Hello again, sorry about the delay with this one but the moment has finally come for me to give my pick for the top 25 film heroes. This will be the third and final installment in my series of posts about some of the greatest characters in cinema, my first focused on the villains, my previous focused on the antiheroes and this one will focus on the heroes. Over the years there have been a variety of memorable heroes on the big screen from superhumans, to warriors and even just a few nice guys, the list of names would be almost infinite. However, the following list is my pick for the top 25. Warning, may contain spoilers.
25. James Bond- James Bond franchise
Although the famous British agent can be seen as a bit sexist, he has done a lot to protect his country and even the world from the tyranny of evildoers such as the diabolical organisation SPECTRE. Suave and kitted out with all the latest gadgets, Bond has become an icon of cinema and has starred in over 20 films with a number of different actors taking up the role over the years. Known for his love of martini's that are shaken, not stirred, he is a recognisable character despite the changing faces over the years, he has combatted everything from crime lords and terrorists and even men who just love gold making him a highly successful agent of MI-6.
24. R.P. McMurphy- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Veteran of the Korean War and petty criminal, McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) could well be considered an antihero, but I have decided to put him on the heroes list due to the immense kindness he showed to his fellow patients at the Salem State Hospital. After managing to be declared insane, McMurphy avoids a prison sentence and instead is sent to an asylum where he bonds with his fellow patients and clashes with the nasty Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher). He encourages the patients to have more independence, to enjoy themselves and rise against Ratched and in this he is successful. However, things do not end well for McMurphy as his behaviour eventually gets him a lobotomy courtesy of Ratched and he is finally put out of his misery by the silent Chief (Will Sampson). Despite not making it out alive, McMurphy inspired the patients to be more independent and free, he was successful.
23. George Bailey- It's A Wonderful Life
Another man who gained his heroism by inspiring others, George Bailey (James Stewart) was a friendly, kind and ambitious man who spent his life putting others before himself to help the citizens of Bedford Falls. However, as his life goes on he realises that these acts of kindness have prevented him from living out his own hopes and dreams, this along with going broke prompts him to wish that he had never been born, a wish granted by the clumsy angel Clarence (Henry Travers). George is a more grounded sort of hero compared to further entries on our list, he is a family man who suffers with the same issues as regular people and despite his own troubles, he always manages to help others before helping himself, a true gentleman. In the end, after seeing the bleak world in which he never existed, George realises how effective he has been to others and that it really is a wonderful life.
22. Abraham Van Helsing- Bram Stoker's Dracula
There have been multiple portrayals of Van Helsing over the years, from horror legend Peter Cushing's to the more recent of Hugh Jackman, however my personal favourite (one which is very faithful to the character from Stoker's novel) is Anthony Hopkins'. Hopkins portrays the doctor/vampire slayer in Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of Dracula and in this role he really captures the balance between vampire slayer and academic. He is extremely intelligent in both science and the occult and along with this he is also fearless, taking on Dracula's (Gary Oldman) evil brides. In this version, the animosity between Van Helsing and the Count is more explicit than a lot of depictions which is another reason as to why Hopkins' version is my favourite portrayal.
21. Rick Blaine- Casablanca
One of Humphrey Bogart's greatest roles, the sharp talking, no-nonsense Rick Blaine owned a nightclub in Casablanca that was frequented by the numerous refugees in the area. Rick is a bitter man, mainly due to his former lover Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) leaving him in Paris, however when she resurfaces in Casablanca he gradually becomes more forgiving and agrees to help her flee to America. He is a man who, despite his tough demeanour, is willing to help those who he holds dear, in this case Ilsa. He goes to great lengths to get her the necessary papers to flee to America, evading the sinister S.S. on the way, all in the name of love. In the end he accepts that Ilsa would not be happy with him in Casablanca and lets her go, his mind finally at ease.
20. Jeffrey 'The Dude' Lebowski- The Big Lebowski
Probably the least heroic hero on the list, The Dude (Jeff Bridges) is an unemployed stoner from Los Angeles who spends his time bowling and drinking white russians. However, a case of mistaken identity manages to get him involved in finding the kidnapped wife of a billionaire who's name is also Jeffrey Lebowski (David Huddleston). He is a man with little worry and not a care in the world, until his rug gets pissed on, as Sam Elliots' character accurately puts it, 'the dude abides'. Accompanied by his friends, the Vietnam obsessed Walter (John Goodman) and the oblivious Donny (Steve Buscemi), The Dude eventually gets to the bottom of the kidnapping case, facing nihilists, pornographic directors and a marmot on the way.
