10 Terrible Characters In Otherwise Awesome Movies

2. Ruby Rhod (Chris Tucker) - The Fifth Element

Luc Besson's 1997 sci-fi action fantasy extravaganza is one of the most unique and beautifully-realised visions of the future put to film in the 1990s, boasting visual FX and designs that are still hugely impressive almost two decades later, as well as a star-making turn by Milla Jovovich. Unfortunately, it also boasts a substantial role for Chris Tucker in what has to be one of the most ill-conceived comic relief characters of all time.

A key plot point sees Bruce Willis' New York cabbie hero Corbin Dallas required to take Jovovich's enigmatic superbeing Leeloo to the deep space holiday destination Fhloston Paradise - and to this end, they hijack a radio station contest with the first prize of tickets to that very location. This necessitates Dallas and Leeloo being in the company of Tucker's radio host Ruby Rhod, a character for whom the term flamboyant doesn't even begin to cover it. From his ridiculous hair and clothing to his perpetual shrieking, this guy makes Rick James look like the height of conservatism.

It's anyone's guess as to why Besson thought this character warranted being around for the entire final act of the film, screaming all the way to the cosmic final showdown. Still, Tucker must have been doing something right, as he went straight from The Fifth Element to the Rush Hour trilogy, which (bewilderingly) saw him become the highest paid actor in the world at the time.