6. Hans Gruber (Die Hard)
If James Bond was a villain hed be Hans Gruber. Stylish, elegant and suave, the man is a king amongst villains. Maybe this is what we like about him so much after all, how can anyone be offended by politeness and charm? The man has brains required to plan such a daring coup; authority essential for commanding a team of testosterone-fuelled mercenaries; and most of all balls for even daring something so audacious as robbing the Nakatomi Plaza on Christmas Eve. Even before we get to know him, youve got to admire a guy with stones the size of Neptune. So whilst his goons are barking at the revellers, hes calm and assured. And when anyone questions him, he defuses them with effortless charisma. All this makes us side with him over the annoying wife of John McLane. He just wants the money with the minimum of fuss. I actually started feeling bad for him) probably says more about me but hey ho). The building is insured, no one gets hurt, whys John McLane being such a pain? Where's his Christmas spirit? Even when Gruber locks horns with McLane, he never resorts to launches expletives and insults at our balding and barefoot hero. Hans is, arguably, the most stylish villain of all time. Alan Rickman is a tour-de-force of ruthlessness and audacity wrapped up in an elegant layer of charm and snobbishness. Hes colder than the Terminator and more refined than Frasier Crane. And he ensured that entire generations of women left the cinema with wet knickers.