"like Piers Morgan in a lift"
July 29, 2015 8:52 PM Subscribe
The top 50 assholes in cinema - by Andrew Blair, Den of Geek
This list reads like it's written by someone who hasn't known many assholes.
posted by Catblack at 9:09 PM on July 29, 2015 [16 favorites]
posted by Catblack at 9:09 PM on July 29, 2015 [16 favorites]
42. Kim Jong-Il – Team America: World Police
Since when have all the assholes in Hollywood been controlled by strings?
posted by clavdivs at 9:32 PM on July 29, 2015
Since when have all the assholes in Hollywood been controlled by strings?
posted by clavdivs at 9:32 PM on July 29, 2015
This list reads like it's written by someone who hasn't known many assholes.
Or seen many movies.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:32 PM on July 29, 2015 [11 favorites]
Or seen many movies.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:32 PM on July 29, 2015 [11 favorites]
There are some significant omissions in this list: Dolores Umbridge, Blake (from Glengarry Glen Ross), Don Logan (from Sexy Beast), Steelpike (Gormenghast, if you count made for TV).
Also, this listicle would benefitted from a little more theory outlining the criteria for inclusion. Seems more like an extended recollection than a coherent lists.
posted by LeRoienJaune at 9:34 PM on July 29, 2015 [5 favorites]
Also, this listicle would benefitted from a little more theory outlining the criteria for inclusion. Seems more like an extended recollection than a coherent lists.
posted by LeRoienJaune at 9:34 PM on July 29, 2015 [5 favorites]
Maverick from Top Gun is not on this list. This list is worthless.
Though I approve mightily of whatshisfartface from High Fidelity.
And where's Rhett Butler?! I demand old school assholiness.
posted by barchan at 9:34 PM on July 29, 2015 [4 favorites]
Though I approve mightily of whatshisfartface from High Fidelity.
And where's Rhett Butler?! I demand old school assholiness.
posted by barchan at 9:34 PM on July 29, 2015 [4 favorites]
These are all distressingly recent, what about Vera from Mildred Pirece? She's so awful she manages to ruin two fortunes.
posted by The Whelk at 9:38 PM on July 29, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 9:38 PM on July 29, 2015 [6 favorites]
This ignores the career of Ronny Cox. Dick Jones? Cohagen (from the real Total Recall)? He was even a dick in a suit in a couple of episodes of TNG, harshing on the crew for being hippies while Picard was getting tortured.
posted by mobunited at 9:49 PM on July 29, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by mobunited at 9:49 PM on July 29, 2015 [7 favorites]
Metafilter: Harshing on the crew for being hippies
posted by Bella Donna at 9:51 PM on July 29, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by Bella Donna at 9:51 PM on July 29, 2015 [4 favorites]
Anything with Sydney Greenstreet, even Ruthless.
Phyllis Dietrichson for the all the right clauses.
posted by clavdivs at 9:56 PM on July 29, 2015 [3 favorites]
Phyllis Dietrichson for the all the right clauses.
posted by clavdivs at 9:56 PM on July 29, 2015 [3 favorites]
There's a lot of missed opportunities and poor choices in this list but damn, they nailed #1.
posted by Ber at 10:05 PM on July 29, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by Ber at 10:05 PM on July 29, 2015 [4 favorites]
Any Burt Reynold's character that drives a car.
posted by Beholder at 10:10 PM on July 29, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by Beholder at 10:10 PM on July 29, 2015 [4 favorites]
On the Home Alone Wiki page for Buzz, under trivia it says 'Buzz should be a lot nicer to Kevin and not be rude and mean to him.'
