TOP 10: Villains in Historical Films

[@liamkrownos]

Hey all! Thank you for taking the time to watch this video! It's been great seeing you comment with your favourites villains from historical films. Much love! LK

[@metalhead9315]

Excellent list and with a perfect number one! I watched an interview about Ralph Fiennes with a few Schiendler Jews who were actually on set while Steven Spielberg was filming that movie. They said he embodied Amon Goeth so well that his mere presence brought back horrible memories and even nightmares for them. What a testament to his accurate portrayal of a real monster.

[@liamkrownos]

@@metalhead9315 thank you! I agree, he is such a great actor. Can’t name a role he hasn’t put his all in!

[@kristentaylor5359]

Jason Isaacs is an amazing actor, no matter if he plays the good guy, the villain or a side character. He has a wonderful presence

[@zanethind3533]

Underrated

[@RussellThornton-f9z]

Watch him (as Zhukov) in The Death of Stalin! A treat.

[@wyldhowl2821]

Tarleton / Tavington was a hero not a villain. Loyal warrior for the Crown against the rebellious traitors. 😉

[@kristentaylor5359]

@@wyldhowl2821 oh I'm sure he thought he was a hero but defending the crown and being cruel are completely different

[@zanethind3533]

Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes deserved Oscar wins for their roles

[@zanethind3533]

That portrayal of King Edward I was so brutal and psychotic. That performance was Oscar worthy.

[@dinocollins720]

Quentin Tarantino was considering abandoning the film while the casting searched for someone to play Colonel Hans Landa, fearing he'd written a role that was unplayable not only due to the complex villain but also the necessity to speak German, French, and English. After Christoph Waltz auditioned, however, both Tarantino and producer Lawrence Bender agreed they had found the perfect actor for the role.

[@brontewcat]

I love that you included Alan Rickman as the Sheriff of Nottingham as your first villain. He was the character I thought of.

[@zanethind3533]

Great performance

[@weegie18]

Sheriff - John. John - Sheriff. LJ - S of N. s of N - LJ,

[@PamArtsValentine]

Great list! Ralph Fiennes & Jason Issacs are definitely 2 of my favorite actors- and, of course, who doesn't love Alan Rickman in any part he ever played!

[@dinocollins720]

Another fantastic video! Thanks again.

[@davisriddle4482]

Brian Cox as Kilearn, Tim Roth as Cunningham, and John Hurt as the Marquess of Montross, all in Rob Roy, make an absolutely superb trio of villains.

[@The2ndFirst]

I still use the line "Because it will hurt more." in my personal life every day

[@jarrodbright5231]

Rickman's performance as the Sherrif of Nottingham actually portrays John Marshall (the Kings Constable of Nottinghamshire and most likely inspiration for the Sherrif of Nottingham of fiction) absolutely perfectly. The man was a sadist posessed of a very dark sense of humour. The "cut his heart out with a spoon it will hurt more" line would have been a perfect for a man who claimed to have "de-feeted his enemy" after cutting the left foot off each of hundreds of peasants in France a couple of decades earlier. The fact Rickman came up with these points himself just adds to his brilliance... or it was a complete coincidence

[@BranimirSmrekar-lt9jq]

Rickman was an actor, what Costner is not. Costner always plays characters that are more Costner then characters.

[@kathrynrae1808]

My favourite historical movie villain will always be Laurence Olivier's Richard III. The cunning, the snide humour, the sudden flashes of rage: they are all unforgettable.

[@jeffreysommer3292]

Personally, I preferred Sir Ian McKellen's Richard III. Much more interesting, I thought.

[@foodandtennisislife]

I would of included Tim Roth from Rob Roy...

[@Jari-95]

Great list. I do have one more to add. Wes Studi as Magua (Last of the Mohicans)

[@susanfreeman9500]

I've loved Patrick McGoohan in everything I've seen him do. He was an excellent villain in 'Silver Streak' -- he put the thrill in the comedy thriller.

[@tims6078]

Amazing that three of the top ten you listed were all villains in the Harry Potter films. Fiennes (Voldemort),Issacs (Lucious Malfoy)and Rickman (Severus Snape). With Rickman, in my opinion, as the best character in the series

[@AvsegnoGrisiewky]

Bruno Ganz, Edward Longshanks and Amon Goth are simply the best, I don't understand why they didn't get Oscars. Brando's Kurtz was just overratted as hell.

[@stanthonyofpadua1]

"The horror, the horror" is in Conrad's novella.

[@tricycle7274]

Hmm; Anthony Hopkins as Cpt. William Blight in ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ is right up there with Joachim Phoenix.

[@liamkrownos]

That’s a banger of a movie! Great shout!

[@johnjim6793]

Amon Goeth is not pronounced "Go-eth" but "Göth" (with an "ö" like in English "burger" or "bird"). About Colonol Tavington, I remember how Mel Gibson was asked why they turned an English officer into such a monster. Gibson's reply was, "We are giving the Germans a break". :-)

[@liamkrownos]

Thanks for the feedback on that one. Will know for next time! :)

[@johnjim6793]

@@liamkrownos You're welcome. I liked the list though, and can pretty much agree with your picks.

