Two Face’s victims whose lives are decided based on the flip of a coin. The Joker would die laughing knowing that he brought Harvey down to his level. It’s a scene that is as dark as they come, but as with every scene with The Joker it’s uproariously fun.

5. A Dark Knight

The Falling Action and Resolution of this never-ending clash of good and evil established in The Dark Knight takes place in one no-holds-barred finale. It’s realized just how depraved Harvey Dent has become when he threatens to literally kill the young son of James Gordon in a misplaced attempt to avenge the woman he loved and couldn’t save himself, Rachel Dawes. Two Face is filled with carnage and rage and the only thing Batman can do is save Gordon’s son and take the blame for Harvey’s unspeakable crimes leading to a final and powerful speech of respect from Batman’s the only friend and partner that Batman has had since the beginning of his fight against injustice.

4. Bane Breaks the Bat

“Let’s not stand on ceremony here, Mr. Wayne,” the barbaric villain says to the determined hero before they battle for the first time in the third and final chapter in Chritopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Legend. This is where these two characters belong, battling. Bane understands that and  it’s made apparent that Batman understands their relationship as well when he begins to wail away at an unimpressed Bane. Bane takes the Bat’s fists as if they  were gusts of wind. For the first time in this definitive story of Batman, Batman is beaten. Not only is he beaten though, he is ravaged and broken. Upon their first meeting, Batman had no idea what he was coming up against and in that way didn’t stand a chance.

3. Interrogation

Batman and The Joker are the greatest enemies ever concocted. There will never be more perfect renditions of the two characters than Heath Ledger and Christian Bale in The Dark Knight. To see them meet for the first time face to face is substantially extraordinary. It’s wildly entertaining, inherently necessary and beautiful. The scene begins with some witty, yet dark dialogue between The Joker and the newly appointed Commissioner Gordon.

“Does it depress you, to know just how alone you really are? Does it makes you feel responsible for Harvey Dent’s current predicament?” The Joker delightfully quips at the unamused Commissioner. Once Batman and The Joker are sitting across from each other alone in a desolate interrogation cell, the rarely leaves the faces of the two men talking simply because of how prominent this moment truly is.

2. The Joker’s Last Laugh

All the scenes on this list aren’t just the greatest scenes in The Dark Knight Legend, they’re also some of the greatest scenes in film. The Joker is my favorite character in existence so naturally I love every moment he’s on screen and I would consider some of his scenes some of my favorite in film. Until recently I’ve always considered the Interrogation scene my favorite scene with The Joker, but recently I’ve realized my favorite Joker scene is his last in the film.

The final masterfully crafted Joker scene in which he has his last laugh is the best Joker scene. The Joker finally thinks he’s changed Batman when Batman throws him off of a building and as a result he laughs hysterically until he his saved by who he now realizes is his perfect nemesis. “You, you just couldn’t let me go could you?” The Joker jokes smiling, of course. Without a villain there is no hero and without a hero there is no villain. The constant battle between the two form a continuos bond between the two because this isn’t a story about two men, it’s a story about good and evil. This concept is completely exemplified in perfect scene.

1. The Legend Ends

The Dark Knight Legend is my favorite movie, but I could unquestionably say that it is also the greatest story ever told. No story has ever entertained me, captivated me or enthralled me with its vast and eloquent themes or its deep  characters nearly as much as The Dark Knight Legend. It is a masterpiece in every way, shape or form. I only use that word when it’s warranted and it is never more warranted than when used to describe the legendary and lasting epic.

Every legend has to come to an end the ending of any story is so important to me. If I took the time to appreciate a story unfold, I’m always excited to reach that point and see where it all leads. I’m always happy to see an ending done right and not only was the ending of this epic legend done right, the ending is unimaginably perfect and the greatest scene in the entire film that is The Dark Knight Legend.

I have never felt more involved or completely captivated by the events transpiring on screen than watching the finale of the ending of The Dark Knight Rises and the glorious ending of entire legend as a whole. From the moment Batman and Bane begin their final battle to the final seconds before the screen goes completely black and all we can read is “The Dark Knight Rises” I just escape to this world where hope tremendously triumphs over despair, two heroes survive and live happily in love together and the legend that is Batman lives to fight another day and survives forever as symbol of good in the hearts of the people who he fights to protect. It’s not only the greatest scene in The Dark Knight Legend, it’s the greatest scene in film.

Top Ten Dark Knight Legend Characters

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The story that Christopher Nolan has told with The Dark Knight Legend (or The Dark Knight Trilogy) is the pinnacle of storytelling. It is the greatest ever told and no great story is complete without rich and vibrant characters. The Dark Knight Legend easily offers some of the most incredible characters ever realized. The agenda of this list is simple, to pay respect to the awesome characters that make up the greatest story ever told. Here are my favorites.

