The characters of focus in any story define it. They might be the law-abiding good person, a morally motivated villain, a sociopath, a superhero, and so much more. Apart from the majority of movies that focus on the “good” people, there are movies that focus on the people who would not be classified as “good” or the anti-hero.
These characters are interesting on their own, and it shows us the world from their point of view. These characters may be good-willed, but their methods might be a little darker. Or, they could be villains with evil motives, but the reason they took to their cause might explain their nature. Whatever it may be, they are classified as “anti-heroes”.
Mad Max: Fury Road
Starring Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, this movie is spectacularly good. It has a great story and a great cast, and the audience is engaged from the beginning. In a post-apocalyptic world, Max Rockatansky is captured by members of Immortan Joe’s cult. He joins hands with Imperator Furiosa to defeat the cult and reclaim the resources.
The visuals and the lengthy battles on the bare terrain are a sight for the eyes. Max is definitely an anti-hero. Trying to find his way, he is captured and is not above killing to get what he needs and to survive. He threatens and disarms Furiosa and the Immortan’s wives and tries to escape using Furiosa’s War Rig.
Joker
There is no need to say why the Joker is an anti-hero. While there have been origin stories for the Joker in animated movies (The Killing Joke), Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker is the first to make it to the big screens. Moreover, Gotham is a breeding ground for anti-heroes.
Gotham is always under the control of the rich who live in comfort, while the others are left to fend for themselves, turning to crime and whatever sustains them. There is also the Bat who takes it upon himself to battle the symptoms of the disease in Gotham, rather than eradicate the cause. Phoenix’s performance is well worth the watch, and the movie depicts how the mind can just tip over.
Deadpool (1 & 2)
It is a well-known fact that Deadpool is no hero. The dark humor and the heartless killing are not uncommon. In both the movies, we see Colossus attempting to get Deadpool to change his ways. But how does one really expect Deadpool to mend his ways? LOL. Even in the comics, Deadpool has been in the role of villain a few times. Even otherwise, he does not mind spilling some twisted humor along with some blood.
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Nightcrawler
Starring Jake Gyllenhall in the role of protagonist Lou Bloom, this is another good watch. Bloom is a thief, who discovers that selling photos of crime scenes can bring him some considerable cash. Following this revelation, he buys the necessary equipment and attempts to be the first on the scene at incidents. As time passes, he even begins tampering with crime scenes to get better photos, and even causes some of the incidents.
Fight Club
Fight Club is a tremendously popular film. Starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt, this movie follows the Narrator and Tyler. The Narrator is an insomniac and disturbed by the way his life is panning out. He meets Tyler, a soap salesman, and together, they form a fight club. The club is kept secret, and as the movie progresses, Tyler begins to use the club for more radical purposes. The movie crescendos to the end, where we are presented with the biggest twist, and the movie ends with a bang.
Venom
Venom is an anti-hero character in Marvel’s comics and in Maguire’s Spiderman 3. A symbiotic alien that binds with living beings, Venom is just one of an entire race of such symbiotes. Venom has his own story in the comics, and there have been two moves starring Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock, the host for Venom. To be honest, I have found Venom to be quite an interesting character in Marvel, and I would recommend the comics if you like the character.
The Suicide Squad
No need for an explanation here either. Both the 2016 and 2021 movies feature a group of villains coerced into going on missions using head-exploding chips installed in their heads. Some of them have no remorse for killing and will do anything to finish their mission’s objective. Some others might be on the softer side, but that doesn’t make them less of an anti-hero
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Constantine
Starring Keanu Reeves, the movie is based on DC’s anti-hero and supervillain, John Constantine. Constantine is one of the villains that Superman has never, ever, defeated. A human magician against a superhuman. Who would have thought, huh? Constantine is an occult detective, warlock, and con-man who is pitted against DC’s heroes, but it does not make him all that bad.
He does have some passion to do some good for the people, even though his place in hell is reserved. The movie shows Constantine as the savior when Gabriel releases Mammon, Lucifer’s son. He constantly endangers those around him, but it is purely due to the nature of his work and powers.
Watchmen
Watchmen is one of the best DC comics movies there is. Featuring a qualified ensemble cast, the movie has no single protagonist. However, we are told the story from Rorshach’s point of view. Most of the characters in the film are anti-heroes. We can single out Nite Owl II and Silk Spectre II as the characters on the good side. Doctor Manhattan is very much capable, maybe even of bringing world peace during the Cold War. But he is detached from humans and their emotions, and basically does not care.
Ozymandias has his own version of peace and does not mind killing as many as needed to achieve it. However, he is aware of the pain he causes, and also mentions that he has tried to experience their pain. Rorshach is the one investigating the events, but is an aggressive character, and is very formidable. His prison fight scene is one of the most iconic parts of the movie. Moving beyond the characters, the entire movie reverberates the question, “Who watches the Watchmen?”
A Clockwork Orange
This is the oldest movie on this list. A dystopian crime film that follows the story of a psychopathic delinquent, the movie is a serious watch directed by Stanley Kubrick. The protagonist engages in criminal activities and is imprisoned. To reduce his prison sentence, he volunteers for an experimental program.
However, taking part in an experiment without knowing much about it leads to adverse consequences for the protagonist. Following this, the remaining part of the film takes us through him accidentally providing the chance of revenge to the persons he had wronged.
What’s anti-hero movie do you recommend? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. For more content, stay with us, here at Spiel Times.
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