Tagarchief: The Terminator

The 20 Greatest Ultra Villains in Movies

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

20. Bill the Butcher

Played by: Daniel Day-Lewis
Film(s): Gangs of New York (2002)
Line: ‘Ears and noses will be the trophies of the day. But no hand shall touch him.’

Nothing goes too far for William ‘Bill the Butcher’ Cutting in his personal mission to oppress the new immigrants whom Bill sees as mere cockroaches. His name is very appropriate: whenever he joins the street fights, he slaughters enemies by the dozens using his vast set of knives and stabbing weapons. He shows a softer side around Amsterdam, who he sees as the son he never had, but in the end, Bill is a bad man. Played to perfection by Daniel Day Lewis.

19. Mr. Joshua

Played by: Gary Busey
Film(s): Lethal Weapon (1987)
Line: ‘See, Martin, we have a problem. Since we have Murtaugh, we don’t really need you. But I believe in being thorough.’

The ultra blond Mr. Joshua is pretty much a badass. He shows his macho behavior in his intro-scene by letting his employer hold a lighter under his arm for a pretty long time. Riggs and Murtaugh have a lot of trouble with this ex-commando. In his mission to smuggle heroin into the United States, he lets nothing or nobody get in his way. He scores extra points for his pretty good fighting skills.

18. The Terminator

Played by: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Film(s): The Terminator (1984)
Line: ‘Your clothes – give them to me, now.’

Schwarzenegger is perfectly cast as a killing machine. The Terminator is one scary motherfucker. ‘Sarah Connor? Yes. Boom!!!’ He is efficient and unstoppable. The perfect invention really. James Cameron (director) and Stan Winston (special effects) have really outdone themselves. The highlight? There are many, but Schwarzenegger barging in the police station killing everybody is pretty damn exciting.

17. Amon Goeth

Played by: Ralph Fiennes
Film(s): Schindler’s List (1993)
Line: ‘Ah, an educated Jew… like Karl Marx himself. Unterscharfuehrer! Shoot her.’

Can a psycho Nazi killer still be charismatic? Leave it to Ralph Fiennes to pull it off. Even though Goeth commits horrible acts and certainly deserves to die for it, he can be touching in a strange and remote way. A truly remarkable bad guy, right up until his ‘Heil Hitler’ sent off.

16. Judge Doom

Played by: Christopher Lloyd
Film(s): Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Line: ‘Soon, where Toon Town once stood will be a string of gas stations, inexpensive motels, restaurants that serve rapidly prepared food.’

Christopher Lloyd who nailed the ultimately sympathetic ‘Doc’ in Back to the Future, plays a really scary dude here. Judge Doom is one malicious bastard and the type of villain we could use more of: wacky, evil-lookin’ and carrying a dark secret. Brilliant character in a brilliant movie.

15. Anton Chigurh

Played by: Javier Bardem
Film(s): No Country for Old Men (2007)
Line: ‘What’s the most you have ever lost in a coin toss?’

Chigurh is one weird psycho killer for sure. Armed with an oxygen tank and a shotgun he makes life very difficult for the people in the wasteland of the Texas-Nevada borderlands His entrance in No Country for Old Men alone is enough to earn him this position. Add to that his terrible haircut, his deep voice and his seemingly random killing spree and you got an A-grade villain that’s just hard to forget.

14. Freddy Krueger

Played by: Robert Englund
Film(s): A Nightmare on Elm Street series (1984-2003)
Line: ‘I’m your boyfriend now, Nancy.’

The child murdering Freddy literally gives his victims nightmares. Both his burned face and his evil mind tricks can make everybody crap their pants. Freddy is without a doubt the greatest supernatural killer to ever appear on the white screen.

13. Annie Wilkes

Played by: Kathy Bates
Film(s): Misery (1990)
Line: ‘You! You dirty bird! How could you?’

Pour Paul Sheldon. Being captured by his greatest fan is a nightmare beyond imagination. He is constantly walking on eggshells as the slightest provocation will set off Annie Wilkes big time. It’s hard to say what kind of disorder she actually ‘suffers’ from, but there is no doubt that she is completely batshit.

12. Skeletor

Played by: Frank Langella
Film(s): Masters of the Universe (1987)
Line: ‘I am Skeletor.’

