It's simple - movies need villains. That's how it's been since the very beginnings of the medium. Film has your attention only for a couple of hours or so; in that time, characters are drawn with pretty broad strokes in the majority of stories. So it's rare for a film to convey a deeper insight into its horrible characters. Screen villainy lets us see the worst in people, but it's not often we get a change in perspective of on-screen baddies. As an audience, we're usually expected to judge the wicked solely by their actions. Instead, what follows is a list of films where characters are unmistakably horrid in their own ways, but within their story, there's the glimmer of something deeper - a moment of insight that casts a little more light on them. If a film manages to change your perspective of a horrible character, it's a fairly uncommon accomplishment. Often, it's the combination of skilful direction, carefully considered performance and precise writing. Here's my list of favourite villainous epiphanies - as usual, I've applied a couple of rules: No superhero films (whose story arcs are increasingly reliant on complicated villains), and no Orson Welles flicks (that would be too easy).