Audiences typically start an action film expecting to see its protagonists prevail, but some notable films in the genre show their villains overcoming the odds and coming out on top. When the bad guys win in an action movie, whether it's also a thriller or a superhero story, it can be equal parts exciting and frustrating. Audiences are accustomed to heroes winning, as it is a familiar outcome seen in countless beloved action films.. However, there is still a lot of fun when that is not the case and the bad guys succeed.
In films like Fall from the sky and Avengers: Infinity WarThe villains' victories stimulate fans' expectations for the next films in their respective franchises. Each villain victory in the films listed serves a different purpose, such as setting up an upcoming sequel or addressing the film's themes, as seen in Nocturnal. The bad guy's victory in these films also results in varying reactions from the audience. The performances of some actors are especially tremendous and the audience doesn't feel bad about accepting their victory.
Spoiler warning: Major plot points are discussed for each of the films below.
10
Natural Born Killers (1994)
Directed by Oliver Stone
In Born killers, Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis play Mickey and Mallory Knox, a couple who embark on a violent murder spree. The film explores the way in which the media tends to glorify these horrific crimes, a topic that has become increasingly relevant as the years go by. Born Killers is considered quite controversial. However, The Knoxes' ability to avoid ultimate punishment is not the root of the divide among the public.
Instead, many critics and audiences point to the film's extreme use of violence and graphic scenes that detract from the strength of the message it tries to convey. Yet, Born Killers has a cult following. Seeing Mickey and Mallory get away with their monstrous crimes and become popular media figures makes for an equally frustrating and fascinating viewing experience.
9
Vigilantes (2009)
Directed by Zack Snyder
Based on the famous comic book series of the same name Watchmen follows a group of superheroes investigating the death of former hero Edward Blake, aka the Comedian. Although many criticized the film for its lack of depth Watchmen contains many of the dark elements present in the comics. There's also a substantial amount of gritty action that falls in line with the shift seen in other superhero films of the time.
During the investigation, all signs point to Adrian Veidt, aka Ozymandias, as the culprit. When confronted with the accusations, Ozymandias confesses to a multitude of villainous acts, which include killing the Comedian and framing Doctor Manhattan as a bandit. Although the heroes have Ozymandias' confession, For the sake of peace in the developing world, they choose to keep the truth to themselves, allowing Ozymandias to secure a victory.
8
Alien: Covenant (2017)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Acting as a sequence of Prometheus, Alien: Alliance follows the crew aboard the titular ship as they explore an unknown planet. Conflicting with fans' preconceived beliefs about the origins of xenomorphs Covenant explains that the android David (Michael Fassbender) is the creator of the Foreigner menacing monsters from the series. Much of Covenant is tackled by dark themes about humanity and features a stellar performance from Fassbender as the two android models, David and Walter.
The difference between the two is distinct and the former's behavior creates a great deal of suspense that leads to Covenantis ending. The end of the film shows David posing as the deceased Walter. With the ship's crew in cryosleep, David has everything he needs in front of him to continue his experiments and achieve his true goal of creating the perfect life form.
7
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo
Thanos is a powerful Marvel supervillain. In the third Avengers film, Avengers: Infinity WarThanos is hellbent on collecting the Infinity Stones and using them in his plan to eliminate half of life in the entire universe. It's a pretty substantial plan for Infinity Warto prevent this from happening, and thrilling action scenes depict them teaming up to keep the stones out of Thanos' hands. However, the victory at the end of the film is not what its characters or audience expected.
While there is always a struggle that superheroes must overcome in their films before they can claim victory, many almost always end in the protagonists' success. Infinity War change that when Thanos succeeds in his plans to wipe out half the population, and fans are forced to watch beloved characters disappear as a result. This end to Infinity War it was shocking and exciting at the same time and created great anticipation for the next film, Avengers: Endgame.
6
Fallen (1998)
Directed by Gregory Hoblit
Fallen is led by Denzel Washington as Detective John Hobbes, who investigates a series of murders with his partner Jonesy (John Goodman). The two are under the impression that the killer is a copycat, but they soon put the pieces together and realize that they are facing a demon who possesses people and commits murders. THE The film's supernatural elements create a unique crime thriller and a villain unlike any other.
