What is the best movie portrayal of a complicated villian? The Rules: Post your answer as a comment, one per member. Fight it out against other MFC members’ answers for the rest of the week. Whoever gets the most likes on their official answer by Saturday wins the fight. The winner gets the honor of posting the next question the following Monday.
This might be recency bias but I'm going with Arthur Fleck from Joker. I've never much cared about the backstory for the Batman villain known as The Joker, and wouldn't have bothered watching Joker had they not cast Joaquin Phoenix in the lead. But oh man, did he nail it. The creative writing and Phoenix's performance manages to bring together the character so forcefully that you're equally terrified of him and feel sorry for him at the same time. They even came up with a creative way to make us sympathize with his maniacal laugh. It shows his gradual progression from pathetic social misfit into a demented counter-culture idol that people are willing to kill in order to emulate. It's got some disturbing moments, but it will change the way you view The Joker forever.
There is only one villain that I can think of that is so complex that he causes me to simultaneously route for and against him all at the same time... only one that breaks my heart and causes me to cry in sympathy when he fails to carry out his villainous plans...and that’s the Phantom in Phantom of the Opera.
Well, since Mags took the one I would’ve said 😂 my vote is Zemo from (this is going to sound a little familiar) Captain America: Civil War. Everything he does makes sense at the end, and as awful as he was throughout the movie, you grieve as you realize why he did it.
This might be recency bias but I'm going with Arthur Fleck from Joker. I've never much cared about the backstory for the Batman villain known as The Joker, and wouldn't have bothered watching Joker had they not cast Joaquin Phoenix in the lead. But oh man, did he nail it. The creative writing and Phoenix's performance manages to bring together the character so forcefully that you're equally terrified of him and feel sorry for him at the same time. They even came up with a creative way to make us sympathize with his maniacal laugh. It shows his gradual progression from pathetic social misfit into a demented counter-culture idol that people are willing to kill in order to emulate. It's got some disturbing moments, but it will change the way you view The Joker forever.
Ooh, that movie, that character portrayal gives me the ebbie jeebies something fierce!
There is only one villain that I can think of that is so complex that he causes me to simultaneously route for and against him all at the same time... only one that breaks my heart and causes me to cry in sympathy when he fails to carry out his villainous plans...and that’s the Phantom in Phantom of the Opera.
This was my first thought, too. 👏🏻
I love the music too. 🤍
I am a theatrical-music geek.
🤓😁
Well, since Mags took the one I would’ve said 😂 my vote is Zemo from (this is going to sound a little familiar) Captain America: Civil War. Everything he does makes sense at the end, and as awful as he was throughout the movie, you grieve as you realize why he did it.
P.S. How many weeks running can I use the same movie for different movie fights? Stay tuned next week… 😂
😁
And the winner is Maggie Montgomery. Congratulations, Maggie, you get to choose Monday's question.
Michael Corleone. What an incredibly complex character. So much so that it has me wondering by the end of his story if he was really even a villain?
Oooh good one! 👍🏻
But, you don't vote?! *tear slides down very sad face*
Cutthroat competition.
I usually wait until closer to the end to vote, but so far this is my fav answer 😘
And then I forgot to come back and vote 🤦🏻♀️