Top 10 Movie Anti-Heroes

In today’s entry, I want to look at my top ten favorite movie anti-heroes. Last entry I looked at the noble good guys who did everything to make the world better. This time, I am looking at the characters we all root for even though they are selfish and sometimes could be seen as the villain if the movie was not told from their point of view. Before I begin, I need to touch on a few points. First, the anti-hero must be the protagonist, but he must also have flaws that do not make him entirely good. Secondly, I am only choosing from movies that I have seen before. And finally, there will be spoilers ahead, so please read at your own risk.

10. The Departed- Colin Sullivan

He is just trying to get by!

Colin grew up in a bad neighborhood, but was saved by Mob boss Frank Costello. He becomes a mole in the Boston precinct and helps Costello keep his position of power. However, Sullivan has no problem backstabbing even the man who put him where he is. He always chooses his own needs above others and will kill if he feels threatened.

9. Raging Bull- Jake LaMotta

If Rocky wasn't good, then you get Jake!

The anger fueled boxer Jake LaMotta was a great anti-hero. He rises to the top, but he has an anger that he cannot control, nor can anyone else. He is the best in the world, but he is so self-destructive and animalistic that his victory has been messy and goes away very quickly in his life. He is divorced, he marries a teen and still can’t control his emotions. The Raging Bull of the ring loses his wife, loses his close relationship with his brother and we can’t help but still feel for him.

8. V for Vandetta- V

Remember, remember the 5th of November!

V is a terrorist. There is no way to argue that he is not. He is attacking the corrupt dystopia, he is still fighting the general populace and destroying historical landmarks. His actions lead to the death of innocent children and people even though he is fighting a corrupt government. His fight may be good, but he does not take the traditional hero approach to saving the world, he tries to destroy the evil world.

7. Watchmen- Rorschach

Black and white don't mix, hence his fate!

Batman meets the dark side is the best way for me to describe Rorschach. Rorschach unlike Batman will kill people without hesitation. He will do anything he can as a vigilante. His investigation into a murder of a friend of his leads him on an adventure around the world. He is ultimately defeated and he becomes seen as evil by the world along with the rest of the watchmen.

6. Oceans 11- Danny Ocean

A masterful thief, but he is classy too!

The smooth criminal who is a notorious thief, Danny Ocean is witty, has a great sense of humor, charming and daring. He knows how to get what he wants and he is the King of Thieves, well modern day thieves. Danny gets the girl, he gets back at her boyfriend to help win her back and he gets away with stealing millions. Like an honorable thief, he honors his bargain with the other thieves and splits the take.

5. The Wolf of Wall Street- Jordan Belfort

This actually happened...maybe the movie exaggerated a bit!

You gotta love Jordan Belfort. He just wanted to live the American dream of making it to the top. However, when it was taking too long, he turned to fraud to quicken his progress. His rise faced lots of drugs and sex. He is witty, funny and a whole lot of bad. He challenges the FBI by acting invincible and his downfall is inevitable. For being a terrible man who ruined many people’s financial fortunes, he still makes you root for him.

4. Scarface- Tony Montana

Say hello to my little friend!

Drugs and murder are just two of his favorite things. Tony Montana is not a good man by any means, he fell into a slippery slope of gang life by trying to make it into the United States. We root for him as an audience even though he has turned bad. We still want to see him keep on ruling the Miami Drug cartel even though he has done so much wrong to get to the top.

3. Mad Max- Max

This was before he saved Scotland strangely!

Max was a cop who lost his family in Post-Apocolyptic Australia. He then burns a path on the road slaying everyone he meets. It’s a dog eat dog world and Max decides to make himself the biggest dog in the pound. He does not show any mercy at all and becomes the angel of death in this wasteland.

2. American Psycho- Patrick Bateman

If only he had a better business card!

He is the good looking business man who somehow has a superiority complex and an inferiority complex. He is a deranged serial killer, who has never killed anyone. He is a mix of everything which is what makes him so great. It’s also great, because being a bundle of contradictions is very humorous.

1. The Godfather Part 1- Michael Corleone

He could be part of a Greek tragedy!

This is up for debate. Is he an anti-hero? Is he a villain? I see him as the ultimate anti-hero in part 1 of the Godfather trilogy, with him being the villain in the other parts. He does not want to follow the family path. He wants to be honest and he is a veteran. However, he finally decides to put his family first and this leads to his ever descending path into darkness. What’s a better anti-hero than one who crosses the threshold from good to evil.