With the abundance of movies that Hollywood has produced, it is safe to say that the uniqueness the film industry once had is no more, as every movie can be labeled as a typical one in which the bad guy commits some crime but is stopped by the good guy and thrown behind bars at the very end. Still, many directors dare to think big and push the envelope with the rare and notorious move of letting the bad guy stand victorious. The controversial decision of the villain winning has resulted in the creation of some of the most creative movies, much to the fans’ surprise. The following list explores 15 movies where the bad guys win:
15. Gone Girl (2014)
Amy Dunne’s husband Nick (Ben Affleck) is the main suspect after she vanishes on her fifth wedding anniversary. Amy (Rosamund Pike) has a far better grasp of the plot than anybody knows, but David Fincher’s thriller keeps the police and the general public in suspense.
After killing her ex-boyfriend Desi and accusing him of kidnapping her, Amy staged her abduction to frame Nick for murder. By the time she gets back home, Nick is stuck in a marriage he knows is risky due to her pregnancy and the sympathy she has gained. Nick’s affair was ugly, but Amy’s idea of payback is on a different scale.
14. Nightcrawler (2014)
Lou Bloom, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, is a burglar who learns he can earn money by documenting the aftermath of crimes and accidents for local television. News director Nina, who is aware that graphic footage attracts viewers, is an enthusiastic customer for him.
Things take a sinister turn when Lou starts doing more than pointing a camera to record something worthy. He starts manipulating murder scenes, concealing information from the authorities, and guiding his assistant Rick into a fatal encounter. While Lou sells the video and escapes prosecution, Rick perishes. By the end, his business has grown, and he’s hiring new employees. We can only hope they read the job description carefully.
13. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
If this psychological horror film does not make you think about the Devil’s involvement in our lives, then nothing would. When the young couple Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse move into their new home, which was rumored to have hosted witches, murderers, and cannibals at one point, Rosemary grows increasingly suspicious of their strange neighbors.
As strange and unexplainable events begin to trouble their lives in the house, Rosemary suspects that their neighbors have plans for her unborn child. It turns out that Guy has made a deal with a coven, and the baby is the spawn of the Devil himself.
Despite realizing the havoc the baby will unleash upon the world, Rosemary affectionately accepts the situation as the movie ends with her rocking the cradle with a smile.
12. Saw (Franchise)
There are thousands of horror movies, but none of them has ever come close to the Saw franchise when it comes to the depiction of psychological and physical torture. The franchise stars Tobin Bell as civil engineer John Kramer, who has a terminal brain tumor that developed from his colon cancer and is killed in the third movie.
Under the alias of the Jigsaw Killer, Kramer began putting people in deadly traps, often forcing them to hurt themselves or others to survive. Across the franchise, his traps and the followers who carry on his work continue to claim victims, even after his death.
11. Memento (2000)
Before the genius director Christopher Nolan gave The Dark Knight Trilogy and Inception to the world, the British-American filmmaker gave a glimpse of his creativity with his 2000 neo-noir-psychological thriller film Memento – his second film. The edgy dramatic theme in which the villain won made Hollywood aware of the strict competition it had engaged in as Nolan established himself as a force to be reckoned with.
Unable to store new memories due to a severe head injury, Leonard Shelby begins to search for his wife’s killer, but with a catch. As he struggles to find the real killer, Leonard learns from Teddy that he may have already tracked him down. Knowing that he will soon forget what he has done, Leonard plants misleading clues to make his future self target Teddy.
10. Pirates of the Caribbean (Franchise)
The entire series depicts the versatility of Johnny Depp as an actor and even garnered him his very first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. While the character of Captain Jack Sparrow is undoubtedly the most loved one in the series, he is the story’s roguish protagonist rather than its main villain. He is, after all, a pirate, and his theatrical charm often makes viewers overlook his crimes.
Taking a look at the big picture, Sparrow has engaged in battles against the East India Trading Company and the English Royal Navy – both bent on eradicating piracy from the Caribbean. While the beloved pirate has been found guilty of several crimes such as smuggling, impersonation, kidnapping, looting, poaching, arson, brigandage, and of course, piracy, the witty pirate always manages to escape from punishment in the end.
9. Se7en (1995)
As the title suggests, the movie revolves around the deadly seven sins and maybe the very best one to ever focus on them. Kevin Spacey portrays the serial killer John Doe, whose obsession with the seven deadly sins leads him to a killing spree in such a way that the murders are a unique representation of them, much to the intrigue of two homicide detectives who have been tracking him down.
After turning himself in, Doe leads Detective Mills and Detective Somerset to a remote location, where a box containing the severed head of Mills’ wife is delivered. Doe admits he envied Mills’ life and killed his pregnant wife. Consumed by anger, Mills shoots Doe, becoming the embodiment of “wrath” as planned by the serial killer.
8. 300 (2006)
Directed by Zack Snyder, the most amazing fantasy war movie of this generation, 300 tells the story of how King Xerxes of Persia tries to conquer Greece and how King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans stand in his way, joined by other Greek warriors.
The arduous battle showcases King Leonidas of Sparta leading his warriors into tactical warfare against the Persians, which gives the other Greek city-states time to prepare and encourages Sparta to send its army.
