dr. hannibal lecter is go'n down?
Posted
by
Creature22
| Posted on
09-02-2010 8:46 AM
Back in 2003 Dr. Hannibal Lecter topped the AFI's list of 50 villains of all time. Second and third are Norman Bates and Darth Vader. Quite a group of guys. The ingredients that put Hannibal at the top of the list: Brilliant, cunning, psychotic. His wickedness of mind, selfishness of character and will to power are masked by beauty and nobility. So, does he still have what it takes to be #1?
Over the past few years we've had a couple new, memorable villains join the list - do they have what it takes to knock out the intellectual overlord Dr. Hannibal Lecter... let's see.
2005, gave us the introduction (at least in movies) of Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter films. Really in my mind, this character is pure evil, but with that he lacks any depth you need for a truly terrifying villain. Admittedly I didn't read the books, and yeah with magic he can blow up Hannibal, but really, Hannibal frightens me more because his character is positioned in reality vs. 'magic fairy land'.
Inglourious Basterds introduced us to Col. Hans Landa played by Christoph Waltz. He's truly fascinating, cold blooded, and tactical and best of all, impeccable manners. Almost a perfect match for Dr. Hannibal. Could you imagine the dinner conversation they'd have? In the end, I think Hannibal still has the edge though- as he doesn't just kill people, but he eats them too.
The Dark Knight brought us Heath Ledger's Joker. And boy did Heath give us a performance to remember him by. The Joker in The Dark Knight was a new take on the legendary comic book character, and The Joker 'owned' all screen time he received in The Dark Knight. Everyone in the theatre hung on every word, every sneer and every crazy gaze. It's hard to say just who was crazier, The Joker, or Hannibal. In my mind, this is a tie.
Would The Joker vs. Hannibal be the ultimate in Villain standoffs? If AFI updated their list, would Hannibal still be number 1? What other new villains stand to compete? What do you think? Email us at: membership@dusktv.ca
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