Masters of the Universe is no masterpiece, but Frank Langella really elevates the movie with his highly enjoyable appearance. His portrayal of Skeletor, who was already a favorite villain in cartoons, became a most memorable bad guy. His looks are spot on, and he rules his underlings with an iron fist. It’s a total shame that He-Man kicks him into a dark, deep shaft at the end of the movie.

11. Saruman

Played by: Christopher Lee
Film(s): The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001 / 2002 / 2003)
Line: ‘Hunt them down! Do not stop until they are found. You do not know pain, you do not know fear. You’ll taste men-flesh!’

While Sauron may be the real bad guy in The Lord of the Rings, Saruman makes a far greater impression. His voice is perhaps his greatest asset. The way he utters spells and commands is just the ultimate in evil cool. Christopher Lee, almost 80 when he played this, is remarkable in the role that he was born to play. When it comes to evil old wizards surrounded by Orcs, Saruman is the man.

10. Agent Smith

Played by: Hugo Weaving
Film(s): The Matrix (1999) / The Matrix Reloaded (2003) / The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
Line: ‘I will enjoy watching you die…Mr. Anderson.’

Who ever thought a software application could be this menacing? Smith may be funny with his monotone voice and robotic locomotion, but he can be vicious as well. It’s really hard to relax with this guy around, and he is always around. When you think he’s finally gone, he returns with clone abilities. Smith is an unstoppable force of destruction and can ultimately be only stopped by himself. Now that’s pretty bad.

9. Clarence Boddicker

Played by: Kurtwood Smith
Film(s): RoboCop (1987)
Line: ‘Can you fly Bobby?’

It’s not exactly his looks that make Clarence Boddicker ultra villain material. It is his ruthless and merciless attitude. He first shows his vileness, when he kicks one of his wounded cronies out of a moving truck. Soon after, he displays a real sadistic streak when he brutally murders Murphy. Although he’s a street level boss, he meets personally with Dick Jones, Vice President at OCP (Omni Consumer Products) showing he is also an intelligent and competent gang leader.

8. T-1000

Played by: Robert Patrick
Film(s): Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Line: ‘Thank you for your cooperation.’

Robert Patrick as the liquid metal T-1000 is an example of perfect casting. This unstoppable and constantly morphing killing machine is pretty scary at times. The fact that he is wearing a police uniform makes this even worse. Rather than ‘protect and serve’, he fanatically chases John Connor around while killing everybody that gets in his way. Glad to have Schwarzenegger around, the only one with a remote chance to stop it. Now that’s pretty telling.

7. Bill

Played by: David Carradine
Film(s): Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) / Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
Line: ‘Do you find me sadistic?’

Bill is a murderous bastard, but he can be honorable as well. When the Bride arrives to take revenge on Bill for shooting her in the head, he grants her one night with her daughter, who she had presumed to be dead. Make no mistake though, in the duel that follows he would have killed her without mercy if it hadn’t been for her special skills. A classic villain who gets extra points for his great knowledge of martial arts and pop culture.

6. Major Arnold Toht

Played by: Ronald Lacey
Film(s): Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Line: ‘You Americans, you’re all the same. Always overdressing for the wrong occasions.’

The boring communists in The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull showed again what great villains Nazi’s can be. Major Toht is an absolute favorite. A very unpleasant appearance and an equally disturbing voice can make someone cringe. It’s a true relief when his face starts melting towards the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

5. Emperor Palpatine

Played by: Ian McDiarmid
Film(s): Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)
Line: ‘Welcome young Skywalker. I’m looking forward to completing your training. In time, you will call me…master!’

While the Ewoks made Return of the Jedi just a little too child friendly, Ian McDiarmid restored the balance with his dark portrayal of the Emperor. Allegedly, serial killer Jeffrey Damner was a huge fan of Palpatine. This figures, because Palpatine is a true incarnation of evil. Every line he utters comes out as pure poison. He is often underestimated because of his fragile old appearance, but make no mistake! When Palpatine starts using his dark side force techniques there is nobody who can stop him. Well there’s always one.

4. Hans Gruber

Played by: Alan Rickman
Film(s): Die Hard (1988)
Line: ‘Nice suit. John Phillips, London. I have two myself. Rumor has it Arafat buys his there.’

Another German villain to make the list. It is just hard to ignore their bad guy potential. Hans Gruber is the perfect baddie against Bruce Willis’ hero John McClane. He is both ruthless and smart, but certainly not without a sense of humor and style. You gotta hand it to this guy. Up till now, the Die Hard creators haven’t yet found a suitable replacement for him as the villains in the four sequels all made far less of an impression.