Surrounded after being betrayed by a hunchback, King Leonidas throws a spear at Xerxes, who bleeds but is not fatally injured. Shown as an act of desperation rather than bravery, King Leonidas and his comrades die fighting.
7. Fight Club (1999)
Even to this day, the ending of David Fincher’s Fight Club sends chills down the spine of the viewers. When the insomniac narrator of the movie establishes a secret fight club with the flamboyant soap salesman Tyler Durden, the narrator finally becomes able to sleep again. With the expansion of the club and several other outlets open in the city, the narrator realizes that something is terribly wrong.
The strange sensation of déjà vu regains the senses of the narrator as he comprehends the fact that he and Durden are the same man. After finding out that his split personality set up explosives in all of the headquarters of the city’s credit companies to terminate the financial networks, the two engage in an imaginary yet epic fight, resulting in the narrator standing supreme but unable to stop his plans.
As the bombs explode and the buildings simultaneously fall to their demise, the narrator has no choice but to watch the destruction planned out by Durden.
6. Primal Fear (1996)
Gregory Hoblit’s 1996 crime-thriller film was mediocre at best when it came to its plot, but the magnificent acting of Edward Norton made it worth it. Based on William Diehl’s 1993 novel of the same name, the movie showcases the shy and cautious Aaron Stampler, who has been accused of the murder of an archbishop. Seemingly innocent at first, the movie takes a drastic twist as Aaron claims to have a split personality called Roy, who takes control of his actions and commits crimes.
The twist does not stop there, as it is soon learned that Aaron has been faking his split personality and that his meek persona was an act. The overall performance of Norton as Aaron/Roy keeps the audience on the edge of their seats and has been considered one of his best roles, to the point of an Academy Award nomination.
5. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
This movie shows the fall of Anakin Skywalker and his transformation into arguably the most heinous villain of all time, Darth Vader. In the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Revenge of the Sith serves as the final episode and shocks every viewer at the end as the sense of values and principles inside the protagonist ultimately bows down to the dark side of the Force.
Undoubtedly one of the greatest origin stories ever told, it was a unique chapter of the franchise that presented the bizarre change of the handsome and graceful Anakin into the armored and merciless Sith Lord Darth Vader. The movie ends with Obi-Wan defeating Anakin in the duel, but the dark side prevails as Emperor Palpatine rescues Anakin and the Galactic Empire rises to power.
4. Rocky (1976)
One of the lowest-budget movies of its time to win an Academy Award, Rocky was the brainchild of Hollywood legend Sylvester Stallone. The movie, on the one hand, gives us the lesson to never give up. And on the other hand, it teaches us that winning is not everything. In fact, sometimes you win even after losing, and that was the concept immortalized by the first installment of the Rocky franchise.
Rocky, a local boxer given an unexpected shot at the Heavyweight Championship of the World, is thoroughly shown training physically and mentally for the upcoming title bout. He faces a champion who has never been defeated, and at the end of the fight, that still does not change as the judges declare Rocky defeated. Creed is Rocky’s sporting rival rather than a villain, but Rocky wins the crowd’s respect by going the distance.
3. The Usual Suspects (1995)
From the director of the first two X-Men films, Bryan Singer came up with one of the best crime thriller films of all time. With excellent use of narration and flashbacks, The Usual Suspects is an incredible piece of art and reached incredible heights due to its memorable and uncanny plot twist featured as the movie reaches its climax.
Special Agent Kujan had no idea how right Roger “Verbal” Kint was when he exclaimed:
“The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.”
The quote began to haunt the agent as the crippled Kint was revealed to be the mysterious villain Keyser Söze – guilty of numerous crimes ranging from sabotage to murder.
Until Kujan finally realizes the real identity of Söze, it is too late as Kint walks out of the police station to live another day.
2. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Based upon Thomas Harris’ crime novel of the same name, The Silence of the Lambs is as beautiful in terms of filmmaking as it is merciless in terms of fiction. The movie revolves around a reluctant yet unique relationship between the young and ambitious FBI trainee Clarice Starling and the psychiatrist and cannibal Dr. Hannibal Lecter.
Though Lecter is more than happy enough to help Starling in her pursuit of criminal Buffalo Bill, the barbaric psychiatrist manages to escape from his cell and makes his threat known when he calls and alerts her about:
“having an old friend for dinner”
He then follows Dr. Frederick Chilton through a crowd, leaving his fate to the viewer’s imagination.
1. The Dark Knight (2008)
Perhaps the most awaited superhero film of all time, and everyone’s eyes were not even on the terrible-voiced Batman. Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker stole the entire spotlight and even bagged an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Above all that, The Dark Knight was unique in the sense that the villain Joker was able to defeat the savior of Gotham City.
Believing that the city deserves a better class of criminals, the Clown Prince of Crime drove insane its white knight Harvey Dent, who went on a killing spree. The madness did not stop then, as the Joker’s actions forced Batman to not only kill Dent to stop him but also take the blame for all his killings so the people could look up to Dent.
It turns out that the Joker was not lying at all when he told the Caped Crusader:
“The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules and tonight, you’re going to break your one rule.”
Honorable Mentions
This list of the best films where the bad guys win deserves a special mention for these titles also:
- No Country for Old Men (2007)
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
- Swordfish (2001)
Feel free to share any missing movies where the bad guys win that you think should have been a part of this list in the comments section below!