Wendall--every other Thursday A lot of my screenwriting students struggle with creating
antagonists, so I’ve spent time lately ruminating on some classic movie
villains, to see what they have in common and what separates them. My
conclusion is that most of them fall into one of three categories. The first type of film villain exudes a pure,
almost cartoonish evil—think Margaret Hamilton’s Wicked Witch of the West in The
Wizard of Oz , Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight , Will Farrell’s
Mugatu in Zoolander , Alan Rickman’s Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin
Hood , Dan Ackroyd’s Grocer in Grosse Pointe Blank , Faye Dunaway’s
Diana in Network , or Javier Bardem’s Anton in No Country for Old Men .
They are all in their way grotesques and
caricatures, but potent ones. Who wasn't afraid of The Wicked Witch of the West? The hair flip! The sneer! These
characters represent the darkest part of the Id—the part the Superego is
supposed to control. Even though these characters are often written as over the
top, this does not diminish their ability to be terrifying or to harm the
protagonist. They will use anything to achieve their own ends. The late Heath Ledger owns "over the top." The other crucial aspect of
the “cartoon” villains is that they are
seeking to destroy the existing status quo and creating a new one in
which they are more powerful/relevant/rewarded. Faye Dunaway won't stop until she runs the Network. The
second kind of villain represents authority and order gone mad. These villains
are made of a colder evil and their goal is the opposite of the “cartoon”
villain’s–-they are obsessed with maintaining the status quo and protecting
their personal power.
Examples of this type include
Louise Fletcher’s Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest , Hugo
Weaving’s Agent Smith in The Matrix , Tommy Lee Jones’s Federal Marshal
in The Fugitive , John Huston’s Noah Cross in Chinatown , Tilda
Swinton’s executive in Michael Clayton , Bill Nighy’s Sir Bernard
Pellingham in The Constant Gardener , James Cromwell’s LAPD Captain in LA
Confidential , James Mason’s Kincannon in The Verdict , or Michael
Shannon’s Strickland in The Shape of Water . This kind of villain also
appears in comedies, in characters like James Atherton’s EPA agent in Ghostbusters
or the millionaire brothers in Trading Places . Least nurturing nurse, ever. He doesn't care.
These villains are
particularly dangerous, because they are usually in positions of power and can manipulate
both the protagonist and those around them. They are part of the system and
they understand how it works. So it’s much more difficult to fight this kind of
cold evil, and, in the case of Cuckoo’s Nest, Chinatown , and The
Constant Gardener , the authoritarian villain succeeds in thwarting (or
destroying) the protagonist. Money always wins. The interesting thing I
found in watching all these films is that the best “cartoon” and
“authoritarian” villains usually only appear five or six times. Otherwise, they
can overwhelm the story. Perhaps we are
worried about what they’re up to when they’re off screen?
However, the third type of
villain, the “mentor antagonist,” is more ever-present. "Greed is good."
Examples of these kind of
antagonists include Michael Douglas’s Gordon Gecko in Wall Street,
Denzel Washington’s Alonzo in Training Day , Jack Nicholson’s crime boss
in The Departed , Judi Dench's school teacher in Notes on a Scandal ,
and to some extent Anthony Hopkins’s
Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, though he has cartoon
elements as well. Keeping Ethan Hawke off balance. These mentor/antagonists can also operate to great
effect in comedies, with characters like Shirley MacLaine's mother in Postcards
From the Edge , or Meryl Streep's magazine editor in The Devil Wears
Prada . Shirley MacLaine's actress mother is the quintessential mentor/antagonist. In each case, the antagonist
is initially someone the protagonist admires or they represent something the
protagonist wants. Often the main character approaches the mentor, as in the
case of Charlie Sheen’s Bud in Wall Street, Jodie Foster’s Clarice in The Silence of the Lambs , or Ann Hathaway’s Andie in The Devil Wears
Prada .
In my opinion, there is a
consistent pattern of encounters in these stories. The initial “meet” involves
humiliation—the antagonist verbally insults the protagonist and accuses them of
being either silly, inadequate, or not worthy to even approach the
‘throne.’ But the insults are soon
followed by praise or a vote of confidence and this dynamic alternates early in
the story, constantly keeping the protagonist off balance. There’s usually a
“honeymoon period” before the antagonist’s true agenda is revealed at the
midpoint. The boss from hell. This mentor relationship also
involves at least one moment of vulnerability, where the protagonist sees the
antagonist at a disadvantage or in a powerless position, which complicates the
moral choices to follow.
Ultimately, though, the
protagonist must either leave or betray
the mentor relationship in order for them to complete their rite of
passage.
These kinds of villains are
more complex to write, but they are also the ones who most frequently win
Oscars, so they are worth serious study.
I’d love your views on whether these categories apply to
crime fiction as well.
--Wendall
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