Mirror, mirror... who is the evilest in movie land? Well you'll just have to read our Top 10 Movie Villains of 2012 to see who is the worst of the worst, and we mean that in the most loving of ways. This year's evil-doers run the gamut from the classic (Russell Crowe's Javert from Les Miserables) to the comically crazy (Woody Harrelson's Charlie Costello from Seven Psychopaths) and then there is that guy who runs the teens-fight-to-the-death event called The Hunger Games.
As Movie Fanatic counts down the Top 10 Movie Villains of 2012, who is number one?
10. Charlie Costello from Seven Psychopaths
Teased in the Seven Psychopaths trailer, Harrelson turned in his best performance in years (and that is saying something considering the work he has done lately) as a Los Angeles gangster who has come a little bit unhinged thanks to a few dog-nappers (Christopher Walken, Sam Rockwell) who have stolen his beloved Shih Tzu. As the owner of a Shih Tzu, this writer cannot blame Charlie for all the hoops he goes through to retrieve his pup... and the benefit of that psychotic passion is the audience. Harrelson's off the rails, violent insanity is sprinkled with just the right amount of hilarity that produces a performance for the ages.
9. The Evil Queen from Snow White and the Huntsman
As we state in our Snow White and the Huntsman review, the best thing about the film is Charlize Theron and her Evil Queen. This is not your grandmother's Snow White and that is largely due to the depths of evil that come out of the one who seeks to be the fairest of the land.
8. Killer Joe from Killer Joe
Matthew McConaughey looms large over the Killer Joe poster and it's easy to see why. The depths to which McConaughey goes to in Killer Joe to get his way makes him one of the lowest of the low on this list. The way he manipulates the family at the heart of the story to ensure his livelihood continues as a Texas lawman who is absent of any morals is as devious as we've seen onscreen in 2012.
7. Charlie Rakes from Lawless
Guy Pearce had quite a year, what with his turns in Prometheus and headlining the sci-fi thriller Lockout. But it is his performance as Charlie Rakes in Lawless that is his best work of 2012. Like McConaughey's Killer Joe, he is a lawman without remorse, and that makes him the most dangerous person around. All in the name of enforcing Prohibition, he uses whatever means necessary to uphold the law and in the process strikes fear in all of those who cross his path. Except of course, Tom Hardy... who actually fights back. Want more proof of Rakes and his evil mission... check out these Lawless quotes and read firsthand his smarmy evil.
6. Javert, Les Miserables
Russell Crowe may be singing for his supper in Les Miserables, but don't misrepresent his love of song for an ounce of compassion. We get a taste of his maddening methods in this Les Miserables extended trailer that only teases the way he goes after Hugh Jackman's Jean Valjean. It is nothing short of ruthless and heartless. Knowing that Valjean has served years in jail for merely stealing a loaf of bread to feed his hungry family does not even register on Javert's radar. For some reason, he simply wants to put this guy away for life. Crowe channels the character every bit as evil as it was first seen onstage and even more so... the character that ruled Victor Hugo's pages.
5. Calvin Candie from Django Unchained
Leonardo DiCaprio could easily win his first Academy Award for his role as the plantation owner who is keeping the lovers (Jamie Foxx and Kerry Washington) at the heart of Django Unchained from living happily ever after. Since the Oscars have taken a liking to awarding Best Supporting Actor trophies to villains of late (Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, Christoph Watlz in Inglourious Basterds, Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men), look for Leo to take his badass Candie-man all the way to Academy history. In this Django Unchained clip, Foxx wonders what makes DiCaprio so curious and in the process, we get an insight into his evil.
4. President Snow from The Hunger Games
President Snow may not have created the brutal yearly kill-fest at the center of The Hunger Games, but he ensures each edition goes off without a hitch with an iron fist. Immediately, he notices something special about Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss and sees her as a threat to his entire administration. In the hands of Donald Sutherland as President Snow, he is equally cool, calculating and all-consuming evil.
3. Raoul Silva from Skyfall
Bardem's Silva deserves to be at or near the top of the list of best Bond villains ever. Silva is slippery in his death dealing, yet ever so calculating. His mission of revenge aimed at Judi Dench's M is nothing short of a masterwork in the hands of the Spanish actor. The way he comes at MI6 is nothing short of vengeance personified.
2. Loki from The Avengers
In our 2011 Top 10 Movie Villains, Loki landed at number four. In 2012, he moves up two spots for his wicked work in The Avengers. Tom Hiddleston commands Joss Whedon's film as he unleashes hell on Earth and serves as the reason our team of superheroes comes together. Thor's brother commands respect, or so he thinks, and it is his enormous ego that may be what leads to his downfall... that and an enormous green beast that tosses him around like a rag doll.
Like the Loki? Be sure to download his The Avengers wallpaper and stare at that evil glare all day!
1. Bane from The Dark Knight Rises
When Christopher Nolan sat down to start brainstorming for his final chapter in the Dark Knight trilogy, he knew he needed a villain for The Dark Knight Rises that could at least match the venom extolled by the Oscar-winning turn of Heath Ledger as The Joker. He found it and showed it off with this Bane Dark Knight Rises poster featuring Tom Hardy as his new villain. The uniquely voiced menace sought to start a revolution on the streets of Gotham and in the process, sent our Caped Crusader to within inches of his death.
Honorable mentions: Bobby Monday (Michael Shannon) from Premium Rush, Elena (Salma Hayek) from Savages and the wolves from The Grey.