8. Clive Cornell - The Guard
Sony Pictures ClassicsThe Guard is a film that is remarkably conservative about its antagonists - despite wearing the trappings of a crime thriller, this Irish black comedy succeeds with only three central antagonists, the most interesting of which is Mark Strong's Clive Cornell, a stoic british gangster with an sarcastic streak a mile wide. While he is given relatively little backstory, Clive Cornell has a palpable presence whenever he appears on screen. Brought on by Irish drug lord Francis Sheehy-Skeffington (played by Liam Cunningham) to assist with a drug shipment, Clive Cornell is a droll outsider in every scene he appears in, whether it be commenting on the nationality of his favourite writers or expressing his general frustration with the Irish way of doing things. All in all, this character would barely be a footnote if not for Mark Strong's characteristically solid performance. A bleak and remarkably existential monologue he gives to his two associates on his deep-seated feelings of burnout goes a long way in establishing this man as a human being rather than just another henchman. You almost feel glad for the guy when the climax arrives, because he seems so happy to go back to doing what he loves best - shooting people.