Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Top 10 Villains: #8















Warden Samuel Norton from, The Shawshank Redemption, at first glance seems like a very respectful and honorable man.  He is quite fair with the hero of the film, Andy Dufresne:  a man wrongfully accused of murdering his wife and her lover.  He is well versed in the Bible and is God fearing, but maybe not too much.  In truth he is a corrupt, emotionless man who sees dollar signs with Andy.  Andy is a well trained banker and helps keep track of Shawshank Prison's finances, but also launders the money for Norton's personal gain.

SPOILER ALERT:  And when Andy actually has a chance of getting out of Shawshank, based on a confession one of the prisoners heard from another, Norton has Andy put in solitary and the confessional prisoner killed.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Top 10 Villains: #9
















Francis Begbie, was introduced through Danny Boyle's 1996 Scottish drama, Trainspotting.  The film concerns the heroin-fueld exploits of Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) and his friends:  Spud, Sick Boy, Tommy, and Begbie (played by Robert Carlyle).  Begbie is the only one of these characters that does not do heroin, yet he can be considered more insane than the rest.  Begbie is a violent man who is easily agitated by the smallest things and would betray his friends the second his life depended on it, or any time.  He constantly puts them in danger by getting into random bar fights just for fun.  In fact, it can be said that his friends drug of choice is heroin, while his is the adrenaline of fighting large groups of people.  At one point, after he finishes telling a false story to his friends, he chucks a pint of beer off a balcony just so he can take part in the ensuing brawl.