16. Begbie - Trainspotting
Played By: Robert Carlyse Begbie, made famous by Robert Carlyse is a volatile psychopath who goes to the pub primarily for violence. His love of violence is disturbing and he brings back memories of football hooligans from the 1980's with his casual bloodthirst and desperation to get into a fight at any cost. Everybody fears Begbie, to his friends, he's a nightmare and to his enemies, he's a terror. He commits many violent acts throughout the movie but his brutality is never more explicit than when he pulverises an American tourist. He's unpredictable and his intensity would scare any man. Also, Robert Carlyse was said to play him as a closeted homosexual which would explain the character's psyche a great deal.
15. Hans Gruber - Die Hard
Played By: Alan Rickman Hans Gruber was the prototype for a new breed action movie villains. He's European, unflappable and ruthless. Alan Rickman's villain goes up against Bruce Willis' rough cop, John McClane and he plays with him quoting Alexander the Great and mocking American culture until his somewhat sad demise as his presence is dominating and enthralling which is a huge credit to Alan Rickman. Rickman is the polar opposite of McClane, he wears sharp suits, looks partial to a bit of grooming and is softly spoken which sets him apart from the hyperbolic villains in other action movies. John McTiernan's landmark action movie classic was Rickman's Hollywood debut and never has a suave, super-cool terrorist packed a tougher punch.
14. Patrick Bateman - American Psycho
Played By: Christian Bale Patrick Bateman is many things - he's vain, a yuppy, obsessed with terrible music and savagely competitive, but most importantly, and as the title suggests, he is a psychopath. Or is he? As the ending, like the iconic novel of which this movie is based is ambiguous on the reality of Patrick Bateman. American Psycho is the movie that made a star out of Christian Bale and the business card scene still remains his finest bit of acting. Bateman is irredeemably evil, he takes pleasure in his maulings, decapitations and rapes and never shows the slightest hint of remorse. What's worse is that he knows and embraces his insanity and his killings get more creative and adventurous the crazier he gets. He shows the occasional glimpse of compassion, most notably to his secretary but that moment of humanity does not disguise the savagery of the character. Patrick Bateman is one of the most purely evil characters to grace a cinema screen but his charisma somehow convinces you to like and root for him. Bateman is a favourite of Generation X who are equally obsessed with Bret Easton Ellis' novel and it's not hard to see why as he one of the most overpowering and intriguing villains of fiction.