Heather’s 100 Favorite Characters In Film #40-21

40. Drop Dead Fred played by Rik Mayall (Drop Dead Fred)

“Dog poo, dog poo, yucky yucky dog poo. Dog poo on the chair… all on the sides, all up there, yucky yucky smelly dog poo!”

Drop Dead Fred is nothing but an insane display of comedy gone completely wacky.  Fred himself is pretty much unlikeable.  He wears an obnoxious neon green color that counters his flame red hair and British accent visually making him just as outrageous as he is verbally.  Instead of making his playmate Lizzie laugh by being hilarious, he calls her Snotface and refers to her mother as the Mega Bitch.  He is offensive and rude, and somehow simultaneously absolutely hilarious.  While Drop Dead Fred is vulgar and offensive, not to mention obnoxious, they are the same qualities that also make him shockingly amusing.  Fred incites the deviant in you, and makes you laugh while doing it.

39. Jeffrey Goines played by Brad Pitt (12 Monkey’s)

“Telephone call? Telephone call? That’s communication with the outside world. Doctor’s *discretion*. Nuh-uh. Look, hey – all of these nuts could just make phone calls, they could spread insanity, oozing through telephone cables, oozing into the ears of all these poor sane people, infecting them. Wackos everywhere, plague of madness.”

12 Monkey’s is a great addition to the Sci-Fi genre, with a really original concept, but Brad Pitt as Jeffrey Goines is what makes this movie worth watching over and over again.  If anyone ever has the nuts and bolts to challenge Brad Pitt as an actor all they need do is watch this performance and easily be silenced.  The combination of psychotic behavior intertwined with such a reflective level of intelligence almost has you believing what he’s selling.  There’s some strange logic to JeffreyGoines crazy, which makes it entirely plausible that he had the following he did. 12 Monkey’s is a good movie, but it’s something exceptional because of JeffreyGoines and Brad Pitt.

38. The “Dude” or Jeff Lebowski played by Jeff Bridges (The Big Lebowski)

“Oh, the usual. I bowl. Drive around. The occasional acid flashback.”

The Dude exists for all the shameless underachievers in the world who are quite content in being just that.  The Big Lebowski is basically a day in the life of a “Dude” who drinks white Russians, smokes a lot of pot and lives to bowl.  These are the essentials of the dude.  If you mess with them or his rug, he will drag his mellow butt after you until his world has returned to it’s original simplicity.  Though his goals are simple, his life is simple, and I think either people can relate to that desire for a calm and unadulterated life, but also I think everyone probably knows a guy like “The Dude”.  The Dude is a hero in the world of the everyman.

37. Sara Goldfarb played by Ellen Burstyn (Requiem For A Dream)

“Purple in the morning, blue in the afternoon, orange in the evening.”

Requiem took a deep insight into drug use and how it can affect anyone and everyone, and with Ellen Burstyn’s character Sara Goldfarb, an elderly woman, displayed that prescription drug abuse could result just as severely as a drug like heroin.  A widow and a mother of a junkie son addicted to heroine, Sara loses her sense of identity.  Unable to save her son and having loneliness consume her she finds direction when she is chosen to appear on a game show.  Her favorite red dress no longer fits her, and in desperation she see’s a doctor and goes on uppers to lose the weight.  She accidental begins to mix the pills and quickly becomes addicted.  Without eating and the unhealthy amounts of pills she begins having vivid hallucinations, where even her refridgerator begins taunting her.  The transformation Burstyn makes from the lonely widow, to the drug addicted lunatic is one of the most profound performances by a female in film EVER.

36. Michael Corleone played by Al Pacino (The Godfather-Part II)

“I know it was you Fredo. You broke my heart. You broke my heart!”

