2. Travis Bickle - Taxi Driver
Played By: Robert De Niro Travis Bickle is a lonely and restless Vietnam veteran who travels around New York appalled at the decadence that has engulfed the city. His anxiety and insomnia eventually takes complete control and his sanity slips away as violence becomes the main occupier of his mind. His infatuation with political campaign volunteer Betsy leads to incensed embarrassment for Travis and he becomes obsessed in vanquishing the sleaze from New York. Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader's creation finally snaps as he plans a political assassination that inspired the real-life attempted murder of President Reagan. After the botched assassination, Travis heads to a brothel to wipe out its customers and pimps and to save Jodie Foster's teenage hooker, Iris. Travis' idealist vision comes crashing down in a brutal gun-fight that leaves him severely injured and attempting to commit suicide. The climactic shoot-out is a haunting piece of cinema as Travis' eyes are deathly cold and angry and the question of morality and righteousness is raised without fear. There is a much debated question as to whether Travis is a hero, anti-hero or a villain, perhaps he is all three. By the end of the movie, Travis has completed his downward spiral into insanity as his actions become more vengeful and vicious. Above all, Robert De Niro's Travis Bickle is a tragic villain, haunted by a world he has been alienated from and the results are an explosion of disillusion that leaves you haunted for an age.
1. Michael Corleone - The Godfather Part II
Played By: Al Pacino In The Godfather trilogy, nothing is as simple as heroes and villains, but if you can't classify a murdering wife-beater as a villain, then who can you? Michael Corleone is a cold, ruthless man entrapped by power and ego. He feels guilt over his actions and his ghosts haunt him until his last breath but throughout The Godfather Part II he steps across the mark as he orders the execution of his brother, Fredo. It is a testament to Al Pacino's performance that the character is so revered and not despised as he should be, but everyone loves a villain with charm, quotable dialogue and a sharp suit. In the second part of Francis Ford Coppola's legendary trilogy, Michael completes his demise into amorality, shedding all his redeeming features in a relentless quest for totalitarian power. The characterisation of Corleone is possibly the best in all of cinema's history as the flawless movie continues to move through the gears towards its heart-breaking and devastating climax. Pacino's face can switch between rage and coldness in an instant and the results are startling, no more so than in the scene where Michael viciously beats Kay for having an abortion. The key to a good movie villain is his emotional impact. You have to like and resonate with him to truly feel his venom. A great villain eats away inside your head, disturbing and riveting you. And there simply is no better movie villain than Michael Corleone.