Top 5 Movie Villains of the Decade

That's right ladies and gentleman; it is time to take a look at those characters that are really guilty pleasures for us, the movie audience. Honestly, what would a movie be without the evil villain? These are the characters who often have the best lines and steal scenes from the would be movie hero. There have been many great and memorable villains of film's past including, Darth Vader, Freddy Krueger, and Hannibal Lecter, and this decade is no different. The past seven years we have seen some incredible villains brought to life on the big screen by some of the most talented actors in the business. Here is a look at what I feel are the best of those that are bad.

5. Bullseye

From the 2003 movie Daredevil, this comic book villain was brought to life by none other than Hollywood bad boy Colin Farrell. Though Bullseye does not have any special powers per say, he does have the uncanny ability to hit whatever he happens to be aiming at with whatever he happens to be throwing. Whether it is using a peanut to shut up an old lady or flinging paperclips with deadly accuracy, Bullseye aim is always true.

Bullseye is truly an over the top character and probably ranks right up there with the Joker form the Batman comics as one of the top villains. Colin Farrell plays the character to perfection with his over the top performance. The movie Daredevil was absolutely forgettable, but thanks to Colin Farrell the character Bullseye will be remembered by movie fans for a long, long time.

4. Dr. Octopus

Next up is Otto Octavius or as he is more commonly known, Dr. Octopus, from 2004's Spider Man 2. Dr. Octopus is the result of a science experiment gone awry. He is the true definition of a "Mad Scientist". When an experiment in which he was trying to create a cheap supply of energy goes bad, Dr. Octavius loses his beloved wife and his mind when an artificial intelligence takes over his body and he becomes encased in a contraption of his own invention giving him four extra metal limbs. The once philanthropic scientist Otto Octavius turns into the deadly and obsessed supervillian Dr. Octopus.

Though the Dr. Octopus from the movie differs slightly from the character in the comic books, he is just as determined and just as evil. Dr. Octopus is played magnificently by character actor Alfred Molina, and this is easily his most memorable role. SpiderMan 2 is widely believed by many to be the cream of the comic book to movie crop, and this partly due to Molina's depiction of the Dr. Octopus character. His performance is near flawless as Molina is able to really bring out the viciousness of the Dr. Octopus character and also give the audience glimpses into his tortured mind. The Dr. Octopus character is memorable for a variety of reasons, but it is Molina's talent that makes Dr. Octopus truly unforgettable.

3. Agent Smith

Agent Smith from The Matrix trilogy, but most notably from the first movie The Matrix is next on our list. With his dark sunglasses, and smooth monotone voice Agent Smith shows us how cool and calculating the world of artificial intelligence can be. His absolute loathing of humankind brings him to only one conclusion, they must be exterminated. The unemotional businesslike manner in which he carries out this task is chilling.

Played brilliantly by Hugo Weaving, Agent Smith is the perfect foil to the movie's hero, Neo. Weaving has rapidly built a name for himself playing such memorable characters as Elrond King of the Elves from The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the enigmatic V from V is for Vendetta. His portrayal of Agent Smith is just plain creepy as he shows that even computers can go mad. In the later films, the Agent Smith character becomes a little cartoonish, but in The Matrix, Agent Smith is near to being the perfect villain.

2. Patrick Bateman

I know many of you are seeing that name, and are wondering who exactly this is. I am sure it will al come back to you though when I remind you that he is in fact, the man character of American Psycho. Released in 2000, American Psycho, is a surreal look at one man's descent into utter madness. That man is of course wealthy Wall Street businessman Patrick Bateman. With his good looks, and near perfect appearance, Bateman seems ordinary enough until his insanity gets the better of him and the killings begin. Whether it's torturing prostitutes or simply eliminating his competition, Bateman is probably the most chilling villain on my list. He kills without emotion almost as if he is without a soul, which makes his actions all the more creepier. The scariest part of this character is you never know what is real and what is only an elaborate hallucination.

This is the film which really introduced audiences to Christian Bale. His portrayal of the deranged Patrick Bateman is dead on, pardon the pun. This movie is so surreal you never know if what you are watching is real or the character's fantasy. Bale's ability to show the character drifting between his nightmares and real world is fantastic. The audience isn't sure if what they are seeing is some slasher flick or a social commentary of society's evils, and this the beauty of Bale's performance and what makes the character of Patrick Bateman so memorable.

1. Alonzo Harris

And now I give you the number one villain of this decade so far, Alonzo Harris, the corrupt and sadistic LAPD Detective from 2001's Training Day. Harris is the lowest of the low; a cop gone bad. Instead of following the creed of protect and serve, Harris only serves his own personal self interests. Audiences are fooled at first when Harris takes the young and still idealistic rookie Jake Hoyt under his belt only to learn he is setting the young cop up to take the fall. Alonzo Harris is cruel, uncaring, selfish, and flat out just plain mean. He is everything you could hope for in a villain and much more. The character of Alonzo Harris is complex and makes audiences question if he was always this way or is he simply a product of his environment. Either way, Alonzo Harris is one bad dude we as movie goers hope we never cross paths with.

Denzel Washington played the role of Alonzo Harris so expertly he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. This role was in sharp contrast to many of the likeable and heroic characters Washington often plays. It is obvious Washington really immersed himself in the part however as he created the most believable villain on this list. The character of Alonzo Harris was so compelling that as a movie goer, I found myself wanting to look away, but much like the proverbial car accident I could not stop watching. I had to know what evil Harris was going unleash next. This is truly a tribute to the acting talent of Denzel Washington as he made Alonzo Harris the number one movie villain of this decade so far.