I picked Part II specifically because this is where Michael really changes and is challenged by the dark and twisted world around him.  The story of Micheal reflects him being unbound by the two main principles that his father instilled in him. One involving the importance of family and the second regarding enemies, but when Micheal is faced with the dilemma of family being the enemy he must make a decision that could startle the heart of your coldest man. The film comes full circle finally at the end when comparing how things once were in Vito’s time and how they are finally coming to an end in Micheal’s.  There is a sort of poetry to both their lives, and watching Micheal evolve in this sequel, is one of the most profound performances in my memory of an actor.  Al Pacino has never been better than he was in this movie.

35. Beetlejuice played by Michael Keaton (Beetlejuice)

“Ah. Well… I attended Juilliard… I’m a graduate of the Harvard business school. I travel quite extensively. I lived through the Black Plague and had a pretty good time during that. I’ve seen the EXORCIST ABOUT A HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SEVEN TIMES, AND IT KEEPS GETTING FUNNIER EVERY SINGLE TIME I SEE IT… NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT YOU’RE TALKING TO A DEAD GUY… NOW WHAT DO YOU THINK? You think I’m qualified?”

He’s the ghost with the most!  Beetlejuice shells out his share of evil and funny unlike any other character before him.  Somewhere it the middle of perverse humor and scary behavior Michael Keaton strikes of wicked balance between comedy and horror with this dark comic villain.  The terror Beetlejuice incites is genuinely coupled by a gut-busting joke.  The manic behavior and crazy dialogue really shouldn’t work, but somehow Michael Keaton makes this character larger than life.

34. Captain Kirk played by William Shatner (Star Trek-The Wrath Of Khan)

“No. Not like this. I haven’t faced death. I’ve cheated death. I’ve tricked my way out of death and patted myself on the back for my ingenuity. I know nothing.”

I considered doing Captain Kirk in an entirety and he probably should be included that way, but William Shatner’s performance in The Wrath Of Khan is by far “Admiral” Kirk at his best.  There is such a range the character has to go threw in this film.  The sorrow, the strength, and wisdom he has to encompass to make it to the end of the personal battlefield that was himself vs. Khan could have been any ones personal nightmare.  But Shatner as Kirk made it authentic.  Science Fiction film or no, real emotions glistened behind his eyes and a sense of real urgency and despair emoted throughout the whole film.  Kirk was never better than in this film.  Our resilient hero persevered again, but at a cost so great, the film ends leaving you contemplating if the glory was worth the tragedy.  That personal connection is attributed to his character and that’s saying something.

33. Col. Nathan Jessup played by Jack Nicholson (A Few Good Men)

“Son, we live in a world that has walls and those walls need to be guarded by men with guns. Who’s gonna do it? You? You, Lieutenant Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago and curse the Marines; you have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that Santiago’s death, while tragic, probably saved lives and that my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don’t want the truth because deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use then as the backbone of a life trying to defend something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said “thank you,” and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest that you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you are entitled to.”

You expect Marines to be tough, so one expects a Marine Colonel to be as tough as a human can possibly be.  Jack Nicholson as Col. Nathan Jessup personified that Marine ideal to a point so tough and powerful, you may find yourself bleeding from biting your lip so hard in anticipation of what he would say or do next. Jessup is only in the film for a few brief scenes, but they are the scenes that make this movie so remarkable.  Adapted from play, the final courtroom scene with Jessup is easily in my top ten moments in film history.  Letting an actor with Nicholson’s range and ability to deliver lines like no other actor on the planet, the quote above was movie magic waiting to happen.  Just reading the words I get chills down my spine.  This character and this performance is beyond my ability to translate fully.

32. Rose Sayer played by Katharine Hepburn (The African Queen)

“Dear Lord, We’ve come to the end of our journey, and in a little while we’ll stand before you. I pray for you to be merciful. Judge us not for our weaknesses, but for our love and open the doors of heaven for Charlie and me.”

Rose Sayer may not have always been recognized as Katharine Hepburn’s greatest performance, but strong willed, thick skinned Rose is one of my favorite female characters of all time.  The trip she takes down the river, and the adventures she endures, and the frightening moments she overcomes is riveting to watch.  The budding relationship between her own stubborn character and the hard noses Bogart, is one of the most pleasurable reluctant romances to watch unfold.  This is a movie I could watch one hundred times over, thanks to Rose.

