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Willie Soke – Bad Santa
The fact that he manages to save a kid’s life while remaining a sweary alcoholic without an ounce of dignity and self-respect … is positively heartwarming. GusCairns
Alex DeLarge – A Clockwork Orange
A murderer, a gleefully sadistic rapist, an unapologetic sociopathic who treats human beings as playthings and a menace to every value in moral society. And yet Malcolm McDowell brings him to life with such panache and fun, he is irresistibly charming and likable throughout his horrors. You even feel happy for him at the end when he gets away with the whole thing. Thecuregalore94
Emily Bennetto – Emily the Criminal
She’s breathtakingly ruthless, but you also find yourself cheering her on, thanks to some of the awful characters she runs into. And then you have Plaza’s truly scary eyes (probably the most formidable eyes since Bette Davis). FishingGenet
Jules Winnfield – Pulp Fiction
He kills people for a living and yet at the same time has to deal with life’s irritations and numerous annoying people along the way. Samuel L Jackson was robbed of an Oscar that year. mattyjj
Tommy DeVito – Goodfellas
He’s an utterly repellent, unrepentantly vicious thug who manages to have just enough charisma to make him an incredible screen presence. Like watching a hand grenade with a missing pin. IscoBusquet
Mark ‘Chopper’ Read – Chopper
Brilliantly played in a career high for Eric Bana. Ever quotable biopic that tells the truth, the whole truth and nothing like the truth about Mark Brandon Read, who gets the nickname for his use of bolt cutters and peoples toes alongside other “scallywag” behaviour. TonyMansell
Ethan Edwards – The Searchers
John Wayne’s towering performance acts everybody else off the screen. The only negative is John Ford’s penchant for sentimental endings. chelsea17
Lily Powers – Baby Face
A shamelessly self-centred gold digger who literally screws her way up the corporate structure, before coming to her inevitable fall. finnyfish
Barry Champlain – Talk Radio
He’s abrasive, egotistical and vain. But he’s also being crushed by the weight of society and desperately clawing for affection. Great character in an underappreciated film. Glider
Valerie Solanas – I Shot Andy Warhol
Although she’s portraying a real person, Lili Taylor’s depiction of Valerie Solanas is an absolute tour de force. The film is a sadly forgotten 90s indie gem with great performances all around. Jared Harris’s Warhol is the definitive screen Warhol (sorry, David Bowie), and Stephen Dorff’s Candy Darling absolutely shines, but it’s Taylor’s performance that holds it all together. Pre-Sopranos Michael Imperioli and John Ventimiglia are also standouts in bit parts, playing completely against (future) type (imagine Christopher as a flighty Factory groupie). Available on YouTube, from what I see, though only at 480p. Pazuzu
Sebastian Valmont – Dangerous Liaisons
I remember seeing the film in a London cinema when it was first released. When Valmont is killed during a duel, the sound of sobbing from the audience filled the cinema. Still gets me every time I watch the film. Bustopher
Dirk Bogarde – The Servant
Marvellously malevolent yet somehow cheap at the same time. All Joseph Losey’s collaborations with Harold Pinter are masterpieces. Roboxon
John Hammond – Jurassic Park
He’s an enthusiastic, grandfather-like character to the audience; however, his enthusiasm has blinded him to the unethical and dangerous work he’s done. Even when it goes wrong and his employees have been killed, he’s still deluded, in denial, and enthusiastic it’ll work and entertain people. The penny dropped too late. oaktowers
Howard Ratner – Uncut Gems
The whole film is a study of destructive addiction, and the tension that exists in our sympathies for the afflicted. We know Howard is a truly terrible man who has failed to control his compulsions, regardless of the risks they pose to himself and others; and yet we can’t really ever deny that he is a victim too – that there might be a good man in there somewhere. The end felt like a relief. SocksPest
Harriet Potter – Carry On Camping
Appalling, indomitable, and totally oblivious to the effect and consequences of her behaviour. vastariner
Withnail – Withnail and I
A cowardly, deluded drunken waster who was prepared to let his best mate get sodomised so he could go on holiday. But … Great, isn’t he? ManicOwl
William ‘D-Fens’ Foster – Falling Down
Michael Douglas’s character in Falling Down seems to have become more relatable to many as the years go by. While some of his frustrations may be valid, it’s worth remembering that he absolutely is the bad guy. arashikage
Quint – Jaws
A belligerent, blustering bully with a vendetta against wildlife, but played with real humanity by Robert Shaw, so you see the damaged individual beneath, and answers as to why he’s the way that he is. BirdsAreGood
