This post stems from some deep thinking.
Not really.
More like a lot of imdb-ing and some friendly inspiration while watching Megamind, you know the movie with Will Ferrell as an evil blue alien. It ends (SURPRISE) with the evil mastermind turning into the hero. A friend watching the movie with me was greatly disappointed by the ending proclaiming, "Do the bad guys ever win?"
Which got me thinking, it's time we pay homage to the film-makers who aren't afraid to push past cliché Hollywood endings and brave cinematic difference!
So here we go, in no particular order, movies where the bad guys come out on top.
1.
The Silence of the Lambs
An young FBI agent, Clarice Starling, must enlist the help of a convicted killer, Hannibal Lecter, in order to catch a serial killer, Buffalo Bill, who skins his victims.
Sure while our Heroine, Clarice catches Buffalo Bill just in the nick of time, which might be considered a victory for the good guys... Hannibal Lecter also manages a bloody escape from his holdings and is out to eat more, as he would say, "Liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti."
2.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
After being admitted to a mental institution R. P. McMurphy attempts to rally the patients against the oppressive regime of Nurse Ratched.
The bad guy certainly comes out on top here. Ratched provokes a patient's suicide, orders McMurphy to be lobotomized, and watches his last fleeting hopes run out across the ward lawn.
Even more impressively, she comes out of it all with only a neck brace.
3.
All About Eve
An aspiring starlet, Eve, attempts to climb the ladder of success by weaseling her way into the life of an accomplished actress, Margo, and then pushing her out of it.
Eve might not have been able to steal Margo's man, but she does manage to snatch her career and critical acclaim.
Pretty catty!
Eve may just get what's coming to her though as in the final scene we see one of her fans eying her with that same scheming look she gave Margo.
4.
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
Luke furthers his Jedi training with the help of Yoda, while Darth Vader hunts down his friends in an attempt to capture him.
If the title wasn't enough of a clue for you... the Empire certainly strikes back. Vader freezes Han in carbonate, chops off Luke's hand, and leaves C-3PO in pieces.
All in a days work for the Dark Side.
Of course... they do have cookies so that's a leg up.
5.
No Country For Old Men
After finding more than $2 million in cash Llewelyn Moss finds he's being pursued by a ruthless killer, Anton Chigurh.
| There's little hope for our Hero throughout this grim film and sure enough he finds himself at the mercy of the Grim Reaper, as do his wife, and anyone else in Anton's way who incorrectly call a coin toss. |
| In this case grim = great! |
|
|
|
6.
Carrie
After a life of torment from her mother and classmates a teenage girl discovers she has telekinetic powers.
While Carrie does end up dying, she also manages to take all her fellow prom attendees down with her and crucify her abusive mother with kitchen utensils.
Fun!
Another bonus, she'll always be in the nightmares of Sue, the single survivor of the prom night disaster.
7.
The Usual Suspects
The mystery behind a destroyed boat, and dead criminals, all hinges on the twisted story of the only survivor which begins with five career crooks in a seemingly random police lineup.
Now this is a movie I just can't ruin the ending for... it's so essential to the splendor of the film.
But I will leave you with a clue.
The bad guy quite literally limps away.
8.
The Godfather Part 1 & 2 (But not 3 because it's a disgrace!)
An aging patriarch passes control of his crime empire to his reluctant son.
This is ultimate villain triumph!
Part 1: Don Vito Corleone continues his mobster high-jinks, aka killing people and putting horse heads in their beds, while corrupting his son. His son who goes on to kill all opposing mob leaders in the ultimate blood bath.
Part 2: Michael Corleone has more fun killing people and ending things with his wife.
Yippie!
And there you have it!
I know there are others... probably some better more surprising ones, but these are the ones I picked.
If you haven't seen them by all means rent them!
And remember to raise your glass to the bad guys who are actually cut out for their work.