31. Butch Cassidy played by Paul Newman (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid)

“If he’d just pay me what he’s spending to make me stop robbing him, I’d stop robbing him.”

Butch and Sundance (Paul Newman and Robert Redford) lead the criminal group called The Hole In the Wall Gang. Butch is a thinker, while Sundance is a doer. Butch and Sundance have robbed too many trains and now they have a group of specially trained trackers following and hunting them down.  Finally their luck runs out and that’s when this story takes place, at the end of the two’s glorious run.  It was a toss up whether to pick Butch or Paul Newman’s role in The Sting for this slot, but I felt Butch has a quality and likability that appeals to everyone that Henry lacked.  Watching Butch felt like watching Paul Newman divulge everything that was charming while masculine out of himself.  The team between himself and Robert Redford is the best “buddy” combo to ever be onscreen.  The charisma the two had together was a kinetic display of movie magic at it’s best.  As great as Redford was as Sundance , he did play second fiddle by a small margin to Butch, who is probably one of the most likable character’s in cinematic history.

30. Edward Scissorhands played by Johnny Depp (Edward Scissorhands)

“Because you asked me to.”

Johnny Depp was finally recognized by the Academy for his performance as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates Of The Caribbean, but I believe his role as Edward was much more poignant of his acting ability.  He barely speaks throughout the film, but managed to convey his emotions subtly in his expressions rather than compensating for his lack of dialogue.  Without question Depp is one of the most gifted actors alive right now, but I doubt even Burton knew the chemistry he and Ryder would have as Edward and Kim.  Both are profound actors, but what made this movie really work was the implied relationship that developed between Edward and Kim.  The small moments and glances were so intimate and wistful.  By the end, the story clearly shows Edward as a gentle, kind hearted soul who doesn’t know how to connect with the rest of the world even though he desperately wants to, and what person can’t relate that sentiment?  His relationship with the stereotypical cheerleader who supposedly has everything on the outside is clearly just as miserable on the inside as Edward.  Their intimate relationship and different kind of love is heartbreaking as neither can comfort one another they way they want to.  It is truly the greatest unconsummated love ever on film.

29. The Joker played by Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)

“Oh, you. You just couldn’t let me go, could you? This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. You are truly incorruptible, aren’t you? Huh? You won’t kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness. And I won’t kill you because you’re just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever.”

Heath Ledger’s Joker is the best male performance of 2008 hands down.  His maniacal depiction of The Joker as a twisted sociopath with no real intention or motivation behind his actions makes him a vicious foe who craves nothing more than chaos, danger, and destruction.  The most interesting aspect of the performance was the layers behind the Joker’s seemingly mindless behavior.  Even as gruesome as the Joker was, there was something sadistically charming about him.  It was Ledger’s truly owning and living the character that made the Joker something so much more profound than a silly comic villain.  I found myself breathless during each scene he was in, and unable to move.  I can’t speak more highly of what he achieved, and to rise above the expectations I had, I literally find myself dumbfounded.  His demonic portrayal of the classic villain is staggering.

28. Riddick played by Vin Diesal (Pitch Black , The Chronicles Of Riddick)

“All you people are so scared of me. Most days I’d take that as a compliment. But it ain’t me you gotta worry about now.”

Somehow, though the vicious and menacing killer, Vin Diesal makes Riddick the most charismatic and likable character in each of the films he’s in.  In “Riddick”, his sarcasm and indifference to everything played perfectly against the enemies passionate campaign to make the universe one full of nothing other than Necromongers.  As an army they managed to destroy planet after planet, system after system, of those unwilling to be tolerant of their religious oppression, yet they meet one rogue bad dude, and can’t seem to stop him.  The best part is Riddick is entirely a reluctant hero.  Even at one point his friend Kyra announces that she “hates not being the bad guy”.  It’s funny.  The charisma of Vin Diesal as Riddick and his dark unbreakable persona is what makes “Pitch Black” and “Riddick”, two completely different movies; exciting.  If they put “Riddick” in a film and Vin Diesal plays him, I’m there, plain and simple.