3. Frank

Played by: Henry Fonda
Film(s): Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
Line: ‘I could crush you like a wormy apple.’

Not a businessman but ‘just a man’. If that is true, humanity is truly fucked. Look at Frank’s sins: killing a young boy in his first appearance, raping Jill McBain and off course the thing he did to royally piss off Harmonica. Nobody figured the sympathetic Henry Fonda could play a bad guy this well. He proved them dead wrong. Frank is one of the most accomplished villains ever, and Fonda should have won an Oscar for the part.

2. Dr. Hannibal Lecter

Played by: Anthony Hopkins
Film(s): The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Line: ‘I’m having an old friend for dinner.’

Anthony Hopkins delivers a wicked and Oscar-winning performance as Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Charming, extremely intelligent, psychically strong: Lecter has it all. One of the few baddies in this list who actually survives the films he is in, Lecter stands above the regular laws of good and evil. He just does what he does. His character has been exploited a little too much in modern cinema and literature, but his turn in The Silence of the Lambs remains one of the most chilling and spellbinding performances ever in cinema history.

1. Darth Vader

Played by: David Prowse, James Earl Jones (voice)
Film(s): Star Wars Trilogy (1977 / 1980 / 1883)
Line: ‘If you only knew the power of the dark side.’

Its villains have always been the best thing about Star Wars, but Darth Vader is the baddest motherfucker of them all. It is hard to say which is cooler; his voice (and breathing), his name or his appearance. His introduction in A New Hope alone makes him the best movie villain ever. But he also has a fair share in fighting skills, force power and strategy. Just a fantastic character altogether.

Double Bill #03: The Terminator & Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

Forget all the sequels for a minute, and consider the first two The Terminator movies as a diptych. As a diptych, they work perfectly. The first one is a hyper tense thriller, the second one a sensational action movie. The major downside of The Terminator movies, I always thought, is that you have to accept an extremely unlikely plot point. We’re supposed to buy that in the future, the resistance somehow found out about the machines’ new time travel capabilities, and destroyed their one and only time machine after they used it for the very first time. Not only that, the resistance also managed to send through one of their own soldiers before they blew it up. Since the humans are shown to be pretty much cannon fodder in their own environment, how would they be able to penetrate the machines’ base of operations? Anyway, this plot device was necessary to get a futuristic killer robot into the present to stalk the Conners (Sarah in the first, John in the second). Once you accept this unlikely scenario, the execution of both movies is pretty much perfect. In the first Terminator, Schwarz is truly scary as the ultimate hunter-killer. A great move by writer-director James Cameron is that Arnie’s T-800 joins the good team in part 2, but it is now technologically outdated. The new and improved terminator – the T-1000 – is perhaps the coolest non-human character ever created for a film. These movies have inspired countless others with their stories and special effects. The Matrix would never have happened if it wasn’t for these terminators. With more than a whiff of philosophy (“it is in your nature to destroy yourselves”), the two The Terminator movies also deliver deeper, underlying messages apart from just giving us the spectacle. Although there is more than enough from that. In T2, it even goes on pretty much non-stop. You could consider that another downside or just as a realistic screenplay measure following the unlikely time travel plot. After all, once you have a killer like the T-1000 on your tail, a non-stop rollercoaster is what you would get.

[Klaar voor de => “AI-revolutie”]

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

Machines die slimmer zijn dan mensen. Het kan realiteit worden in de toekomst en daar zitten veel haken en ogen aan. Verschillende topexperts brengen de implicaties in kaart in de documentaire We Need To Talk About A.I.

In deze fase zijn we omringt door Narrow AI, kunstmatige intelligentie die een specifieke taak veel beter dan mensen kan uitvoeren. Bijvoorbeeld schaken, autorijden, beleggen, een vliegtuig besturen en gezichten herkennen. Deze AI is vergelijkbaar met een autistische savant. Dit is indrukwekkend, maar staat nog ver af van A.G.I.: Artificial General Intelligence. Mocht dit ooit arriveren, wat gaat er dan gebeuren? De scenario’s in films zijn meestal niet erg rooskleurig. Denk maar aan The Terminator, The Matrix, 2001: A Space Odyssey en Ex Machina. Ook verschillende publieke figuren hebben gewaarschuwd voor de gevaren van AI, zoals Elon Musk, Stephen Hawking en Bill Gates.