19. Andy Dufresne- The Shawshank Redemption
After being convicted of killing his wife and her lover, Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is sent to Shawshank State Penitentiary to undergo two life sentences. At Shawshank, Dufresne faces the harsh reality of prison, facing off against a gang of rapists and the corrupt prison warden, Samuel Norton (Bob Gunton), however he also finds friendship in fellow inmate and contraband smuggler Red (Morgan Freeman). Dufresne eventually puts his knowledge to use and begins to manage the finances of the prisons employees, however as all this is going on, Dufresne organised one of the greatest prison escapes of all time. He gradually dug a massive hole from his wall to the sewers, hidden by posters given to him by Red. After years of being exploited and intimidated by Warden Norton, Dufresne finally escaped Shawshank and exposes what really went on inside the prison.
18. Atticus Finch- To Kill A Mockingbird
In a society where prejudice and discrimination are the norm, Atticus Finch (Gergory Peck) stands out among the citizens as a man of reason with an open mind. As a lawyer, he is challenged with defending an African American man named Tom Robinson (Brock Peters), something that was quite difficult during the 1930's when the film is set. Finch does not conform to the discriminative views of many of the other people, he takes in to account the facts and logic behind Tom's case to best defend him with. This makes Atticus a figure who many of the locals begin to question, people actually begin to dislike him because of how he defends Tom however it gains him immense respect from his children and sets a brilliant example for them. Peck's performance as Finch gained immense acclaim and he even befriended the author of the book upon which the film was based, Harper Lee.
17. The Driver- Drive
A man of few words, the nameless driver (Ryan Gosling) is a stuntman by day and getaway driver by night, taking part in jobs for criminals around LA. However, this criminal association does not at all make the driver a bad guy, he is a kindhearted man who becomes a protective figure over his neighbour Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her son Benicio (Kaden Leos). The Driver becomes involved in a job involving Irene's husband (Oscar Isaac) that goes awry, sending him on a violent journey through LA's criminal underworld. True, he could be more of an antihero but to me The Driver is just a good guy who gets involved in bad things, however he is in no way a bad guy, he is merely protective over the ones he loves.
16. Captain Jack Sparrow- Pirates of the Caribbean franchise
Outlaw and rum lover, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is a different sort of hero. He is an eccentric pirate who was betrayed by his crew aboard his ship The Black Pearl before being marooned on a desert island. The rogueish Sparrow has went on a variety of adventures from fending off ghost pirates to facing the Kraken itself, proving himself to be one of the bravest pirates who ever lived. Along with this immense courage, Sparrow is quite an oddball from his appearance to his walk, he is not your conventional swashbuckling pirate. He is arguably one of Depp's greatest roles and is also a hero offscreen as well as Depp has been known to visit schools and children's hospital in the guise of the eccentric pirate.
15. Max Rockatansky- Mad Max franchise
Former law enforcer in a post-apocalyptic Australia, Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson) or 'Mad Max' as you may know him, lost both his wife and infant son to a gang of ruthless criminals. After enacting his revenge on his families killers, Max began to wander the wasteland on his own, helping those who he encounters on the way. Skilled and resourceful, Max has managed to survive the savage wasteland for a long time and is no stranger to violence or danger, although he generally tries to keep to himself there are times when he finds himself tasked with helping others and protecting people from the more violent residents of the wasteland. More recently he was portrayed by Tom Hardy as opposed to Gibson in the fourth installment Fury Road where he aids Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) take down the sinister Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne). Once he has completed this task he simply leaves and continues to wander, this is his way of life.
14. Beatrix Kiddo- Kill Bill
Quentin Tarantino's two-part revenge flick Kill Bill gave us one of cinemas greatest heroines, Beatrix 'The Bride' Kiddo (Uma Thurman). After her former teammates of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad attempt to murder her on her wedding day, killing her husband, The Bride decided to enact her revenge one by one before killing their leader Bill (David Carradine). She is one of the deadliest women alive, skilled in martial arts and lethal with a katanna, however she also fights with great honour and respect, the way she was trained to be. Things only get more complicated for The Bride when she realises that Bill is in possession of her daughter, the daughter she previously thought was dead. Along with being incredibly skilled, Kiddo is shown to be a woman with immense determination who will stop at nothing until her revenge is complete, a true force to be reckoned with.