[@angc214]

And his first name is pronounced with a short A like in apple.

[@aldosigmann419]

Fine choices - another villain that occurred to me was Sgt. Barnes as played by Tom Berenger in 'Platoon'.

[@liamkrownos]

@@aldosigmann419 that’s a very good shout! Hard to pick just 10 😂

[@johncarroll772]

Wes Studi Last of Mohicans, Laurence Olivier Marathon Man

[@muncastro]

I nominate Michael Bein for Johnny Rings in Tombstone!

[@Capta1n_Schl0ng]

Hans Landa!

[@elizabeththomas6851]

Rickman rocked as the Sheriff!

[@ajm55]

Daniel day Lewis, gangs of New York?

[@michaelcoulter1725]

Jason Isaacs was badass as banastre Tarleton which is his real name Colonel tavington is not his real name

[@justjones5430]

Alan Rickman Number One! 😊

[@wyldhowl2821]

It's a decent list, one or two missing but they only had 10 spots.

[@DarylBaines]

"The horror! The horror!" isn't improvised - it's a direct quote from Conrad's book.

[@zanethind3533]

How did Heath Ledger's Joker not make it on this list???? Same with Daniel Day Lewis's Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood, Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter, Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin, Gary Oldman in Leon the Professional, Joaquin Phoenix's Joker. But great list nonetheless

[@bob_the_bomb4508]

I think the clue is in the title…’historical’

[@wyldhowl2821]

@@bob_the_bomb4508 Well, the settings are historical, if not the characters.

[@BranimirSmrekar-lt9jq]

At least you could pick historicaly accurate movies.

[@dominicrigsby8547]

Clarence Bodicker

[@stephencelico2452]

I also liked cardinal richelieu.. As portrayed by Tim Curry... "all for one, and more for me"!

[@willwalsh3436]

"the horror, the horror" is in "Heart of Darkness"

[@jackwilliam4436]

... 'Historical' ... yet does not know the difference between History and fiction. For starters, Robin Hood's existence has been strongly contested - if not flat out debunked - long ago. History is not the same as legend or myth, you know. Quite a few of the other 'historical' figures in this list were also purely fictional, despite rooted in actual historical periods. For instance, no one denies the fact that World War 2 happened, but, despite being masterfully portrayed by an insanely talented actor, Hans Landa is a fictional character who appears in a fictional version of World War 2 - he's not a real historical figure from actual 'real' History. If your basis for including characters is the fact that they are loosely rooted in any fictional version of History, instead of being real historical figures from actually real History, why don't you just include Gargamel from the Smurfs too, while you're at it ? Of course he's fictional, but he lives in the Middle Ages - sure, a fictional version of the Middle Ages, but the Middle Ages, nonetheless.

[@schartattack]

Enjoyed each of these performances, but there’s like maybe two historical films here. These aren’t historical films, they’re period films.

[@stephenpaulson5242]

"The horror. The Horror" is directly from Heart of Darkness. Not improvised.

[@leoperidot482]

THE APPRENTICE, DIE HARD. JOKER. SCHINDLER'S LIST.

[@RoxanneSharbono-mb8ol]

Tavington did more to unite the colonists than just about anyone. The usa might not have won without him.

[@tythegolfer6279]

Jason Isaacs plays a hero in the Patriot. He tried to stop the treasonous american criminals.

[@wyldhowl2821]

Yup. Canadians know this.

[@jeffreysommer3292]

Pity you didn't pick Gregory Peck in Boys From Brazil, where he played a very convincing Josef Mengele...

[@JayCity10]

Lil Ze and Tommy DeVito should of been mentioned.

[@OneRedKansan55]

Joker in the Joker movie with and The Dark Knight

[@patrickdrinville7402]

I personally hate the part about Edward long shanks. That part about him killing his son’s “lover” is inaccurate and only rainbow washing of history

[@TiredoldFox]

He didn't kill him because he was gay. He killed him because he dared to think he could advice the king or his son on military strategy and the future England.

[@wyldhowl2821]

Actually, the history of Edward II's male "favourites" and what happened to them is worse than what was in this film.

[@geographyinaction7814]

This list is rubbish. You are allowed your opinion, but historical might require a bit of historical accuracy. Off the bat, both Braveheart and The Patriot are as authentic as U-571. U-571 was completely fabricated rubbish that rewrote history so badly it had to reference that in a post credit note. Gibson's versions of Wallace and The War of Independence were accurate only in his writings happening duringvreal events. The happenings had zero tesemblance in truth. Landa is fictitious. Goth, Amin, and Hitler, are the only characters on this list that belong there.

[@CLFCBasel]

Hitler's *Austrian* accent.

[@patrickdrinville7402]

Also Hitler had syphallis, not Parkinson’s

[@partygrove5321]

Hans Landa in I.G. were both totally ahistorical.