After that you need read no further. Quoting wiki marks the author as a blathering idiot.
posted by lilburne at 10:38 PM on July 29, 2015
After that you need read no further. Quoting wiki marks the author as a blathering idiot.
posted by lilburne at 10:38 PM on July 29, 2015
Burke from Aliens. The sheriff in Unforgiven. Wolverine.
posted by Brocktoon at 10:39 PM on July 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Brocktoon at 10:39 PM on July 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
Walter Peck may be an asshole, but he was not wrong. The Ghostbusters were an environmental disaster waiting to happen.
posted by misfish at 11:11 PM on July 29, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by misfish at 11:11 PM on July 29, 2015 [5 favorites]
What about Damien? He's the AntiChrist, for Christ's sake.
posted by philip-random at 11:12 PM on July 29, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by philip-random at 11:12 PM on July 29, 2015 [3 favorites]
I liked that the list looks back further than the last fifteen years of film, which typically is the cut-off for "of all time".
posted by Harald74 at 11:27 PM on July 29, 2015
posted by Harald74 at 11:27 PM on July 29, 2015
I'd there an unnervingly specific German word for "a listicle written to be as wrong as possible to accrue clicks and forwards solely so people can discuss how wrong it is".
Personally, I think they tipped their hand early by including Mal Reynolds from Firefly in the 40's.
posted by Reyturner at 12:01 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Personally, I think they tipped their hand early by including Mal Reynolds from Firefly in the 40's.
posted by Reyturner at 12:01 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Any character from any American comedy of the last ten years? Why do all the characters in these things have to be dicks? Even the protagonists! Can Apatow do any characters that aren't arseholes?
posted by biffa at 12:19 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by biffa at 12:19 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
These are all distressingly recent...
Distressingly recent ? It has The third man , Brighton Rock and Paths of glory in it. Are... are you a vampire ?
posted by Pendragon at 12:46 AM on July 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
Distressingly recent ? It has The third man , Brighton Rock and Paths of glory in it. Are... are you a vampire ?
posted by Pendragon at 12:46 AM on July 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
Aww, I was so confident #1 would be Ferris Bueller.
posted by mannequito at 12:46 AM on July 30, 2015 [16 favorites]
posted by mannequito at 12:46 AM on July 30, 2015 [16 favorites]
I suppose, given Jeremy Iron's recent statements, that Simba should feel relieved Scar didn't try to marry him for tax purposes.
I was all excited, because I thought "Yes! Someone else is still making those jokes!" and then I looked at the posting date.
Yeah, it might have been over a year ago, but it's still a good joke.
posted by Katemonkey at 12:54 AM on July 30, 2015
I was all excited, because I thought "Yes! Someone else is still making those jokes!" and then I looked at the posting date.
Yeah, it might have been over a year ago, but it's still a good joke.
posted by Katemonkey at 12:54 AM on July 30, 2015
No Walter Sobchak? Come on. The Dude says it himself: "You're not wrong, Walter. You're just an asshole."
posted by A dead Quaker at 1:06 AM on July 30, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by A dead Quaker at 1:06 AM on July 30, 2015 [6 favorites]
Also, not arguing with Kruger from Elysium, but Wikus Van De Merwe from District 9 was maybe an even better option.
posted by A dead Quaker at 1:10 AM on July 30, 2015
posted by A dead Quaker at 1:10 AM on July 30, 2015
It isn't limited to humans, as the inclusion of HAL 9000 shows, so why no shark from Jaws; responsible for a number of gruesome deaths and terrible sequels (but at least one terrific house)?
posted by TedW at 1:37 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by TedW at 1:37 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Sure, you can quibble with the list, but I thought that was pretty fun, especially with lines like:
Preventing Christmas from ever coming (but not like Sting would)
I read something on Twitter about HAL getting put into witness relocation at the end of the film and that's the start of Malcolm In The Middle.
A monster figuratively and literally, Vera is a total bastard, murdering her husband and manipulating her son into perpetual serfdom until the fateful day she is bitten by a Sumatran Rat Monkey. It all culminates in a scene you can imagine Freud commenting "Well, this isn't quite what I meant" over.
Added to the fact that Movie Ramona Flowers looks about as much fun as being trapped in a deflating bouncy castle, and you've got the George W Bush of male romantic leads.
posted by Cannon Fodder at 1:50 AM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
Preventing Christmas from ever coming (but not like Sting would)
I read something on Twitter about HAL getting put into witness relocation at the end of the film and that's the start of Malcolm In The Middle.