13. Martin Brody- Jaws
Being the chief of police in the small island community of Amity does not entail much, it is a relatively peaceful community..that is until a great white shark comes along. Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) becomes aware of the gruesome shark attacks and seeks to keep the popular beaches of Amity closed until the beast can be stopped, however the Mayor (Murray Hamilton) does not allow this as he believes it will effect tourism. Brody is a family man, a quality that makes him even more protective when the shark attacks begin, along with this he feels it is his duty to protect the people of Amity as the Chief of Police. Along with marine biologist Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and Quint (Robert Shaw), a shark hunter, Brody sets out to kill the shark himself and despite his boat being destroyed and him almost being eaten alive, Brody destroys the beast, making the waters safe again... until Jaws 2..and Jaws 3-D..and (although we try to forget) Jaws: The Revenge.
12. Marty McFly- Back to the Future franchise
80's teenager Marty Mcfly's (Michael J. Fox) life gets turned around when he travels back to 1955 in a makeshift time machine constructed by his friend Dr. Emmett Brown. This sets off a chain of events that has Marty in a race against time to set things right in the past so that the future will stay intact. Although school is not his strong point, Marty is a skilled skateboarder and a talented guitarist (supposedly inspiring Chuck Berry) along with having a great sense of humor. He is a likeable character who is especially relateable to teenagers (In the 80's anyway) just don't call him chicken. Through time travel he has managed to save his family, Doc. Brown and even his home town from becoming a metropolis of corruption and filth. Next to The Doctor, McFly is one of the coolest time travelers ever.
11. Batman- Batman franchise
Okay, don't get me wrong I love Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight movies and I love Christian Bale, but that bat-voice was so unnecessary that I had to pick Michael Keaton's Batman over him. That's right, before he was Birdman, Michael Keaton was Batman in Tim Burton's first two installments to the franchise before said franchise was killed by Joel Schumacher. When his parents were gunned down in an alleyway when he was young, billionaire Bruce Wayne decided to train himself to become a vigilante who would fight the criminals of Gotham City, thus Batman was born.I like Keaton's portrayal, sure the costume's a bit rubbery and stuff but he is imposing and brooding the way Batman should be, even the voice was natural and did not sound too forced or anything.
10. John McClane- Die Hard franchise
A detective in the wrong place at the wrong time. John McClane (Bruce Willis) was looking forward to a simple night of drinks and laughs at a Christmas party, until the party came under attack by German terrorists. John then found himself reluctantly combating the criminals and even resorting to walking barefoot on glass to defeat the evil Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), thus a legend was born. He is a hard as nails cop with a penchant for one-liners such as his signature 'yippie-ki-yay motherfucker', generally finding himself in the wrong place at the wrong time in almost each of the subsequent films. This hard persona along with his wit and resourcefulness make John a likeable character and despite the circumstances, he always manages to take down the bad guy making him one of cinema's coolest action heroes.
9. Luke Skywalker- Star Wars franchise
Son of former Jedi turned Sith lord Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) grew up on the desert planet of Tatooine under the guardianship of his aunt and uncle. After an encounter with the droids C-3P0 (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) Luke began his adventures across the galaxy and his journey from humble moisture farmer to Jedi master. Along with being skilled in the ways of the force, he is also a skilled pilot and managed to destroy the first Death Star with a combination of the force and a carefully aimed blast from the gun on his X-Wing. Above everything else, he is a loyal friend and goes to great lengths to keep his companions safe as seen when he rescues Han Solo (Harrison Ford) from the clutches of the slimy Jabba the Hutt (Larry Ward).
8. Ash Williams- Evil Dead franchise
Ash (Bruce Campbell) was once your average college student, he had a good group of friends, a loving girlfriend and his future was looking pretty bright, that was until one faithful night changed his life forever. During a getaway to a remote cabin in the woods Ash came across the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, the book of the dead, and when he read from its pages an ancient evil was unleashed upon him and his friends. After murdering his possessed friends and girlfriend, losing his hand and even getting possessed himself briefly, Ash made the transition into one of the coolest and grooviest heroes of horror cinema. Armed with his signature boomstick and chainsaw hand, Ash takes great pleasure in slaughtering the sinister deadites who threaten to take over the world by possessing and killing anybody who gets in their way. However, no evil can match the sheer grooviness of Ash Williams and his countless one-liners.
7. Han Solo- Star Wars franchise
Another Star Wars character and one that I find to be a lot cooler than Luke, Han Solo (Harrison Ford) could very well be considered an anithero. He is a smuggler, a sharp shooter and a smooth talker, however he is also a skilled pilot and a man who is loyal to his friends, putting them before his own interests as seen in A New Hope. Han is charismatic and witty and has a playful relationship with Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), a woman who is well able for solos charms. Like Luke, Solo is also a skilled pilot and is known for travelling around the galaxy in his ship, the Millennium Falcon alongside his friend Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), a wookie. Solo acts as an older brother figure to Luke initially, playfully teasing him now and again while at the same time being somewhat protective of the boy before he reached his true Jedi potential. He is a character who throws aside his rather unsavory lifestyle in the name of protecting his friends and saving the galaxy.
