Regarded as one of the best filmmakers of all time, Stanley Kubrick has a long list of unique movies. Characterized by dark humor, realism, crisp cinematography, and perfect choices of classical music, the movies are mostly adaptations of popular books. And they sure have fascinating characters.
Kubrick's movies have plenty of memorable heroes but in most of them, the villains shine brighter than those who did what is morally right. This is not only because their arcs are perfect but also because the actors that play them give extraordinary performances. Add Kubrick's directorial skills and it's easy to see why the villains attained legendary status.
The drill instructor in one of the best ever platoon-war movies is shown to be extremely brutal while dealing with trainees. He often yells at them, hits them, and gives them harsh punishments. His constant bullying of Private Pyle leads the recruit to become psychologically unhinged and thus kill him.
Though Hartman's methods are meant to toughen up the recruits, he can't help but be unnecessarily tough. He prefers blanket punishments even when it's only one person that has committed an offense. Such is the case when Pyle sneaks a jelly doughnut into the dorm. He is extremely insensitive too, and his constant taunting of Pyle, even when the recruit has live ammo, causes him to get killed.
After taking up a caretaker position at the Overlook Hotel, writer Jack Torrance and his family realize the place is haunted. After a series of weird events, Jack attempts to kill his family.
Some of the best villains are those that morph from good to bad and Jack is one such example. When he arrives at the hotel. he is simply looking to provide for his family but then events beyond his control turn him into a monster. Jack also has one of the scariest faces of every movie villain, as well as some of the tensest scenes too, including one where he chases his son around with an ax. Jack's scary moments are a big reason why The Shining is considered one of the best horror movies of all time.
When the gladiator known as Spartacus organizes a slave revolt, Roman general, Crassus, makes it his mission to stop them. With the help of a young Julius Ceasar and other military strategists, he manages to put an end to the rebellion.
An extremely unlikeable character, Crassus is full of contempt for slaves and every other member of the lower class. The greatest villains do the most harm to the protagonist and Crassus does this by not only taking Spartacus' lover away but also crucifying most of his fellow warriors. His legions also prove too massive to break, leading to the defeat of Spartacus.
In one of the best ever political satire movies, a former Nazi scientist happens to be President Muffley's adviser. When there's a threat of a nuclear war, he proposes that elite men be kept in bunkers with hundreds of women so that they can repopulate the earth.
Dr. Strangelove is an intelligent and charming villain. Not only does he manage to impress President Muffley with his scientific knowledge, leading him to hire him, but also keeps his Nazi past a secret for most of the running time. He also has some stereotypical villain features, including a mechanical arm that ends up malfunctioning and making Nazi salutes. He isn't without his comical moments either, including one where he refers to the President as "Mein Fuehrer."
After protagonist Barry marries the countess, Lady Lyndon, his son. Lord Bullingdon, comes to despise him. After several attempts at sabotaging Barry, he challenges him to a duel.
Bullingdon can pride himself on being among the few antagonists that end up victorious. Shooting Barry in the leg proves to be the protagonist's undoing as the leg gets amputated. Since he's great at seizing opportunities, Bullingdon takes over the estate while Barry is recovering and banishes him.
While French forces are engaging in trench warfare during World War I, General Broulard orders one of the military commanders to attack a well-defended German territory. After the failure of the attack, he court-martials 3 soldiers for defying an order.
By sending his own men to a well-defended position, Broulard paints himself as a man who cares more about bloodshed than victory. Still, he doesn't have the tiniest bit of regret. He does even worse by supporting the executions of soldiers who refused to participate in the attacks due to the risk of it all. Additionally, he is ever willing to throw anyone under the boss if it'll help him cover up his mistakes. Such is what he does to General Mireau.
A member of a secret society where wealthy members engage in strange sexual acts, Ziegler thrives in sadism. When his personal doctor, who he had invited to a party, tries to uncover the death of a girl, Ziegler tries to silence him.
Mostly operating in the shadows, Ziegler has goons willing to do his dirty work for him. He rarely makes appearances and when he does, his threats are cold and deadly. He is also good at covering up deaths and despite painting himself as an extremely despicable person, he never quite pays for his sins since his doctor chooses to walk away.
Writer Mr. Alexander chances upon a gang leader who once raided his home. He thus tortures him, driving him to the point of near suicide.
Mr. Alexander is a sympathetic villain because his extreme punitive ventures are driven by the desire for vengeance. After all, the gang leader had crippled him. However, he is sinister too. The reason he captures the gang leader in the first place is that he has been subjected to the government's controversial Ludovico Technique, which erases the minds of criminals. Mr. Alexander intends to use this to blackmail the government but soon discovers that the gang leader is the man who once attacked him.
A movie that was ahead of its time just so happens to have a villain that is a supercomputer. HAL, a computer with a human mind, controls the Discovery One spacecraft headed for Jupiter.
HAL's reign of terror begins when the astronauts realize it is making errors and try to disconnect it. The computer's murderous rampage is a creative one as it mostly involves tricking the astronauts into going outside to fix an antenna problem only for it to lock them out. Its lip-reading abilities are impressive too. Even when the astronauts go to a different room to ta secretly, it's still able to figure out what they are saying.
Quilty survives when he is shot by a British professor early in the movie. After realizing that the Professor is obsessed with a woman named Lolita, he makes it his mission to get to her first.
Quilty is a master of disguise. He changes his appearance in order to be close to Lolita and the professor doesn't figure out it's him. He also tricks Lolita into sleeping with him, something that deeply devastates the professor when he finds out. Quilty does even worse by kidnapping Lolita, leaving the professor sad and resolute.