10. Talia Al Ghul

Upon first meeting Miranda Tate you come to realize what a kind soul she is and how fitting it is for her to be Bruce Wayne’s love interest. By the end when hope prevails and Batman triumphs over the monstrous Bane. All hope is lost when the vindictive villain, Talia, reveals herself to the now heart-broken Bruce Wayne. She is daugher to Ra’s Al Ghul and wants nothing more than her fathers legacy fulfilled and Batman to perish.

9. Alfred Pennyworth

If you’re looking for the heart and soul of this entire dark and emotive legend, look no further than Bruce Wayne’s wise butler, Alfred J. Pennyworth. For whenever Bruce Wayne’s journey seems perilous, Alfred does what he can to keep our hero on the right path. It must be difficult for Alfred to watch someone he cares for like his own child go out and sacrifice himself every night. He deals with every situation as it comes with wisdom and grace.

8. Harvey “Two Face” Dent

The Dark Knight tells a flawless tale about good and evil. The prominent backbone of this powerful story is one of a man. Harvey Dent’s journey from charming and brave “White Knight” into the vicious killer “Two Face”. By the end of this story were made to believe that this hero goes on a murderous rampage and it completely works. Dent is broken down as a man and consumed by evil. He’s given every reason to turn wicked so it only makes sense that he does.

7. Ra’s Al Ghul

I could not comprehend better renditions of these characters and the same goes for Liam Neeson’s astounding portrayal of the leader of The League of Shadows, Ra’s Al Ghul. Even though he ends up being the prime antagonist in Bruce Wayne’s journey into becoming the greatest hero the world has ever known, he is the man responsible for training man who would become Batman. Where the two men differ is in the ways the choose to dispense justice.

6. Robin “John” Blake

From the moment he walks on screen to the final shot and defining shot of the legend, Blake epitomizes the idea of a man who can take up the cape and cowl of Batman. “You should use your full name. I like that name, Robin.” From that moment on it was fully realized that Nolan had done with the character, Robin, what he had done with every character he adapted from Batman lore. He captured the essence of the character while realistically applying him to his own legend as man who could take up Batman’s mantle.

5. Catwoman

Selina Kyle is the perfect love interest for Batman and though she’s never given the nomenclature in the film but, Selina Kyle is Catwoman. A thief by necessity, Catwoman loves this dark persona she’s created for herself and the life she leads, but the ground is shrinking beneath her. She needs a way to start her life of crime over, but Bruce Wayne sees the good in her and it’s love that proofs he’s right. She tries so hard to show this mysterious darkness in her, but at the end of the day she can’t deny the undeniable fact that she’s a hero.

4. Commissioner Jim Gordon

Since long before Bruce Wayne became the now legend that is Batman, James Gordon was fighting the good fight in a war on injustice. And ever since Batman Began, Gordon has been there with him on the battlefield. He is law and order personified and we watched him grow as we watched Batman grow, in Gordon’s case from Sergeant to Commissioner. Gordon was recruited by Bruce Wayne even before the man that would become Batman put on the cape and cowl and he’s been there since the end. Gordon and Batman represent a friendship based solely on two mens need to turn fear on those who prey on the fearful.

3. Batman

In becoming the legend known only as Batman, Bruce Wayne is the greatest hero ever crafted making him one of the greatest characters in film.”Anyone could be Batman, that was the point.” Not only as Batman, is Bruce on a quest against evil. He’s also a symbol for hope in a world filled with injustice and despair. Batman is good for the sake of being good and he does the right thing because it’s the right thing do and not only that, he will do everything in his power and battle until his last breath to do just that. This entire legend is a tale of heroism and though the journey was arduous the hero at the centre of this masterpiece is a knight and legend known as Batman.

2. Bane

Bane completely envelops the idea of despair and his name is incredibly fitting as he is the Bane of Batman. While The Joker is pure evil fighting against all that is good, Bane is battling to torture and extinguish the hero of our story who fights for all that is good. He was born in darkness and by the end of a battle between our hero he is consumed by animosity towards the hero of the story even to the point of denying the dying wish of the only person he’s ever loved. “We both know I have to kill you know. You’ll just have to imagine the fire,” he says before putting a shotgun to Batman’s head. Bane is an intimidating and emotionless brute force, one the greatest villains in film and one of the greatest characters in existence.