A monster figuratively and literally, Vera is a total bastard, murdering her husband and manipulating her son into perpetual serfdom until the fateful day she is bitten by a Sumatran Rat Monkey. It all culminates in a scene you can imagine Freud commenting "Well, this isn't quite what I meant" over.
Added to the fact that Movie Ramona Flowers looks about as much fun as being trapped in a deflating bouncy castle, and you've got the George W Bush of male romantic leads.
posted by Cannon Fodder at 1:50 AM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
Aww, I was so confident #1 would be Ferris Bueller.
A narcissistic user who uses glib charm to manipulate people into helping him get what he wants, leaving a trail of emotionally damaged victims behind him. Only in the 80s would this asshole be considered the hero of the story. Fast forward 30 years, and he's at a Tea Party rally listening to Sarah Palin give a speech about how privilege is a liberal myth.
To top it off, his kid sister has him figured out from day one. She loathes his behavior and how he cheats his way through life. Oh wait, sorry. It turns out that she's just a sexually frustrated bitch who only needs the flirtatious attention of Charlie Sheen to see the light and get on board the "everyone rearrange their entire life around Ferris" train.
posted by Beholder at 2:33 AM on July 30, 2015 [21 favorites]
A narcissistic user who uses glib charm to manipulate people into helping him get what he wants, leaving a trail of emotionally damaged victims behind him. Only in the 80s would this asshole be considered the hero of the story. Fast forward 30 years, and he's at a Tea Party rally listening to Sarah Palin give a speech about how privilege is a liberal myth.
To top it off, his kid sister has him figured out from day one. She loathes his behavior and how he cheats his way through life. Oh wait, sorry. It turns out that she's just a sexually frustrated bitch who only needs the flirtatious attention of Charlie Sheen to see the light and get on board the "everyone rearrange their entire life around Ferris" train.
posted by Beholder at 2:33 AM on July 30, 2015 [21 favorites]
OK, I cannot completely hate this list because Sergei Lopez plays the character at #1 and that pleases me greatly. He has a really unique gift for playing villains.
I will say that I think Juan in Dirty Pretty Things was more of a proper asshole and less of a complete and utter monster. But I am still happy.
posted by louche mustachio at 3:25 AM on July 30, 2015
I will say that I think Juan in Dirty Pretty Things was more of a proper asshole and less of a complete and utter monster. But I am still happy.
posted by louche mustachio at 3:25 AM on July 30, 2015
So everyone but Pete from Shaun of the Dead is worse than Hitler?
posted by octothorpe at 3:48 AM on July 30, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by octothorpe at 3:48 AM on July 30, 2015 [6 favorites]
Well Hitler was clearly under a lot of stress which maybe partially explains why he was a dick, the others don't really have as much of an excuse.
posted by biffa at 4:04 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by biffa at 4:04 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca...
posted by jim in austin at 5:09 AM on July 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by jim in austin at 5:09 AM on July 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
I thought it was a great list except for one entry. Aragorn? Aragorn?? I mean, surely Grima Wormtongue was the obvious choice.
It's just one person's list, guys. Personally, I'd add Scarlett O'Hara, Bob Hoskin's Spoor in Brazil, Creedy from V for Vendetta and so many more. This list could go on for days. So many arseholes.
posted by h00py at 5:23 AM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
It's just one person's list, guys. Personally, I'd add Scarlett O'Hara, Bob Hoskin's Spoor in Brazil, Creedy from V for Vendetta and so many more. This list could go on for days. So many arseholes.
posted by h00py at 5:23 AM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
Noooo onnneeee......kicks like Gaston
pulls a tick like Gaston
is quite the insufferable prick like Gaston!
It's true that I'm quite infuriating!
God what a dick that Gaston!
posted by eriko at 5:24 AM on July 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
pulls a tick like Gaston
is quite the insufferable prick like Gaston!
