20. Commodus Gladiator
Commodus is a truly ruthless antagonist. When his father, the King, informs him that he intends to announce the far superior general Maximus Meridus as the next heir of the throne, he proceeds to murder his way to it. Yes, he kills his own father. He then proceeds to not only strip Maximus of his ranks but to order the murder of his entire family. This extremely cruel act makes him one of the most sadistic and unlikable villains of the 21st century. It is very easy to empathise with the protagonist on this one.
19. Elijah Price Unbreakable
If you cast your mind back a long, long time, youll realise that M. Night Shyamalan wasnt always a terrible filmmaker. Shortly before he became the what-a-twist running joke of modern cinema, he produced this excellent superhero thriller film. This excellent twist on the genre was really fascinating, and Samuel L. Jacksons Elijah Price (or Mr. Glass) was a truly interesting antagonist. Born with a rare disease that renders his bones extremely easily breakable, he turns into a creepy stalker looking for his polar opposite; which he finds in protagonist David Dunn, who is Bruce Willis and, therefore, cant break his bones. Naturally turning into a depraved super-villain wannabe, Price is a particularly memorable villain, although he isnt really a particularly threatening one.
18. Frank Costello The Departed
In The Departed, Jack Nicholson plays a wonderfully clichéd villain. He is a grotesque, selfish, self-indulgent mobster who can drift from unpleasantly gross to frighteningly violent. Although he is dispatched well before the films final act, he plays a key antagonistic role and is excellently realised as a clichéd kingpin. He is another brilliant piece of one of the 21st centurys most memorable films.