1. The Joker

The twisted, dark and chaotic anarchist, The Joker, is like Batman in the way that he is a symbol. There is an undeniable balance between Batman and The Joker in the way the way that while both fight for something, they are polar opposites. Whereas Batman fights to his last breath for all that is good, The Joker fights for and would die for all that is evil. Batman is a symbol for good and The Joker is a symbol for evil and the continuos battle between the two is poetic and beautiful.

The Joker is the epitome of evil and the greatest villain ever created. What Christopher Nolan has done is crafted a perfect and definitive story of an icon. With Heath Ledger at the helm, what is fully realized in The Joker is the greatest character of all time.  A story is nothing without a conflict overcome and more often than not conflict is personified in one character we call a villain. Behind the quirks, charisma, entertainment that The Joker offers as the clown he is, no villain could ever be as purely evil as The Joker.

Top Ten Bane Quotes

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In honor of the ending of the greatest story ever told, I’d like to offer up my favorite Bane quotes from the film The Dark Knight Rises. The post on my site that has gotten the most views is https://moviesfilmsmotionpictures.com/2008/07/27/top-ten-joker-quotes/ so I’ve always thought it would be fitting to make this post. What  Tom Hardy have done with the epitome of despair in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight , Bane, is create the second greatest villain in history second only to Heath Ledger’s Joker. These are my favorite quotes from The Dark Knight Rises’ Bane. Honorables:

  • “Speak of the devil and he shall appear.”
  • “Courts will be convened. Spoils will be enjoyed. Blood will be shed. The police will survive as they learn to serve true justice. This great city, it will endure. Gotham will survive.”
  • “Calm down Doctor, now is not the time for fear. That comes later.”
  • “I’m necessary evil.”
  • “Crashing this plane with no survivors.”
  • “These have cost you your strength. Victory has defeated you.”

10. “But not as serious as yours, I fear.” 9. “You don’t fear death, you welcome it. Your punishment must be more severe.” 8. “Theatricality and deception, powerful agents to the uninitiated, but we are initiated aren’t we, Bruce? Members of the League of Shadows. And you betrayed us.” 7. “We will destroy Gotham, then when it is done and Gotham is ashes, then you have my permission to die.” 6. “So you came back to die with your city?” 5. “Let’s not stand on ceremony here, Mr. Wayne.” 4. “Oh, so you think darkness is your ally? But you merely adopted the dark. I was born in it, molded by it. I didn’t see the light until I was already a man, by then to me it was only blinding. The shadows betray you because they belong to me.” 3. “I broke you. How have you come back?” 2. “Oh yes, I was wondering what would break first, your spirit or your body?” 1. “We both know I have to kill you now. You’ll just have to imagine the fire.”  

Top Ten Movie Villains

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Movie villains are the backbone of the entire art form. Too often villains go unrecognized for just how important they are. Without villains there are no stories, no conflict, no drama, you get the picture. Of course there are exceptions, but I love a good villain. Usually the case is, the better the villain the better the movie. This is a list of my favorite villains in all of film.

There are many cases where the antagonist of the story is actually more interesting than the protagonist and even when that’s the case, I’m a sucker for watching a hero triumph over a villain. I took a lot into account when I made this list, but I’d have to say the order and choices were mainly based on a combination of the enjoyment I have watching the villain on screen and the actual malevolence of the character. Well, here it is.

10. Ra’s Al Ghul (Batman Begins)

Ra’s Al Ghul is the leader of The League of Shadows and the mentor to the greatest hero in existence, Batman. In a way, they both want to save the world. Bruce Wayne studied under the tutelage of The League of Shadows because he was seeking the means to fight injustice. Where Batman and Ra’s Al Ghul differ is in the way Batman, as a hero should, sets himself apart from the villains whereas Ghul believes in necessary evil.

9. Bill the Butcher (Gangs of New York)

Martin Scorsese’s epic about the early remnants of a city focuses largely on one of the most intense and cruel figures in the history of cinema, Bill “The Butcher” Cutting. Daniel Day-Lewis plays the character flawlessly and with fervor.    His lust for  power is matched only by a love for his country and the freedom it represents. Gangs of New York is a vengeance story and to watch protagonist Amsterdam finally smite Bill the Butcher is incredibly satisfying.

8. Amon Goeth (Schindler’s List)

Never have the senseless and discouraging crimes against humanity performed by the Third Reich ever been more personified in film than with Ralph Fiennes’ portrayal of Amon Goeth in Steven Spielberg’s magnum opus, Schindler’s List. This a film about the ability and will to do good. Amon Goeth represents the contradiction to this idea. He’s commanding, blood-thirsty and completely apathetic towards his actions.