It's true that I'm quite infuriating!
God what a dick that Gaston!
posted by eriko at 5:24 AM on July 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
Well Hitler was clearly under a lot of stress which maybe partially explains why he was a dick, the others don't really have as much of an excuse.
Downfall parody of Hilter being angry on being called on of top 50 film assholes in 3....2....1...
posted by eriko at 5:25 AM on July 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
Downfall parody of Hilter being angry on being called on of top 50 film assholes in 3....2....1...
posted by eriko at 5:25 AM on July 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
We already know that an algorithm can be prejudiced. The inclusion of HAL proves that and algorithm can be an asshole.
posted by Obscure Reference at 5:27 AM on July 30, 2015
posted by Obscure Reference at 5:27 AM on July 30, 2015
I have a quibble. The Elephant Matriarch from Dumbo really is one of the most awful characters in all of animated moviedom- vicious, petty and cruel to a fragile newborn and his suffering (single) mother. But the photo above the caption shows Dumbo's Mom! C'mon, that's just mean.
posted by biddeford at 5:28 AM on July 30, 2015 [10 favorites]
posted by biddeford at 5:28 AM on July 30, 2015 [10 favorites]
Willy Wonka?
Which Wonka? And you'd better think carefully before you answer...
posted by Beholder at 5:33 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Which Wonka? And you'd better think carefully before you answer...
posted by Beholder at 5:33 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
And what about Kevin from Home Alone? I mean, you can excuse a kid like Damien from The Omen because he's the AntiChrist, you can't expect him to be conflicted about his actions. But Kevin? He's just the adorable mask of '80's style yuppie assholery, glib, entitled and reveling in every act of torture. He's on par with Ferris Bueller as far as 80's movie assholes go.
posted by biddeford at 5:44 AM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by biddeford at 5:44 AM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
Yeah, not that great. On the bright side: all on one page.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 5:52 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by ricochet biscuit at 5:52 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
What about Harvey Keitel's character in The Duellists? He goes out of his way to be a massive dickhead at every opportunity and he actually seems like a real person while doing it. You can relate him to people you know but he actually kills people as well.
posted by biffa at 5:53 AM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by biffa at 5:53 AM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
I noted only six females and then that was stretching it with Dumbo's mother and movies no one cares about like The Bling Ring. Nurse Ratched should have been number one.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 5:58 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 5:58 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Some antagonists are assholes, but not all assholes are antagonists.
posted by clvrmnky at 6:01 AM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by clvrmnky at 6:01 AM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
I care about the Bling Ring but I also think those girls are kind of awesome.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 6:01 AM on July 30, 2015
posted by MCMikeNamara at 6:01 AM on July 30, 2015
Beholder: "Willy Wonka?
Which Wonka? And you'd better think carefully before you answer..."
There's only one Wonka.
posted by octothorpe at 6:09 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Which Wonka? And you'd better think carefully before you answer..."
There's only one Wonka.
posted by octothorpe at 6:09 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
I kinda liked this, although relegating Regina George to an also-ran is kind of weird (also: where is Heathers?)
posted by Navelgazer at 6:15 AM on July 30, 2015
posted by Navelgazer at 6:15 AM on July 30, 2015
The Top 50 Movie Characters I Can Recall Off The Top Of My Head.
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 6:29 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 6:29 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Any assholes in cinema list without Kurt Fuller or Christopher McDonald is preposterous.
posted by blairsyprofane at 6:35 AM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by blairsyprofane at 6:35 AM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
What about Harvey Keitel's character in The Duellists?
