19. Bill the Butcher (Gangs of New York)
In Daniel Day-Lewis' first of three great performances this century so far, he plays the real-life Bowery Boy gang member William Cutting. The Gangs of New York villain, also known as Bill the Butcher, wages war on the Irish Catholics in New York City on behalf of those born in the United States. He kills the Irish leader Vallon, banning his gang from the city. Year's later, The Butcher unknowingly takes Vallon's grown son Amsterdam under his wing. Bill is a vile and racist man, with an impassioned loathing of President Lincoln who Day-Lewis would play a decade later. But despite Bill's cruelties, Amsterdam finds himself conflicted, considering the madman a father figure while simultaneously desiring to exact revenge on behalf of the late Vallon.
Why We Can't Help But Love Him: Daniel Day-Lewis plays Bill The Butcher as so wonderfully flamboyant that his unfounded nationalism captivates all those he comes into contact with. And while we cannot justify his prejudice, The Butcher manages to have a sense of humor in his hatred, as well as respect for his most powerful foes.