100 Most Memorable Film Characters Of All Time: The Top Ten
killer, and who could have possibly pulled off that kind of feat besides the always great Anthony Hopkins? Through three films, Hannibal Lecter has become the most complex and magnetic screen villain that has perhaps ever existed. We can't get enough of watching him, while at the same time still fearing his quiet rage, and the knowledge of what we know he is capable of. I mean, he's a cannibal of all things, and yet he remains endearing. He is the educated serial killer, one who can strike fear just from the calmness of his voice as he goes toe to toe with Jodie Foster first, Julianne Moore second, or Edward Norton third. In the first landmark film, which brought him a much deserved Oscar, he is at his best, causing fear even while he remains locked up in that cell, trying to help Clarice Starling as she tracks down an even more loathsome serial killer. In HANNIBAL, he is unleashed into the world, and while often times over the top, he still retains that icy coldness and charm, especially during the final sequences with Clarice. In the prequel RED DRAGON, we get a more similar portrait to what we remembered of him in SILENCE, back in his cell, trying to horrify the world while being confined. It's an astonishing portrait of evil and horror, and he will always remain one of the larger than life icons of cinema history.
4) HAL in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (Voiced by Douglas Rain) Yes indeed, a computer ranks this high on my list of the most memorable characters of all time. Widely known as my favorite film of all time, the HAL 9000 computer, which remains one of the most memorable parts of Stanley Kubrick's enduring masterpiece, only has a glaring red "eye" and a soothing voice, which calms and chills at the same time. The computer represents the next evolution in intelligence that we as human beings will no doubt one day achieve, and he remains a warning for what might happen when that intelligence eventually takes over, giving the computer to possibility to take human life away. When we first sense the insecurities of the computer as his human companions doubt his abilities to recognize a fault in one of the ship's systems on their journey to Jupiter, we know we are watching a "character" of truly interesting depth. As he slowly takes
Latest Articles