Not to mention the original Bad Lieutenant.
posted by TedW at 6:43 AM on July 30, 2015
Not to mention the original Bad Lieutenant.
posted by TedW at 6:43 AM on July 30, 2015
Nurse Ratched -- I've thought of her a couple times lately; reading Frances Farmer's autobiography (which includes time in institutions in the 1940s) makes 'One Flew Over' sound like 'Amelie'.
posted by mr. digits at 6:51 AM on July 30, 2015
posted by mr. digits at 6:51 AM on July 30, 2015
Not making the number two entry the number one entry seems like lack of conviction, and a failure to embrace a punchline to top off the article.
posted by Artw at 7:01 AM on July 30, 2015
posted by Artw at 7:01 AM on July 30, 2015
Amy - Gone Girl
posted by fuse theorem at 7:03 AM on July 30, 2015
posted by fuse theorem at 7:03 AM on July 30, 2015
Proper clickbait / link bait titles for this should be something more like "Dumbo's mom beats Hitler!"
posted by Nanukthedog at 7:18 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Nanukthedog at 7:18 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
The Misery lady.
posted by Trochanter at 7:21 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Trochanter at 7:21 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
what about Johnny Lawrence or John Kreese ("sweep the leg.")?
posted by bitteroldman at 7:31 AM on July 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by bitteroldman at 7:31 AM on July 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
More interesting list: Top 50 Movie Assholes Who Aren't Supposed To Be Assholes
posted by Ian A.T. at 7:58 AM on July 30, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by Ian A.T. at 7:58 AM on July 30, 2015 [5 favorites]
Yeah, this seems to be a list featuring three things - outright villains, dickish tertiary characters, and unintentional dicks. Picking one might work better.
posted by Artw at 8:04 AM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Artw at 8:04 AM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
What about Warden Norton from Shawshank? Or Capt. Hadley? Both major, major assholes. Clancy Brown also played another prison asshole, Viking in Bad Boys.
Darth Vader was also a bit of an asshole.
posted by bondcliff at 8:05 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Darth Vader was also a bit of an asshole.
posted by bondcliff at 8:05 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Uh, where is the bear from Grizzly 2? The Ray Milland head from The Thing with Two Heads?
I can only assume everyone else really liked those guys.
posted by ernielundquist at 8:05 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
I can only assume everyone else really liked those guys.
posted by ernielundquist at 8:05 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Seriously, no Sensei Kreese from The Karate Kid? That's such a glaring omission I can only assume this guy is trolling us.
posted by O Sock My Sock at 8:17 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by O Sock My Sock at 8:17 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
so why no shark from Jaws
The shark is not even the biggest asshole in the movie. That's the mayor, who is perfectly aware that a little boy was killed by shark, and that the risk of this happening again and again is quite high, but refuses to act in the public interest and close down the beach because doing so would be bad for business. He's the personification of the American capitalist class mentality of profits before people.
posted by obscure simpsons reference at 8:27 AM on July 30, 2015 [9 favorites]
The shark is not even the biggest asshole in the movie. That's the mayor, who is perfectly aware that a little boy was killed by shark, and that the risk of this happening again and again is quite high, but refuses to act in the public interest and close down the beach because doing so would be bad for business. He's the personification of the American capitalist class mentality of profits before people.
posted by obscure simpsons reference at 8:27 AM on July 30, 2015 [9 favorites]
Most of the quibbles only reflect that this listicle could have been five times as long, easily. I have relatively little to pick at with who's on the list, though, and big ups for putting 007 in the shotgun seat.
posted by Halloween Jack at 9:21 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Halloween Jack at 9:21 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Zorg
Oh man, a different version of this list chock-full of Oldman roles would have been great. But I don't think he's played assholes as often as, say, Mel Gibson. Or even Matthew Broderick, since Ferris Bueller (HOW I HATE HIM) could go toe-to-toe with Mr. McAllister* or Brian Everett (from You Can Count on Me).
* ...and speaking of Election, Reese Witherspoon hasn't been a slouch on asshole roles either, reputation notwithstanding.
posted by psoas at 9:22 AM on July 30, 2015
Oh man, a different version of this list chock-full of Oldman roles would have been great. But I don't think he's played assholes as often as, say, Mel Gibson. Or even Matthew Broderick, since Ferris Bueller (HOW I HATE HIM) could go toe-to-toe with Mr. McAllister* or Brian Everett (from You Can Count on Me).
