10 Most Memorable Original Film Characters

8. Neo (Keanu Reeves in The Matrix)

If Neo survived the €œcure€ that is Agent Smith (and all the other agents), it really means that he€™s quite good in his own self. A lot of movie fans cite Agent Smith as one of their favorite characters in the last (two already!) decade! Well, Neo beat him. Him and his thousands of €œclones€! So, if Neo did better, he deserves a spot on this list. His look defined the end of the €˜90s, his actions defined SFX in movies for the better part of the €˜00s (and still do today). Some of his catch phrases (€œWow!€, but that€™s a typical Keanu Reeves catchphrase, isn€™t it?) made it into everyday life€ Everything about this character is memorable and original. The only reason why Neo is not higher in the list is because he€™s been parodied and copied to the point that this character got watered down a bit, but most of all because in the end Agent Smith was almost as good as him! And if the villain matches the hero, then the hero is not good enough! Runner-up: Eddie Murphy€™s Axel Foley. I know, the comparison is not obvious, but Foley is also an €œaction€ star (after all, the role was originally thought for Stallone!)
 
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Francis Barel is a movie fan, a pop culture fan, and most of all a fan of Americana: everything that makes the American culture, whether it's baseball, entertainement or business. On the fun side, we're talking: John Williams, blockbuster movies, romantic comedies, and comic books. On the business side, we're talking: box-office returns, finance & banking, payments, and the corporate side of comic books.