Films Biggest Anti Hero

[Paul 584]

In films who do you think is the character presented as the hero but, upon reflection, is in fact a villain?

 

For me its Deckard in Blade Runner. I only realised this morning that in effect the guy is a government sponsored killer of escaped slaves. Now thats ****ed up big style.

[Guest Phil]

yeah that's one of the reasons I never really enjoyed Blade Runner, Deckards hates himself and his life, yet he's perfectly willing to kill those who actually want to live their life to it's fullest, very f*cked up.

 

I know it's wierd but I'd say Willy Wonka was a a bit of an anti-hero, in as much as he's supposed to be someone who loves children and wants to share his factory with them, but really he's just a bitter, cruel old man who wants to see children suffer. Or at least that's how I see him.

[Paul 584]

I LOVE Blade Runner, but I'd always seen it from the POV of the Replicants. Its just I'd never really realised what that made Deckard (plus that death scene just blows every other one out of the water).

 

Good point on Willy Wonker, I think thats why I like the remake, they play that up wierd psychotic side.

[Guest Kasabifan]

Ed Norton in Fight Club or De Niro in Taxi Driver.

 

I dont even know if they are presented in a sympathetic manner as such, but they just strike me as anti-heroes.

[Paul 584]

I have to admit to not having seen Taxi Driver. But Ed Norton is a definiate anti hero, all the way through hes being treated as a nice guy trying to work out who he is in such a materilistic society that judges you on what you own rather than who you are. Its only near the end you find how big of a mentalist he really is.

 

Deckard is far more subtle IMO.

[DC 536]

Verbal Kint in The Usual Suspects, Leonard Shelby from Momento, Michael Faraday in Arlington Road (in a manner of speaking), Robert Neville in I Am Legend, Harry Angel from Angel Heart and Fallen's John Hobbes could all fall into that category.

[Paul 584]

Neville is a good one, especially in the version where he still kills them after realising.

[Guest Reno]

Ed Norton in Fight Club or De Niro in Taxi Driver.

 

I dont even know if they are presented in a sympathetic manner as such, but they just strike me as anti-heroes.

 

I agree with Travis Bickle, for definate.

 

I've now got to re-watch Blade Runner since DS pointed out about Deckard. I love the film.

[JobberJoe 108]

Leonard Shelby from Momento

 

Is this the Asylum version of Chris Nolan's wonderful MEmento?

 

;)

[DC 536]

I forgot how to spell it.

[Guest Jimmy Redman]

I havent seen Blade Runner since high school. I didnt actually enjoy it as much as some other stuff I studied (and that sort of sci fi thing isnt my cup of tea anyway) so I've had no inclination to watch it again. I might though, its been a while.

[The Icon 152]

DC made a mistake let's all ridicule him for the next...

 

 

 

 

Ok enough of that it was a spelling error.

 

 

 

My Favourite antiheros are Danny Archer from Blood Diamond, Dirty Harry and Chev Chelios from Crank. Oh and a special mention to Eric Draven, Lester Burnham and The Dude.

[Guest Anime Otaku]

The Dude is probably the first actual anti-hero (Protagonist with no heroic qualities at all) to be mentioned in this thread.

Out of character's people call anti-heroes I'd say Wolverine from X-men is notable by his absence so far and totally agree with Dirty Harry.

The expected anime examples from me would be Spike Speigel from Cowboy Bebop and Zaraki Kenpatchi from Bleach and back to the original no heroic type, Ikari Shinji from Evangelion and Tenkawa Akito from Martian Successor Nadesico, before anyone says anything the anime characters are from TV Series but at least one movie was made for each too.

 

[edit] What about basically every "good guy" in Sin City?

[The Icon 152]

The Dude is probably the first actual anti-hero (Protagonist with no heroic qualities at all) to be mentioned in this thread.

Out of character's people call anti-heroes I'd say Wolverine from X-men is notable by his absence so far and totally agree with Dirty Harry.

The expected anime examples from me would be Spike Speigel from Cowboy Bebop and Zaraki Kenpatchi from Bleach and back to the original no heroic type, Ikari Shinji from Evangelion and Tenkawa Akito from Martian Successor Nadesico, before anyone says anything the anime characters are from TV Series but at least one movie was made for each too.

 

[edit] What about basically every "good guy" in Sin City?

 

Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z?

 

Hargreaves from Godchild?

 

 

Ben Linus from Lost

Edited January 17, 2011 by The Icon

[Evil Gringo 279]

Han Solo anyone?

 

Dude was it for money and chicks and thats all - he didn't care who run the Galaxy so long as he could make some credits and bang some tail.

 

Also heres a thought - Indiana Jones.

 

Now I can hear you saying stuff about how he fought the Nazi's and the Commies and the weird Indian heart rippers but ask yourself this - would Indy have done that if they weren't in the way of him getting an artifact and getting more money and fame?

 

Much like Han, Indy cares about money and girls with the added addition of old historic items.

 

He leaves a women at the alter bearing his child and runs off to go nick more cultural treasures from their original owners, you could argue he didn't know about the child but the fact is he didn't care at all.

 

Face it, when you look at his motivations and the root of his actions, Indy is not a true hero at all.

[The Icon 152]

Han Solo anyone?

 

Dude was it for money and chicks and thats all - he didn't care who run the Galaxy so long as he could make some credits and bang some tail.

 

Also heres a thought - Indiana Jones.

 

Now I can hear you saying stuff about how he fought the Nazi's and the Commies and the weird Indian heart rippers but ask yourself this - would Indy have done that if they weren't in the way of him getting an artifact and getting more money and fame?

 

Much like Han, Indy cares about money and girls with the added addition of old historic items.

 

 

He leaves a women at the alter bearing his child and runs off to go nick more cultural treasures from their original owners, you could argue he didn't know about the child but the fact is he didn't care at all.

 

Face it, when you look at his motivations and the root of his actions, Indy is not a true hero at all.

 

The writers knew that full well about Indy. Look at the villians spech in Raiders. The speech about how you (Indy) and I are not so unlike each other.

Edited January 17, 2011 by The Icon

[Evil Gringo 279]

Yes but how many people ignore that fact and simply feel Indy is heroic?

 

I mean it is hard for people to look at the character flaws of a man when they are a child watching the film and see him face melt Nazi's (the most evil people in history) but a lot of people have seemed to gloss over his basic dickishness over the years.

[The Icon 152]

Ok here is one, the lead characters in GTA Vice city and on. (GTA 1 and 2 are clear villians/criminals.) Ok so they are not films but Carl and Tommy and company are not heroes nor villians. Are they therefore antiheroes? I say yes.

 

Take Carl he is the protagonist of GTA: San Andreas, alhough this arguably puts him in the classification of a "hero" rather than a "villain" he can still qualify as a villain for the fact that he is a major player in the world of organised crime. So if he is both he must be an antihero.

Edited January 17, 2011 by The Icon

[Guest Jayfunk]

I LOVE Blade Runner, but I'd always seen it from the POV of the Replicants. Its just I'd never really realised what that made Deckard (plus that death scene just blows every other one out of the water).

 

Good point on Willy Wonker, I think thats why I like the remake, they play that up wierd psychotic side.

 

The film is good but the book is great, his character is far more (as you would expect) draw out and his motivations are better

[Evil Gringo 279]

Well seen as Vice City is pretty much just Scarface and Vince is based a bit on Tony Montana then it is safe to say that yes, he is an anti-hero.

 

Same with Carl and the same with Nikoli in GTA 4. They all have a good intention and go about it in some messed up ways.