* ...and speaking of Election, Reese Witherspoon hasn't been a slouch on asshole roles either, reputation notwithstanding.
posted by psoas at 9:22 AM on July 30, 2015
All of the above mentions of who or what should be on the list, especially from older movies, consider this: Netflix has removed Titanic and amongst others has removed
Face/Off (August 1)
Driving Miss Daisy (August 1)
The Fifth Element (August 1)
Unbreakable (August 1)
Jiro Dreams of Sushi (August 23)
6 Bullets
1428 (May 6)
A Knight's Tale
Airplane II: The Sequel
Airplane!
All I Want for Christmas
Along Came Polly
An American Haunting
Boys Don't Cry
Cecil B. Demented
Fantastic Voyage
Finding Forrester
Funny Face
Life Is Beautiful
Red Dawn (May 19)
RoboCop
Sabrina
Skyfall (May 5)
The Jewel of the Nile
The Secret of NIMH
Valkyrie
So really, what hope do we have going forward for these lists generated by20-something cord-cutters who no longer have "cable TV" and who rely on services with limited bandwidth for their pop culture education?
posted by Gungho at 9:41 AM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
Face/Off (August 1)
Driving Miss Daisy (August 1)
The Fifth Element (August 1)
Unbreakable (August 1)
Jiro Dreams of Sushi (August 23)
6 Bullets
1428 (May 6)
A Knight's Tale
Airplane II: The Sequel
Airplane!
All I Want for Christmas
Along Came Polly
An American Haunting
Boys Don't Cry
Cecil B. Demented
Fantastic Voyage
Finding Forrester
Funny Face
Life Is Beautiful
Red Dawn (May 19)
RoboCop
Sabrina
Skyfall (May 5)
The Jewel of the Nile
The Secret of NIMH
Valkyrie
So really, what hope do we have going forward for these lists generated by20-something cord-cutters who no longer have "cable TV" and who rely on services with limited bandwidth for their pop culture education?
posted by Gungho at 9:41 AM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
Which Wonka? And you'd better think carefully before you answer..."
There's only one Wonka.
Veruca Salt's the premier asshole in Wonka - 72 version.
posted by philip-random at 9:43 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
There's only one Wonka.
Veruca Salt's the premier asshole in Wonka - 72 version.
posted by philip-random at 9:43 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
No Chet in Weird Science?
posted by humboldt32 at 9:44 AM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by humboldt32 at 9:44 AM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
Some would argue that there's another Wonka character more deserving of the "Biggest Asshole" title.
posted by Ian A.T. at 9:49 AM on July 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Ian A.T. at 9:49 AM on July 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
Christopher Walken in anything, but particularly as the angel Gabriel in Prophecy.
posted by Bringer Tom at 9:50 AM on July 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Bringer Tom at 9:50 AM on July 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
Uh, where is the bear from Grizzly 2? The Ray Milland head from The Thing with Two Heads?
No Car, from The Car?
posted by philip-random at 10:01 AM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
No Car, from The Car?
posted by philip-random at 10:01 AM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
No Chet in Weird Science?
While we're on the topic, no Hudson?
posted by biffa at 10:38 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
While we're on the topic, no Hudson?
posted by biffa at 10:38 AM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
No truck from Duel?
posted by rhizome at 12:08 PM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 12:08 PM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
No truck from Duel?
Well, in fairness, I think it was the driver who was an asshole, not the poor helpless truck he drove to its death over a cliff.
posted by holborne at 12:51 PM on July 30, 2015
Well, in fairness, I think it was the driver who was an asshole, not the poor helpless truck he drove to its death over a cliff.
posted by holborne at 12:51 PM on July 30, 2015
Exactly.
posted by holborne at 12:57 PM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by holborne at 12:57 PM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
I made the mistake of reading this right before TRYING to go to sleep. Way to keep my brain working for four hours longer than it should.
It must be noted (as I realized partway through) that this list has certain rules: only one character per movie (or series) and only one character played by a particular actor, which made me certain (and right) after seeing no "Bond Villains" going into the Top 10 that the highest-ranking "good guy asshole" would be Bond himself.