Een van de gevaren is dat AGI-machines niet noodzakelijk dezelfde doelen als de mensheid nastreven: het goal alignment probleem. Bijvoorbeeld, wanneer de missie wereldvrede is, dan vindt de AI het misschien wel een goed idee om het hele menselijke ras uit te roeien. Zie bovenstaande films voor dergelijke scenario’s. De film die waarschijnlijk het meest realistische beeld geeft is 2001: A Space Odyssey. De boordcomputer HAL van het ruimteschip Discovery One besluit dat hij de missie naar Jupiter beter zonder bemanning kan uitvoeren, en probeert astronauten om zeep te helpen. Een duidelijk goal alignment probleem. Maar veel AI-experts worden boos van dit soort bangmakerij. Het is onmogelijk om ver vooruit te kijken bij technologische ontwikkelingen. We moeten gewoon bouwen, experimenteren en leren van wat er goed en fout gaat.

Dat kan zo zijn, maar er is wel een grote zorg die tijdig geadresseerd moet worden. Als AGI wordt ontwikkeld kan dat de machtsverhoudingen op de wereld enorm verstoren. Stel dat een dictator als Poetin, Trump of Xi als eerste AGI in handen krijgt… Ik durf er niet aan de denken. Of mogelijk even verschrikkelijk; een tech-gigant als Google of Facebook die ermee aan de haal gaat. Dit is een winner takes all contest. Degene die het als eerste krijgt zal binnen de kortste keren iedere industrie domineren. Hier moeten we afspraken over maken of het kan rampzalig uitpakken.

Maar er is ook heel veel dat AGI kan brengen. Een paar voorbeelden: tijdig de signalen herkennen van hartproblemen, kanker en suïcide. Het sterk verbeteren van verkeersveiligheid. Het laten slagen van veel meer operaties met robotchirurgie. Maar ook het mogelijk maken van een meer gelijkwaardige verdeling van welvaart binnen een vrije markt economie. En zorgen voor meer duurzaamheid en minder oorlog.

Dit klinkt idyllisch, maar een keerzijde hiervan kan weer zijn het inleveren van vrijheid. Een AI dictatorschap dus. Een tussenvorm kan zijn dat de AI als scenarioplanner fungeert die de mens alle ideale beleidsvoorstellen voorlegt. Maar de mensen blijven beslissen. We moeten hoe dan ook nadenken over hoeveel autonomie we machines geven. Dat geldt bijvoorbeeld ook voor zelfrijdende auto’s die ethische keuzes moeten maken, zoals het laten sterven van hun passagier of het inrijden op een groep kinderen. Wie beslist?

Er komt nogal wat bij kijken. En gezien de enorme revolutie die AI gaat inluiden is het niet verkeerd als hier zoveel mogelijk risicomanagement op los te laten. Alles wat er mogelijk verkeerd kan gaan moet in kaart worden gebracht en alle mogelijke maatregelen moeten worden genomen om deze risico’s in te dammen. De vuistregel van riskmanagement-expert Nassim Nicholas Taleb is hier van toepassing: ‘wat moeder natuur doet, is rigoureus totdat het tegendeel is bewezen; wat mens en wetenschap doen, is gebrekkig totdat het tegendeel is bewezen.’ We zijn gewaarschuwd.

Dungeon Classics #5: Escape from Absolom

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

FilmDungeon’s Chief Editor JK sorts through the Dungeon’s DVD-collection to look for old cult favorites….

Escape from Absolom (1994, USA)

Director: Martin Campbell
Cast: Ray Liotta, Lance Henriksen, Stuart Wilson
Running Time: 114 mins.

Actually, this movie – also known as No Escape – is not that good. But it’s childhood nostalgia and has a few things going for it. Ray Liotta is a great actor for starters. And the costumes, that remind of Mad Max, are awesome. In the year 2022 (close now) all US prisons are run by private enterprises (sounds realistic enough). Liotta’s character is a marine who has shot and killed his commanding officer. He is shipped off to a desolated island where there are no guards and no walls; convicts run the show. There are two camps: the barbaric outsiders and the more civilized insiders. Liotta joins the later. He has escape on the brain constantly… but first, there is some fighting that needs to be done. From the producers of Aliens and The Terminator, the tagline promises. No, it’s not that good, but like I said: sweet memories.