27. James Bond played by Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Craig, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, and George Lazenby (The Bond Movies)

“The names Bond, James Bond”

When you have seven different men play a role and the franchise only grows in it’s success, there’s a lot to be said about that character.  Obviously, it’s not just about the actor playing Bond, but about 007 himself.  The gadgets, the women, and the exciting cars may go with the job, but it’s the deadly cool and calm secret agent named James Bond that has kept people coming back forgenerations to watch a see what new espionage or over the top psychotic bad guy he’d have to face at the end.  The Daniel Craig Bond is going in a different direction now, but some of that old campy and cartoonish villains were what made the Bond movies that much more fun.  Bond is all about raw entertainment and pleasure, and we all know he delivers.

26. Captain Jack Sparrow played by Johnny Depp (Pirates Of The Caribbean Trilogy)

“She’s safe, just like I promised. She’s all set to marry Norrington, just like she promised. And you get to die for her, just like you promised. So we’re all men of our word really… except for, of course, Elizabeth, who is in fact, a woman.”

Captain Jack Sparrow has become one of the greatest iconic character’s ever on film and Johnny Depp’s strange interpretation of the madman pirate gave the world a fresh new way to view the cliched pirate persona.  Depp was without comparison a scene stealer, so much so that his peculiar performance won him an Oscar nomination.  Winning over the Academy in a role like that speaks thousands of words.  While Depp may have invoked a certain mocking of pirate cliche, he also managed to embrace the typical idealism’s behind pirates and make them fun and more compelling: FUNNY.  There may be something deranged about Captain Jack Sparrow, but there is some strange wisdom to this oddball character that gives him a depth that probably no one other than Johnny Depp fully understands.  I for one, adore the mystery and the obvious of CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow.

25. Chili Palmer played by John Travolta (Get Shorty)

“Well, I could see myself in the parts that Robert De Niro plays. Or maybe even, an Al Pacino movie, you know, playing a real hard-on. But I couldn’t see myself in those movies where three grown-up guys get left with a baby, and so they act like three grown-up assholes, acting all cute…”

Some may love to argue this point and you can all day but it won’t change my mind.  There was never a smoother character that John Travolta or any other actor ever played than Chili Palmer from the dark comedy Get Shorty.  The Loan Shark gone Hollywood Producer has an air of confidence coupled with a sort of nonchalant indifference to those that surround him, be they enemies or friends.  His tough exterior and bravado contrasted by his softer interior that has a childlike adoration for the movies make him way more than a thick headed strong arm who has a dream.  Some of the dialogue directly taken from the Elmore Leonard novel is some of the best writing to ever grace the screen.  It was a perfect marriage of writing and performance.  Get Shorty is my favorite comedy of all time and Chili Palmer is why.

24. Yoda played by Frank Oz (Original Star Wars Trilogy)

“When 900 years you reach, look as good, you will not.”

I’m rather fond of the youthful (for Yoooooda) Yoda that is in the new trilogy, and am gracious beyond comprehension for the joys of watching him battle with a light sabor while using the force against the darkest of enemies.  I am thankful to understand why he hid on Dagobah, and where his jaded perception of Luke stemmed from, but it’s the Yoda of my childhood that greatness was invoked.  His greatest impression was left in The Empire Strikes Back, but also Return Of The Jedi.  The past is never explained, only alluded to, some mysterious disaster that if Luke was even told about would never understand, and it’s mystery was left alone.  His focus was bringing the Jedi back, though his resolve was all but gone. When the stubborn Luke, who gives up so easily comes to train with Yoda, where there might have been patience there is none.  He is but a guide for Lukes journey, unwilling to teach the steps for him, but only to point him in the right direction.  His jaded almost melancholy approach was coupled with a vibrant sense of humor, that to his last breath still chided.  As a kid, I cried watching the mentor fade away, and even now it stirs up a reflection of that same sorrow.  Yoda is pretty remarkable and is right: “Size matters not.”

23. Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lector played by Sir Anthony Hopkins (The Silence Of The Lambs)

“A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.”

Clarice Starling is a young FBI agent that has been given the assignment to interview the vicious and despicable serial killer Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lector. Intelligent, cunning, and vicious Hannibal fed on his victims after he killed them.  Sir Anthony Hopkins performance as Lector was the perfect contrast to Clarice’s shaky, careful naivete. Lector was confident, but not arrogant. He was perceptive, sinister, and even polite. In some ways almost likable, despite his heinous crimes. While portrayed as a monster he sees himself as an artist. The scenes between the two, separated only by the thick glass, contained unbelievably dynamic interchanges that propelled an already eerie film.  Hannibal is one of the most remarkable villains ever.

22. Raoul Duke/Hunter S. Thompson played by Johnny Depp (Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas)

“There he goes. One of God’s own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.”

In the drug induced world of Gonzo and Duke, Hunter S. Thompson’s narration from his novel about the events is poignantly like the voice of Oz in the back round.  His strange insightfullness mixed with his dry comic sense was the stuff “Being John Malkovich” had to of been inspired by.  The remarkable sense of being caught in his world, was a world wind of confusion and joy.  Johnny Depp’s interpretation of Thompson is without question his best performance ever, and one of the best performances on film PERIOD.  He’s had ingenious moments as an actor before, but unless you hadn’t been told one would not have known it was Johnny Depp playing Raoul Duke, because he became Thompson, physically and psychologically.  Together himself and Benicio Del Torro make one of the most compelling character stories ever on the big screen.
21.Lestat de Lioncourt played by Tom Cruise (Interview With The Vampire)

“Evil is a point of view. God kills indiscriminately and so shall we. For no creatures under God are as we are, none so like him as ourselves.”

Lestat is my favorite fictional character in a novel of all time.  The greatest character ever created and Tom Cruise of all people somehow managed to play my literary hero Lestat with all the charisma, the sense of humour, the sarcasm, and the delicious hedonistic pleasure anyone could imagine to every degree of hope I ever had.  Cruise is Lestat, and no one, including Stuart Townsend could ever capture his spirit the way Cruise did.  This is a role I would have deemed Oscar worthy Cruise played it so powerfully and brilliantly.  There has never been a character so devastatingly wicked, that you simply can’t resist.  As good as Lestat could get off the page is as good as Cruise delivered.

Marc’s 50 Favorite Characters In Film

#20-11

20 – The Shark – Various SFX Teams – JAWS.

“Crunch………”

Dying.  Dying savagely. Dying in a strange realm that we humans are not native to.   Dying as food, food to a creature big enough to bite you in half.  The veil of carnage the Shark is able to inflict on it’s prey is detailed slowly, piece by piece.  First the poor naked girl by the buoy.  Then the people by the beach, and finally the crew of the Orca.  By the time the shark is revealed, Jabber Jaw could have emerged from the water and we’d still wet our pants.  By that time, every viewer has integrated their own personal fears so deep into the Shark that it could have been green with blue spots.  The Shark, and the violent death it represents becomes a subconscious tattoo on our psyche after seeing this film that never quite goes away, ever.

19 – Hannibal Lector – Anthony Hopkins – Silence Of The Lambs.

“People will say we’re in love……..”

A modern day Jack the Ripper.  Intelligent, articulate, charming.  The finest and most comprehensive portrayal of a sociopath in film.  Hannibal reaches into our comfort zone.  He may live next door.  You may work with him.  It’s the superficial veneer of functionality that hides his murderous ways that makes him so compelling.  Anyone can see Jason or Michael Meyers coming down the block and run away screaming.  But what of the charming fellow you had coffee with the other day?  What was in those cookies he kept eating?