Although there are brief moments throughout the film where the audience believes the detectives have a chance to defeat the demon, they are ultimately proven wrong in an unexpected and somewhat silly twist at the end. However Fallen It failed at the box office and failed to impress critics, it became a cult classic and is seen as one of Washington's best and underrated performances.
5
Skyfall (2012)
Directed by Sam Mendes
One of James Bond's most iconic villains is Raoul Silva, played by Javier Bardem. In Fall from the skyit is explained that the former MI6 agent was betrayed to the Chinese government by M, and his main goal throughout the film is to get revenge on her. As with many of the James Bond films, There's a lot of exciting action leading up to the moment where the audience sees whether Silva gets what he wants or not.
Bardem is captivating as the film's antagonist. He has strong on-screen chemistry with the film's main characters in addition to his own magnetic presence. Although Silva is killed before he has the opportunity to celebrate his accomplishments, he unfortunately manages to kill M. Played by Judi Dench, M's death is one of the greatest moments in Daniel Craig's story. James Bond films. His death had a huge impact on Bond and the rest of the franchise.
4
The Night Tracker (2014)
Directed by Dan Gilroy
Jake Gyllenhaal stars as the villain in NocturnalLou Bloom. The film is about Lou's efforts to find a job as a thief. When he finds some freelance photojournalists, Lou realizes he can make a profit by filming crime scenes and sending them to a local news station. When Lou learns that the news is especially interested in graphic crimes, Lou goes to extreme lengths to alter crime scenes to obtain unique footage.
As Born Killers, Nocturnal is interested in examining the relationship of the media and its viewers to violent crime. NocturnalLou's themes are primarily concerned with unethical journalism practices and the consumer demand that fuels Lou's heinous behavior. Seeing how far Lou is willing to go to use the pain of others to his advantage, it is harrowing to see his triumph. With a manufactured charm, Lou is extremely kind to others and is able to successfully expand his business.
3
The Dark Knight (2008)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Because of the way the Joker's journey ends in The Dark KnightThere is debate over who actually won in the film. In addition to the chaos created throughout the film, a final act of chaos committed by the Joker (Heath Ledger) is an orchestrated plan in which two rafts will explode unless the passengers on one of the rafts sacrifice the other. Things don't go as the Joker expected and his last appearance in The Dark Knight is before being arrested.
This makes it seem like Batman has won victory, but it doesn't last long as the Joker tells the superhero his main objective. The villain successfully corrupted District Attorney Harvey Dentand his death at the hands of Batman indicates a victory for the Joker. Furthermore, believing it is best for Gotham, Batman takes the blame for Harvey's villainous actions as Two-Face.
2
Old Boy (2003)
Directed by Park Chan Wook
Compared to other action films where the villain wins, old boythe victory is not so clear. The acclaimed Korean film follows Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik), who, after being imprisoned by a mysterious figure for 15 years, seeks revenge on the person who held him captive. Eventually, it is revealed that the person responsible is Lee Woo-jin (Yoo Ji-tae), who also acted on revenge plans as he believes Dae-su played a role in his sister's suicide.
Violence and action within old boy are brutal and sometimes difficult to watch, but it's also a psychological thriller that messes with the audience's head. The themes of revenge are fascinating, and the results of Dae-su and Woo-jin's actions lead to a complicated ending. Technically, Woo-jin manages to make Dae-su feel the same pain he felt all the years before. Dae-su doesn't die, but his ending isn't particularly happy either. He was emotionally shaken, just as Woo-jin expected.
1
No Country for Old Men (2007)
Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
The Coen brothers There is no country for old people is based on the novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy and follows the intertwined story of three characters, Llewelyn Moss, Ed Tom Bell and Anton Chigurh. The latter acts as the film's villain, who is after Llewelyn and the briefcase he has, which contains a large sum of money. However There is no country for old people has all the ingredients of a traditional western film, its ending proves to be a little more complicated.
There is no intense final shootout with the three main characters pointing guns at each other, resulting in the villain's defeat. Instead, Llewelyn is killed and Anton wins by taking the stolen money, killing Llewelyn's wife, and escaping legal punishment. from Sheriff Bell. The end of There is no country for old people points to a world that Bell struggles with, where immoral behavior and violence prevail, as seen in Anton's actions.