5. Malcolm McDowell - A Clockwork Orange
Alex DeLarge is a man who is hypnotically violent, sociopathic yet charmingly witty. The protagonist of Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange brings danger and insecurity to the screen in a way so few can and the sheer glee he shows at the prospect of carnage and violence is deeply unsettling. McDowell brings an unruly sense of danger to the proceedings and the casual enjoyment he displays when committing acts of extreme violence and cruelty is shocking as the calm charisma McDowell shows is incredibly unnerving. Despite the continued amoral acts of barbarity and malice, it is impossible not to like young Alex - he is the protagonist and Kubrick and McDowell force you to sympathise with him. When retribution is taken on Alex, you take no delight as the viewer - you are complicit in the inhumanity that is so explicitly on show. Alex DeLarge's favourite past-times are rape and violence - you're supposed to be repulsed by him - and you are but there is something hypnotising about his presence and the brutality he is exposed to is harrowing. The charismatic delinquent is 'cured' through the Ludovico technique in a scene of pure horror and beauty (Beethoven) that raises questions about morality and the nature of good. Unadulterated sexuality is a large part of the film and character as Alex is exposed to large amounts explicit sexual content and creates an extra unnerving layer to the character and the way McDowell plays him so ambiguously is genius. There are many things that haunt and linger from A Clockwork Orange, but the thing that lasts longest is Alex's penetrating gaze of amorality and menace. Truly unforgettable.