I have a few specific qualms (above picturing the WRONG ELEPHANT in #47); Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight trilogy? Everybody knows that every writer who ever worked on a DC comics movie, TV show or book was contractually required to make The Joker the Biggest Asshole in the Room. And how could they include Bruce and NOT Marvel's parallel super-because-he's-rich-hero, Tony Stark, who IS allowed to be the Biggest Asshole in the Room?
Nothing from the Star Trek movies? I'd support Khan for the list, if only because for the reboot they whitewashed him into a Brit (and Brit and asshole go so well together). But then, Kirk may qualify as a "good guy asshole", or even (don't hate me for this) Spock for being as obnoxiously logical as HAL and still getting reincarnated.
Still, I'm looking forward to "The Top 50 Assholes on TV" to see where they place icons like Don Draper, Joffrey Baratheon, Mr. Burns, Q, Endora from Bewitched, Barney Stinson and The Truck Driver in Duel (It WAS a Movie Made for Television).
posted by oneswellfoop at 1:55 PM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
It must be noted (as I realized partway through) that this list has certain rules: only one character per movie (or series) and only one character played by a particular actor, which made me certain (and right) after seeing no "Bond Villains" going into the Top 10 that the highest-ranking "good guy asshole" would be Bond himself.
I have a few specific qualms (above picturing the WRONG ELEPHANT in #47); Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight trilogy? Everybody knows that every writer who ever worked on a DC comics movie, TV show or book was contractually required to make The Joker the Biggest Asshole in the Room. And how could they include Bruce and NOT Marvel's parallel super-because-he's-rich-hero, Tony Stark, who IS allowed to be the Biggest Asshole in the Room?
Nothing from the Star Trek movies? I'd support Khan for the list, if only because for the reboot they whitewashed him into a Brit (and Brit and asshole go so well together). But then, Kirk may qualify as a "good guy asshole", or even (don't hate me for this) Spock for being as obnoxiously logical as HAL and still getting reincarnated.
Still, I'm looking forward to "The Top 50 Assholes on TV" to see where they place icons like Don Draper, Joffrey Baratheon, Mr. Burns, Q, Endora from Bewitched, Barney Stinson and The Truck Driver in Duel (It WAS a Movie Made for Television).
posted by oneswellfoop at 1:55 PM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
I'm not sure I ever really assumed that the truck had a driver... I guess we see an elbow at some point or something? But really that thing is a force of nature.
posted by Artw at 3:12 PM on July 30, 2015
posted by Artw at 3:12 PM on July 30, 2015
Oh no, we see the driver quite a bit, actually, and a lot more than just his elbow. We see him walking from the diner into the truck, for example, But we never do see his face, that's true.
posted by holborne at 3:20 PM on July 30, 2015
posted by holborne at 3:20 PM on July 30, 2015
BECAUSE HE IS A HOLOGRAM.
posted by Artw at 3:24 PM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 3:24 PM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Actually, my husband corrected me and noted that we don't actually see the driver walk out of the diner. Still, we do see a fair amount of him, minus the face.
posted by holborne at 3:31 PM on July 30, 2015
posted by holborne at 3:31 PM on July 30, 2015
I strongly object to Lee Van Cleef's Angel Eyes character from The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly being on this list, and I think they have a far different definition of 'asshole' that I do.
Angel Eyes is a ruthless, calculating killer that had a clear objective and stuck to it. He's a deadly, cold-blooded son of a bitch, but he's not an asshole.
If anyone from that film should be called out for being an asshole, it's Clint Eastwood's character. Oh, sure, like me, you probably had a wry smile too at the very last scene when he left the graveyard, but stop and think about that scene again. For supposedly being the Good Guy, that whole scene is a giant Cinemascope-sized example of an asshole in action. There's other little moments in the film too, but this is the biggest example of them all.
