25. The Terminator - The Terminator
Played By: Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnie's Terminator became a good-guy in the sequels but the relentlessly brutal cyborg in James Cameron's brilliant action flick will always be the greatest incarnation of the T-800. It can be easy to forget how brutal and merciless the original Terminator movie is, but some of it is really nasty and mean, which is exactly what the last two sequels lacked. Arnie's original Terminator is pure old-school intimidation with a scowl on his face and a leather jacket on his back. Sadly, there aren't many villains like this anymore.
24. Gordon Gekko - Wall Street
Played By: Michael Douglas Unlike most on this list, Gordon Gekko is not a violent man - he does not need violence and aggression to get his way or to become one of the finest movie villains. Gekko is slick, ruthless and manipulative, stopping at nothing to make as much money as possible even if it involves blackmail, bribery, insider trading and crippling companies. Gekko is the personification of the shallow, amoral, greedy yuppy of the 80's as he will screw over anything and everything to get what he wants. His lack of morals is what makes him a success and one of the most iconic and quotable villains in film. Gordon Gekko is one of the very few who lives up to their reptilian name.
23. Tony Montana - Scarface
Played By: Al Pacino Scarface is a film where the villain is also the protagonist, which creates doubts as to whether the character is a villain at all, or just an anti-hero. But, make no doubt about it, Tony Montana is a villain. He's a murdering psychopath, the biggest drug baron in Florida and appears to have incestuous inhibitions for his sister. Tony Montana is one of cinema's coolest villains as he has the mansion, the cars and the trophy wife and he has unnervingly become an idol to many, with people resonating with the from rags-to-riches story. Montana is a volcano of rage on the verge of exploding at any minute which makes him a dynamic and captivating screen presence, but as he becomes more demented throughout the movie, it's impossible not to like him. Montana's operatic ending is the thing if cinematic legend as he goes down in a hail of bullets wielding a machine gun and off his head on cocaine. Montana is such a great villain because he's the villain everybody wants to be.