20 Greatest Movie Villains Of The 2000s

Much like the wider-scale franchise, the Daniel Craig era of James Bond has had its ups and downs when it comes to villains. There have been some forgettable antagonists, as well as some of Bond's best big bads, including Craig's very first nemesis, Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen).

Working as a banker for international terrorists, Le Chiffre went a step further and used his intellect to gamble with his clients' money, typically earning big from it without suffering any consequences. That is, until James Bond stepped into play, and the villain was forced to try and recover his lost cash at the Casino Royale.

As a villain, Le Chiffre was cold and calculated, stern but with a dab of the theatrical, and utterly ruthless to boot. He didn't have some grand designs for saving or dominating the world, and he wasn't the kind of caricature that Mike Myers took the p**s out of with Dr. Evil. He was an old-fashioned bad guy out to earn himself the biggest paycheck possible, regardless of who got hurt or worse.

It should be said that in the hands of anyone else, the character could have come across as rather forgettable. However, Mads Mikkelsen was born to play remarkable villains, and his portrayal as a flawed, arrogant, but out of his depth Le Chiffre helped get the new era of Bond under way with a bang.