In The Mind Of An Antagonist: Javert from Les Misérables (2012)

[@theater_nerd400]

I wish you'd mentioned his act of giving his medal to Gavroche. That was a pivotal moment for his character.

[@Errorvirus404]

He's the best example of a lawful neutral character.

[@benjamindavey4782]

Damn! First comment I read, and it was exactly what I was going to write! 😆 But 100%.

[@Acesahn]

NO, he's the best example of a lawful neutral VILLAIN. The man was pathological and tormented - riddled by shame and hate. He might be Lawful/Evil in fact.

[@troodon1096]

@@youtubestayatyourrootsforfsake How much one enjoys their position doesn't change what one's position is. Being dedicated to the law or order for it's own sake is the definition of lawful neutral. One need not be dispassionate about that position to hold it.

[@cjmob123]

Javert is my favorite character in this musical his parts is definitely my favorite

[@esfandiarnader9574]

Though I feel a touch of lawful evil too given his willingness to use violence for violence's sake. But he is no hypocrite unlike fully lawful evil guys

[@charlesw5919]

​@@esfandiarnader9574where did he use violence for the sake of violence?

[@Lydia-rb8so]

One of my favorite characters of all time.

[@nicksmyth4050]

I always felt bad for Russell Crowe for people begging on him in this movie. He was my favorite character

[@Oreztar]

Javert is my favourite character in anything, ever, and has been for many years. And Russell crowe is my favourite Javert, which I know is a controversial thing to say, but I'll die on that hill. People jump on the bandwagon of criticising his performance because everyone tells them they're supposed to, and sure, he doesn't have a 'musical theatre' voice, but the man is one of the best actors of our generation and thats arguably as important, if not more, than having a polished, trained 'broadway' singing style *for this particular movie.* You can't show much subtlety of expression on a west-end stage, because you aren't close enough to the performers to pick up tiny things. If you're up in the gods, no chance of seeing much beyond which character is which, who is singing, and what costume they're in. So the vocals matter a hell of a lot more, as thats the character's biggest way of expressing themselves so that everyone in the audience can experience and 'get' what they're communicating. But in a movie, you can have close up shots, hold for longer on an actor's face, see more, use subtlety of facial expression, whisper your lines, be closer; you can have them express in other, more intimate ways. And thats why Russell Crowe was perfect for that role, because he was able to give Javert a frailty, and a humanity that is not as clear on a stage with an actor booming out his lines to those up in the rafters. I LIKE that russell didn't have a classic theatre voice, it made his performance all the more real and believable; I don't think the character of Javert would be someone that spent a lot of time honing his singing abilities.......The character of Javert is so wounded and complex that only a good *actor* could play him in this kind of movie. So casting one was way more important than casting someone that sounds exactly like the stage performers do (which seems to be all certain people wanted to hear, and nothing else would do)

[@darthbiker2311]

Javert wasn't a villain though. The closest thing to a villain in Les Mis would be Thenardier. Even Valjean fits the part if this wasn't a story about his redemption.

[@TopHatGacha]

He was an antagonist, but not a villain yeah. I find it funny that you say Thenardier is “close” to a villain though, he 100 percent is, haha!

[@INspectre691]

I know that this probably isn't correct, but I'd like to imagine that Javert is so merciless when arresting people, and keeping people in prison because he wants it to scare people away from committing crimes, and suffering and facing the harsh conditions of prison that he has to endure as a child (thats what every cop does now that I think about it)

[@TopHatGacha]

New headcanon

[@straburyred]

Morality does not always follow the letter of the law.

[@Cinema-Roles]

I know.. I struggled with this concept when watching the movie, because on the one hand, if I'd been in Javert's shoes, I probably would have stopped chasing Valjean much earlier... when I saw that he'd turned his life around. But when I try to apply that same logic to today, I ask myself... do we really want the police becoming judge and jury? It's a conundrum. I also think that part of his relentlessness in pursuing Valjean was because Valjean escaped on his watch, so he had to correct his own mistake... letting the prisoner get away. There is so much to this complex character.... you could spend a lifetime discussing him.

[@cosettefauchelevent5495]

Might be looked like a Villian but if he was a villian, there's no reason why he's resigning because he accused the wrong person(mayor).

[@VaughanRowe]

As far as I’m concerned, Javert is not the villain. He’s a man doing his job to the best of his ability. Valjean is a criminal. Both characters are brilliantly written however with many shades of gray. Javert is my favourite character of the show and has my favourite song, stars. Closely followed by empty chairs.

[@paintkim9211]

Inspector Javert looks like Mr. Bumble from Oliver Twist

[@garveyneal1672]

I still like some reviews of Captain Vidal from Pan’s Labyrinth and Max Zorin from A View to a Kill.

[@MikheasXs]

Aside from Javert in the book, I'd have to say Geoffrey Rush's is the best characterization. I know is a totally personal opinion. That's that.

[@DonaldCarroll-i8m]

Wilson Elizabeth Walker Jennifer Brown Robert

[@michaeljavert4635]

Javert was not the villain of the story. The only crime was this HORRIBLE movie and allowing people that could not act nor sing, attempt to tell a story and have totally RUINED what I used to love. Just like everything else in my life.