9 Smart Movies That Tricked Us Into Rooting For The Bad Guys

Was the ultimate villain of these movies the screenwriter?

public enemies poster
Universal Pictures

Bad guys; the people who populate films to get our glares, boos and... cheers? Have you ever been sat watching a movie and suddenly realised that instead of rooting for a traditional whiter than white protagonist you're willing on one of those evil doers Disney have trained us to despise from childhood?

I'm not just talking about films where the villain is more interesting that the hero either. I'm talking about when a film intentionally takes your nice, normal mind and warps it so you think these devious people are worth rooting for.

Here are ten of these scoundrel loving movies you probably didn't even realise we're playing with you (including a couple that didn't even realise it themselves). Spoilers run throughout the list, so tread carefully, lest you see how bad these people really are.

Contributor
Contributor

Film Editor (2014-2016). Loves The Usual Suspects. Hates Transformers 2. Everything else lies somewhere in the middle. Once met the Chuckle Brothers.