6. Neo- The Matrix franchise
Once a hacker known as Thomas Anderson, Neo (Keanu Reeves) discovered that the world which he perceived to be real was merely a virtual reality called the Matrix that was run by the evil machines. After being contacted by a group of freedom fighters from outside the Matrix, Neo soon realised that it was his destiny to bring peace to the Matrix and defeat the machines. Along with having brilliant computer skills, Neo was also trained in the martial arts as well as being a brilliant marksman, he can also manipulate the Matrix and use it to stop bullets and fly among other things. Neo was a man whose own perception of reality was turned upside down and whose old life became irrelevant when he learned the truth behind the Matrix, despite this he managed to become very strong and powerful, eventually bringing peace to the Matrix.
5. Superman- Superman franchise
Like the aforementioned Batman, a fellow character of DC comics, Superman has been portrayed by many people over the years but it is without a doubt that the greatest and most well known portrayal was by Christopher Reeve. After his home planet of Krypton was destroyed, Kal-El came to Earth where he was raised as Clark Kent, realising that he had extraordinary super powers, he became Superman and decided to defend the Earth from the forces of evil. Superman is a noble hero who believes in justice and truth, although he has the abilities of super strength and laser eyes (to name a few) he does not believe that killing is the best solution. Reeve really captured the personality of Superman in his portrayal, the patriotic boyscout trying to bring as much good to the world as he could and although the later installments to the franchise were a bit hit and miss, he still managed to give a strong performance as the man of steel.
4. Maximus Meridius- Gladiator
Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife, Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe) was once a decorated general in the Roman army and good friend of Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris). However when he suspects that Aurelius' son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) was responsible for killing the emperor, Maximus becomes a fugitive of the Empire, his family are murdered and he is forced into slavery. He becomes a gladiator and gradually makes his way back to Rome where he seeks his revenge on Commodus, he is a brilliant speaker and leader along with having excellent skills in the battlefield and the arena. He is loyal to his companions and is an honourable man, even in vengeance, his sheer love for his family and for Rome is evident. Ultimately Maximus becomes a martyr for his fellow slaves and manages to get his revenge on the cunning Commodus before being reunited with his family in the afterlife.
3. Ellen Ripley- Alien franchise
The last survivor of The Nostromo after its crew was ravaged by a vicious alien, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is without a doubt one of cinema's greatest heroines. Strong, sharp and brave in the face of danger, Ripley managed to take down any alien that threatened her or her companions and acted as a daring leader in each scenario put before her. From fighting for survival against a single Xenomorph to leading an all out war against hordes of them and even defeating their queen, Ripley is an unstoppable force who is no stranger to the sinster extra-terrestrials. Be she facing one or one hundred, there is no doubt that Ripley will always come out on top in the battle between the humans and the Xenomorphs.
2. Indiana Jones- Indiana Jones franchise
Renowned archaeologist and treasure hunter, Henry 'Indiana' Jones Jr. (Harrison Ford) traveled the world in search of powerful artifacts in order to keep them from the clutches of evildoers. Combating Nazi's and cult members to name a few, Jones has seen a great deal of action and adventure in his time and has traveled all around the globe from the jungles of South America to the deserts of Egypt. Known for his signature hat and whip he is a recogniseable figure both by looks and reputation and those who know his name know that he is a man who means business. Another brave and daring man, Indy is a risk taker who often finds himself going through life threatening situations in order to stop the forces of evil. Just don't pit him against snakes.
1. Aragorn- The Lord of the Rings franchise
Based on the character created by J.R.R. Tolkein, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) is a skilled and noble hero who joins the fellowship in the quest to destroy the one ring and bring peace to Middle Earth. A man who possesses equal intelligence and strength, Aragorn was a skilled commander in the battlefield leading the troops at the Battle of Morannon at the black gates of Mordor. He also possesses humility and takes great responsibility for his actions, this could also be due to the immense wisdom which he possesses. This combination of wisdom and strength make him not only a fantastic leader but also an excellent king as he eventually becomes the first High King of the Reunited Kingdom of Arnor and Gondor, his rightful place. Possessing a variety of differing heroic qualities, Aragorn is, in my opinion, the greatest hero in cinematic history.
And so that brings an end to my trilogy of posts about the characters of cinema, I promised some more posts this week but they have been delayed due to me being a bit busy but I will have them up soon. Thank you for reading!
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