"Most Entertaining Movie Villains"
Below is a list of what I consider to be some of the most entertaining (yet, not always the scariest) villains I have seen in Hollywood films. Watching these villains on the silver screen turned out to be a lot of fun for me:
"MOST ENTERTAINING MOVIE VILLAINS"
1. Professor Fate (Jack Lemmon) - Every time I watch "THE GREAT RACE", I am amazed at how much I enjoyed Jack Lemmon's wild and over-the-top portrayal of this moustache-twirling villain and daredevil who suffers from an inferiority complex over his too perfect rival, the Great Leslie Gallant (Tony Curtis). "Push the button, Max!" indeed!
2. "Johnny" Tapia (Jordi Mollà) - I have always preferred "BAD BOYS II" over the original movie, and Mollà's hilarious portrayal of the shallow, dangerous and anxiety-ridden Cuban drug dealer is one of the reasons why.
3. Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya) - There is one scene in "FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE" that made me put Rosa Klebb on this list. And it featured the former KGB's subtle - or not - caresses of Embassy clerk Tatiana Romanova's shoulders, while giving the latter an assignment. I honestly cannot say whether this scene was outrageous or not. But it certainly was memorable.
4. Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) - I might as well be honest. Christoph Waltz's performance as the witty, manipulative, sadistic and very dangerous SS-turned-SD officer is one of the main reasons to see "INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS". And he had received a well-deserved Best Actor Award at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival for his performance. "That's a-Bingo!"
5. Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes) - While watching "DEMOLITION MAN", I could tell that Wesley Snipes must have had a ball portraying this violent and dangerous Los Angeles crime lord, with an over-the-top sense of humor. I certainly had a ball watching his performance.
6. Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) - From the moment when Fred MacMurray's salesman spotted a bracelet around Barbara Stanwyck's ankle, the Brooklyn-born actress nearly dominated Billy Wilder's classic "DOUBLE INDEMNITY". I say nearly, because MacMurray was just as memorable. However, he was not as much fun to watch as Ms. Stanwyck, who seemed to revel in her performance.
7. Tee Hee Johnson (Julius Harris) - Thanks to Julius Harris' humorous performance in "LIVE AND LET DIE", Tee Hee Johnson - the right-hand man of Dr. Kanaga/Mr. Big - became another Bond villain whom I found a joy to watch. Unlike his boss, Harris' Tee Hee is a "Mr. Cool Hand Luke" who always seemed amused by the emotions of others that revolve around him. And I especially love his sly sense of humor, which was best expressed in a scene in which he left James Bond stuck on a sandbar with deadly crocodiles.
8. Lamia (Michelle Pfieffer) - "STARDUST" turned out to be a pleasant surprise when I first saw it, two years ago. But an even bigger surprise turned out to be Michelle Pfieffer's portrayal as the diva-like evil witch Lamia, who was out to capture a star (in human form) for her own nefarious reasons.
9. Cisco (Lou Diamond Phillips) - "THE BIG HIT" is a rather funny film about hitmen who work for a major urban crime lord. And no one in that film is more funnier than Lou Diamond Phillips as the gold-toothed hitman Cisco, with his penchant for gold teeth, eubonics dialogue and back-stabbing his boss and fellow colleagues. He really made this film.
10. David Lo Pan (James Hong) - After so many years, the supernatural adventure, "BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA" is finally appreciated by film critics and moviegoers, alike. And I suspect that one of the reasons for this new appreciation of the film have to do with James Hong's first-rate performance as the San Francisco Chinatown crime lord/sorcerer, David Lo Pan. Hong's Lo Pan was just as witty as he was dangerous. Not only was he scary, but a lot of fun.
11. Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) - "DIE HARD" is the movie that made Alan Rickman a star and it is easy to see why. His Hans Gruber was an intelligent, clever and probably one of the most sardonic villains I have seen in a Hollywood movie. And if I may say so, I still believe he was the best villain in the "DIE HARD" franchise.
12. Colonel Dr. Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) - "INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULLS" is the first time I have ever seen Cate Blanchett portray a villainess . . . and I hope it will not be the last time. Mind you, her Colonel/Dr. Spalko is not the scariest of the Indiana Jones villains, but she was certainly the most colorful. Especially in the way she reacted to those around her. I could tell that Blanchett was enjoying herself.