"But that guy deserved it! Poetic justice!" you might say. If you're looking for 'justice', that would be killing him on the spot for the dozens of violent crimes he committed, or bringing him in for someone else to do it. The Good Guy let him go, for reasons of his own, and have nothing to do with paying for one's crimes. He decided to let him live and kept his end of the deal, and they were even. I too would agree that the guy deserved it, and got off easy, but what the Man with No Name did there was the textbook definition of "being an asshole."
I kept it as vague as I could as to not spoil it for those who haven't already seen it. If you haven't you really should. Even if you're not a fan of westerns, this is one you really should see. For those that have seen it, here's a link to the scene I'm talking about. (Apologies for the dailymotion link, but the YT clips I found were cutting the scene a little too short)
posted by chambers at 4:12 PM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Angel Eyes is a ruthless, calculating killer that had a clear objective and stuck to it. He's a deadly, cold-blooded son of a bitch, but he's not an asshole.
If anyone from that film should be called out for being an asshole, it's Clint Eastwood's character. Oh, sure, like me, you probably had a wry smile too at the very last scene when he left the graveyard, but stop and think about that scene again. For supposedly being the Good Guy, that whole scene is a giant Cinemascope-sized example of an asshole in action. There's other little moments in the film too, but this is the biggest example of them all.
"But that guy deserved it! Poetic justice!" you might say. If you're looking for 'justice', that would be killing him on the spot for the dozens of violent crimes he committed, or bringing him in for someone else to do it. The Good Guy let him go, for reasons of his own, and have nothing to do with paying for one's crimes. He decided to let him live and kept his end of the deal, and they were even. I too would agree that the guy deserved it, and got off easy, but what the Man with No Name did there was the textbook definition of "being an asshole."
I kept it as vague as I could as to not spoil it for those who haven't already seen it. If you haven't you really should. Even if you're not a fan of westerns, this is one you really should see. For those that have seen it, here's a link to the scene I'm talking about. (Apologies for the dailymotion link, but the YT clips I found were cutting the scene a little too short)
posted by chambers at 4:12 PM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
This list is missing Gaston Modot from L’Âge d’or.
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 6:26 PM on July 30, 2015
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 6:26 PM on July 30, 2015
I was going to say this list needs the principal from The Breakfast Club, but the reality is that Bender was an even bigger asshole than him. So maybe both of them?
posted by dogwalker at 9:52 PM on July 30, 2015
posted by dogwalker at 9:52 PM on July 30, 2015
Millennial-author friendly:
Werner Herzog in Julien Donkey Boy
Hans Landa from Inglorious Basterds
posted by rhizome at 1:21 AM on July 31, 2015
Werner Herzog in Julien Donkey Boy
Hans Landa from Inglorious Basterds
posted by rhizome at 1:21 AM on July 31, 2015
No James Woods (in anything)? (Seriously, I kid! Don't sue me, James Woods!)
posted by blucevalo at 6:44 AM on July 31, 2015
posted by blucevalo at 6:44 AM on July 31, 2015
I'm not sure I ever really assumed that the truck had a driver... I guess we see an elbow at some point or something? But really that thing is a force of nature.
You're thinking of Killdozer. ;-)
posted by humboldt32 at 4:33 PM on July 31, 2015
You're thinking of Killdozer. ;-)
posted by humboldt32 at 4:33 PM on July 31, 2015
That truck, Killdozer, Kitt, Airwolf and that goblin truck from Maximum Overdrive are all related.
posted by Artw at 8:52 PM on July 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 8:52 PM on July 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
That truck, Killdozer, Kitt, Airwolf and that goblin truck from Maximum Overdrive are all related.
That family tree is missing one member: Megaweapon.
posted by chambers at 11:58 AM on August 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
That family tree is missing one member: Megaweapon.
posted by chambers at 11:58 AM on August 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
« Older Seriously. | A Renegade Trawler, Hunted For 10,000 Miles By... Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
I'm going to go smoke some weed under the pier.
posted by the uncomplicated soups of my childhood at 9:03 PM on July 29, 2015 [2 favorites]