18 – Ripley – Sigorny Weaver – Alien  I & II.

“No, goddammit that’s not all. When these things “do” come down here and that “will” be all,
and all this bullshit you think is so important, you can just kiss all of that goodbye.”

One of the few workable female action heroines that never comes across as being contrived or as being created by the subscribers of MS magazine.  ( You are never going to see a montage of her jogging in a gray hoodie and punching a bag to a rocking soundtrack with echo’s of the producers creaming YOU GO GIRL in the back round. )   In the best vein of other top notch action hero’s, she’s never portrayed as being super human, just an average person pulled into incredible circumstances who rises above the challenge.  Possessing an intelligence high enough to recognize the dangers around her, she grows into a leader due to circumstance, all the while being a woman without being ‘girly‘.

17 – Sam – Robert DeNiro – Ronin.

“Of course I’m scared! You think I’m reluctant because I’m happy?”

World weary, but too well trained to find another line of work.  Sam is a great ex-spook character who’s old enough to know but still young enough to go.  Everything about him screams he’s taking ‘just one more job’ before retiring, without having to recite the tire dialog about being too old for this shit.  Perception, insight, the ability to judge a situation 2 steps ahead of everyone else and the means to back up words with lethal action make Sam a spy’s spy.

16 – The Killer / Ghostface – Scream.

“Do you LIKE scary movies?”

Yes – in the end he ends up being played by multiple actors, but the character exists as a single entity for so much of the film that I count him as being singular.   What can you do when an entire genre of movies has so pumped the well dry that sand is all that remains.  Do you abandon it, and try for a new well?  You could – or you do what Ghostface does and show people that the sand has value it’s self.  It’s the fact that the well has been drained, that we all have taken in the mythology of the slasher film that Ghostface exploits.  We are familiar with the dangers and risks slashers pose, so he plays on that knowledge, and twists new dangers and deaths.  Yes, sequilitits causes him diminishing returns, but the original stands the test of time.

15 – Julies Winfield – Samuel Jackson – Pulp Fiction.

“Slurp….slurp….sluuuuuuuurp…..”

One half of the Julies/Vincent yin-yang, the contemplative and introspective of the two.  When we first meet them, we quickly see their friendship is very strong, easily able to pass the idle minutes ticking away before a dangerous mission to retrieve their boss’s goods.  They discuss Royale’s with cheese, foot massages and TV pilots.   The off chance of surviving almost being shot by the ‘hand cannon’ begins the splintering that sends the two on their own separate paths.  Clearly murderous and possessing the ability to hand out death with not so much as a word,  it’s the evolution and self evaluation of the character that intrigues me as they move along the rest of the day shooting Marvin in the face, covering up the car and getting robbed in the diner.  It’s at the diner, where he reveals himself as a primal force of violence, forcing Ringo to come to terms with just how close he came to dying.  After freeing Ringo and Honey Bunny, he walks out with Vincent, keeping his promise to retire from this life of crime after completing his one last job.

14 – Vincent Vega – John Travolta – Pulp Fiction.

“She’s fuckin‘ dyin‘ on me, man!”

The flawed half of the Julies/Vincent yin-yang.  When Pulp Fiction was all the buzz, many people decried it for the glamorous portrayal of drug use.  Aside from the OBVIOUS dangers of drug use it displays ( waking up bolt-upright with a hypodermic needle in your chest – drugs bad – duh ) there is Vincent.  One of the interesting things about his character is that, generally, he’s portrayed as the more intelligent, at least in an academic sense than Julies.  We spend a lot more time with Vincent, him on his ‘date’ with Mia.  During that date we see him reveal the potential foundation for his characters redemption.  His discussion with himself in the bathroom mirror about the tests of locality reveal he does operate with a code of conduct above and beyond his own personal satisfaction.  If he had nothing more than a base level concern for his own desires, he’d already have gone out there, had sex with Mia, probably done some drugs with her in the CORRECT way and left.  Perhaps Mia would have stayed silent on the night and Vincent still would have ended up getting Uzi’d by Butch next to the toaster.  I’m glad he didn’t though.  By stalling in the bathroom debating the merits of going any further with Mia or not, he gave her time to snort the Heroin.  And in doing so put into motion the actions he needed to take to save her.  It’s also very interesting in comparison to Julies that his devotion to his employer, his desire to serve ends up contributing to his death.  After Julies makes the decision to ‘go walk the earth’, Vincent does not.  By putting his needs first, Julies saves himself, and Vincent dooms himself by choosing to stay involved in the life of crime.

