10 Utterly Bad-Ass Movie Characters Who Ruled 2013

Only the very coolest need apply...

By Simon Gallagher /

Though it isn't quite yet over, and Martin Scorsese's Wolf Of Wall Street is yet to come (along with Justin Bieber's entirely unnecessary movie,) the film industry of 2013 is now running on empty. As such, attention inevitably turns to the highs and lows of the year's best and worst films, and specifically the characters and performances that defined the year. While some will chastise the worst acting performances, and others heap accolades of those which deserve awards attention, the reality is that it is the coolest characters, and the most deliciously bad-ass who will go down longer in audience memories. Looking to join a heady list that includes The Dude, Patrick Bateman and Withnail, the characters in question aren't necessarily from the greatest films, but they bleed the kind of appeal that pushes them to another level altogether. They are the bad-asses, the cult heroes and the irresistible villains who have made 2013 a better year for films, and they deserve extra credit.

Honourable Mention

The Minions
You literally could not move for the little yellow side-kicks in 2013. Not content with stealing almost every scene in the otherwise largely forgettable Despicable Me sequel, the pidgin-speaking phenomena burst beyond the limits of the screens and took over multimedia well after the film had left cinemas. Obviously, they aren't exactly the most bad-ass characters of the year, but their prime directive (to be henchmen) is at least partly, and it's merely the comical dilution of them for comedy purposes that blunts their cool (but clearly not their appeal.)