10 Utterly Bad-Ass Movie Characters Who Ruled 2013

3. Max Da Costa €“ Elysium

Despite the fact that he was about the most misguided choice for the superheroic requirements of his inter-stellar invasion mission (given that he's five days away from death and requires an exo-skeleton to be able to complete it,) Max Da Costa comes from the same rich school as Max Rockatansky for futuristic bad-asses. He has a heart, despite initially being driven solely by self-preservation, and he gains extra points for the heroic sacrifice that sees him die to give all of Earth's downtrodden citizens the keys to the utopia of Elysium. Matt Damon plays Da Costa with typical likability, and the physical prowess he built in his Bourne days, and though the film's plot tries its level best to confuse half the audience and infuriate the rest with its self-serving reactionary twists. Somewhat irrationally, Damon is best when the film is most generic €“ the climactic battle with Kruger (Sharlto Copley) is exceptional in building the mythos of the character, but it could have come from any sci-fi actioner, and the best bits of the film concentrate more on the logistics of the utopia/dystopia divide, and not on Da Costa as a character. Nevertheless, the exo-skeleton-wearing vigilante remains a supremely cool creation on his own terms.