15 Great Movie Villains Who Totally Stole The Show
12. Leroy - The Mexican
The Mexican is a charming action rom-com featuring what is possibly the safest casting choices of all time with Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts receiving top billing. While they had an undeniable chemistry and the plots twists and turns satisfied audiences looking for some light entertainment, ask anyone who has seen it what their most prevalent memory of film is and I guarantee you they'll single out the late, great James Gandolfini's performance as the soft-spoken and oh so endearing hitman, Leroy.
It's pretty much a given that Gandolfini would dominate whatever scene he happened to be in but in The Mexican he played so completely against type that he elevated a popcorn road movie into something just that little bit more. Even after all the being nice wears thin and reveals the dark core he perfected during the Sopranos, Gandolfini owns the screen. Having spent to entire movie winning over both the protagonists and the audience, it turns out that good old Leroy isn't who he says he is after all.
His real name is Winston Baldry and he has been manipulating the giant sentient mouth credited as Julia Roberts the whole time, his real goal is to whack Pitt's character Jerry. Right as he's about to complete his assignment he gets distracted by what looks like a Mad Max parade (understandable) allowing Jerry to turn the tables and shoot him while his back is turned.
Despite being taken down by a rookie mistake, the depth of his deceit and skills as a hired killer made viewers the world over wish that there was a prequel called Winston Baldry: Chameleon Badass.