13 – Charles Foster Cain – Orson Wells – Citizen Cain.

“Don’t go, Susan! You mustn’t go! You – you can’t do this to me, Susan!”

Charles Foster Cain ends the last emotional relationship of his life exactly the same way his first one ended.  A woman dictates the terms of their separation to him, and he’s helpless to do anything about it.  When we see him fly into fit’s of rage, it’s not so much over the fact that a woman is leaving him, it’s the stone cold realization that the course of his entire life has proved futile.  All the millions of dollars, all the influence, all the power has failed to garner him the one thing he’s wanted most.  A genuinely loving relationship.  He reacts in a tantrum fitting of a child, perhaps finally taking the chance to release the anger and pain he’s carried all his life.  He only weeps on the inside, and we in the audience join him.  Everything he ever did in his life never erased the pain of being taken away from his home, from his mother, from Rosebud.  The simplest thing in the world, a common wooden sleigh, worth more than anything else, the one thing he never had again.

12 – John McClain – Bruce Willis – Die Hard Trilogy.

“Welcome to the party, pal.”

You have to love a character that helped launch an entire sub-genre of movie.  As a sub-set of the action movie, ‘Die Hard On A xxx’ became a quick way of describing films like ‘Die Hard On A Boat’ ~ Under Seige. ‘Die Hard On A Plane’ ~ Executive Decision, Passenger 57. Hell, there was even ‘Die Hard On The Enterprise’ ~ TNG # 144 – Star Ship Mine. What none of those stories ever came even close to capturing was the flawed hero by way of a wise cracking 50 caliber cop armed with only a 9mm.  McClain’s charm flows so easily and completely it’s a no brainer to see within seconds why his wife fell for him.  And his every-guy ego and temper shows exactly why they are separated.  In their very few minutes together, McClain is set up as being so utterly ‘real’ that we’re eager to see and excited by everything he does.

11 – Gollum – Andy Sirkus & WETA – LOTR Trilogy.

“The rock and pool, is nice and cool, so juicy sweet. Our only wish, to catch a fish,so juicy sweeeeeeet….”

During the filming of the trilogy, Andy Sirkus was quoted as saying he modeled some of his approach to Gollum on Heroin junkies.  I remember the fanboy base not being kind to him over that, and I think they were dead wrong.  Why Gollum works as such a powerful character ~ performance is the tragedy of his arc.  If he had stayed the scheming, murderous cretin from the time we meet him to his end in the lava he’d only been a plot point, a sounding board for the evil of the One Ring.  But through his effort as redemption, expressed through his attempt at forging a genuine relationship with Frodo, his eventual fall back to treachery is all the more poignant.  When he dismisses his evil ‘mental twin’, he’s feeling genuine joy and happiness for the first time in centuries. When Gollum leaves the reflecting pool, fish in mouth, there is a wonderful bit of animation ~ performance where actual trust is shown in his eyes.  It’s the look a family pet can give as it gets up from a marathon session of ear scratching and petting.  Although the plot mechanism of entering the pool bearing the penalty of death has always seemed a tad contrived to me, the sequence where Gollum laments Frodo’s betrayal and his sobs of sorrow have always been one of the most moving parts of the trilogy for me.  You can hear the call of his prior addiction reaching back into his veins, mocking his attempts to purge himself of it.  Desperate now for another fix, he plans actions to retain the ring.  Forever lost now, he’s all the sadder for showing us his brief moment of freedom.

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