7. Jack Torrance (The Shining)

I say Jack Torrance, but I more so mean the evil pumping through the veins of The Overlook Hotel that eventually forces sane writer/father, Jack Torrance’s transformation into a crazed/axe-wielding murderer. The first sequence in the bar where both Torrance and The Overlook Hotel show their true colors serves as a solemn warning for the horrific oddities that have yet to transpire. All work and no play make Jack a dull boy and one of the greatest villains in film.

6. Hannibal Lecter (The Silence of the Lambs)

In a gorgeous performance, Anthony Hopkins supremely captures the essence and soul of an incredibly intelligent serial killer who not only murders his victims, but eats them. The grotesque violence that the character is capable of can only be spotted in a single scene of the film, but even during the moments where he’s only staring, you can still feel the gravity of just how despicable the character at hand actually is. He probably gets the least screen time of any villain on this list, but he is easily one of the greatest in the history of film.

5. Silva (Skyfall)

Raoul Silva (formerly Tiago Rodriguez) is the most sinister and formidable opponent James Bond will ever acquire. This isn’t some cackling, conniving or cat-petting villain bent on world domination. Silva wants one thing and one thing only, M. He’s a former MI6 agent, M’s “favorite” at his time of service before he was betrayed. He loves M if only because she gives him purpose and hates her for what she’s created in him. He’s a showman and he has fun doing what he does and he’s one of them, he knows all the tricks. Silva is a mastermind, he’s flamboyant, he’s malevolent and he’s completely deranged.

4. Anton Chigurh (No Country for Old Men)

Confident, cold, calculating, silent, creative, determined and soulless. These are just a few words that can be used to describe the brutal killer, Anton Chigurh. His weapons of choice are a cattle gun and a sawed-off shotgun fit with a foot-long silencer, but a pair of hand cuffs would do just fine for this man who will stop at nothing to reach his goals. “People always say the same thing” Chigurh says to a young woman who tells him he doesn’t have to kill her. This is a situation he’s been in before and it’s one he’ll be in again. Killing for him is just as easy as waking up. He is death incarnate in the Coen Brothers’ poetic masterpiece of crime and violence.

3. Col. Hans Landa (Inglourious Basterds)

Col. Hans Landa is Nazi Officer, but he is so much more depraved than any other member of the Third Reich. Unlike the officers and foot soldiers who whole-heartedly believe Adolf Hitler’s poisonous words, Col. Landa is merely a Colonel of the S.S. because he knows it’s in his best interest. He’s a sly detective and easily earns himself the nickname, The Jew Hunter. At the end of the day however, he doesn’t care about the Third Reich’s plot for world domination. He cares about his own personal gain and if that means betraying his entire country than so be it. He just bleeds malevolence whether he’s drinking a glass of milk or strangling someone to death. Hans Landa isn’t evil because he’s a Nazi, he’s a very evil man who happens to wear a Nazi uniform.

2. Bane (The Dark Knight Rises)

Bane can be looked at as the absence of hope. A meeting with Bane, let alone a fight with Bane, would result in anyone’s demise. He’s strategic, tactical, he speaks with intelligence and eloquence, but at the same time he is a complete brute. The mask he wears makes it so he can survive an unbearable pain, but it also serves as a signature look and a reminder of how emotionless and inhumanly evil this man can be.

In order to exact his torture of Batman and the city of Gotham, Bane places himself in a seat of power. He’s a revolutionary warlord, he’s his own General and he’s his own greatest soldier. This is a highly demanding performance and not just physically. Tom Hardy plays the character to perfection. Bane is supremely fearsome, intimidating and though he has a strict regiment and plot, there is no denying his admiration for death and destruction.

1. The Joker (The Dark Knight)

The Joker is unlike any other movie character and villain in the way that he epitomizes pure evil. The Joker is always smiling because there is never a dull moment where he is not doing exactly what he wants, instilling evil into the world. As the dark, crusading, creature of the night Batman is good for the sake of being good. The Joker, a gleeful and colorful clown, is evil for the sake of being evil.

The Joker burns a mountain of money just show exactly how much he doesn’t care about the idea of a motive. “Do I really look like a guy with a plan?” he says to the White Knight, Harvey Dent. Even when faced with opportunities to kill the heroes of the story, he instead attempts to reveal their true colors by giving them opportunities to kill him. He would gladly die doing what makes him happy.

Heath Ledger gave the greatest performance of all time as the darkest and most “unstoppable force” ever portrayed. Despite the fact that The Joker is so fiercely evil, he is very charismatic in the way he is also a clown. Ledger utilizes this trait in creating not only the greatest villain, but the greatest character in all of film. There didn’t need to be some kind of origin story or flashbacks to when The Joker was young. All there was in The Dark Knight was a showcasing of the constant battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil. Anything less or more would have taken away from the perfection.