The Eye-Opening Triumph of the Villain in Cinema: 20 Movies Where the Bad Guy Emerges Victorious at the End

1. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back 1980，IMDB Rating: 8.7，Douban Rating: 8.4，ID: tt0080684
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Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, released in 1980, this sequel to the groundbreaking Star Wars (1977) takes the saga to a darker and more complex level, as the Rebel Alliance faces a devastating defeat by the Galactic Empire. The movie begins with a thrilling battle on the ice planet Hoth, where the rebels are forced to evacuate their base under the attack of Imperial forces led by Darth Vader. Luke Skywalker, who has been contacted by the spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi, leaves his friends to seek out Jedi Master Yoda on the swampy world of Dagobah.
2. Valkyrie 2008，IMDB Rating: 7.1，Douban Rating: 7.1，ID: tt0985699
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Valkyrie 2008 is a thriller film based on the true story of the 20 July plot, a failed attempt by a group of German officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler and overthrow the Nazi regime during World War II. The film stars Tom Cruise as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, the leader of the conspiracy, who joins forces with other dissidents such as General Friedrich Olbricht (Bill Nighy), Major-General Henning von Tresckow (Kenneth Branagh), and General Ludwig Beck (Terence Stamp).
3. La vita è bella 1997，IMDB Rating: 8.6，Douban Rating: 9.5，ID: tt0118799
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La vita è bella (Life Is Beautiful) is a 1997 Italian comedy-drama film directed by and starring Roberto Benigni, who co-wrote the film with Vincenzo Cerami. The film tells the story of Guido, a Jewish Italian bookshop owner, who uses his imagination and humor to protect his son from the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp. The film was inspired by the book In the End, I Beat Hitler by Rubino Romeo Salmonì and by Benigni’s father, who survived the Bergen-Belsen camp.
4. The Crucible 1996，IMDB Rating: 6.8，Douban Rating: 8.2，ID: tt0115988
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The Crucible is a historical drama film based on Arthur Miller’s play of the same name, which dramatizes the Salem witch trials of 1692. The film follows John Proctor, a farmer who had an affair with Abigail Williams, a young girl who leads a group of accusers to falsely accuse innocent people of witchcraft. As the hysteria grows, Proctor tries to expose the lies and save his wife Elizabeth, who is also accused.
5. Avengers: Infinity War 2018，IMDB Rating: 8.4，Douban Rating: 8.1，ID: tt4154756
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Avengers: Infinity War. This film is the culmination of a decade-long saga of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where the Avengers and their allies face the powerful Thanos, who seeks to collect all six Infinity Stones and use them to wipe out half of all life in the universe. I was curious to see how this film tackled the theme of villainy and what it means to be a hero in the face of such a formidable threat. Some interesting articles discusses how Thanos is not a typical villain, but rather a complex and sympathetic character who believes he is doing the right thing for the greater good.
6. Se7en 1995，IMDB Rating: 8.6，Douban Rating: 8.8，ID: tt0114369
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Se7en is a crime thriller film directed by David Fincher and written by Andrew Kevin Walker. It follows two detectives, Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and Mills (Brad Pitt), who are hunting a serial killer (Kevin Spacey) who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives for his gruesome murders. The film is set in an unnamed, dark, and corrupt city that reflects the moral decay of the society and the characters.
7. The Dark Knight 2008，IMDB Rating: 9.0，Douban Rating: 9.2，ID: tt0468569
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The Dark Knight is a film that explores the theme of good and evil, and how far one is willing to go to achieve justice. The film features Batman, a vigilante who fights crime in Gotham City, and the Joker, a psychotic criminal mastermind who wants to plunge the city into chaos. The film also focuses on Harvey Dent, a district attorney who becomes Batman’s ally and later his enemy.
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four 1984，IMDB Rating: 7.1，Douban Rating: 7.7，ID: tt0087803
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Nineteen Eighty-Four 1984 is a dystopian drama film based on George Orwell’s novel of the same name, which depicts a totalitarian future society where the Party and its leader, Big Brother, control every aspect of human life. The film follows Winston Smith, a low-ranking civil servant who works at the Ministry of Truth, where he rewrites history to suit the Party’s propaganda. Winston secretly rebels against the Party by keeping a diary of his thoughts and falling in love with Julia, a fellow worker.
9. The Silence of the Lambs 1991，IMDB Rating: 8.6，Douban Rating: 8.9，ID: tt0102926
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The Silence of the Lambs is a 1991 thriller film that follows Clarice Starling, a young FBI trainee who seeks the help of Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant and cannibalistic psychiatrist, to catch a serial killer named Buffalo Bill, who skins his female victims. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Harris, and is one of the few films to win the Academy Awards in all the major five categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
10. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas 2008，IMDB Rating: 7.8，Douban Rating: 9.1，ID: tt0914798
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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a film adaptation of John Boyne’s novel about a boy’s friendship with a Jewish boy in a Nazi concentration camp. The film follows Bruno, the son of an SS officer, who moves with his family to a rural area in Poland where his father oversees a camp. Bruno is curious and bored, and one day he wanders into the woods and finds a fence that separates him from another boy wearing striped pyjamas. The boy is Shmuel, a prisoner in the camp. Bruno and Shmuel strike up a friendship, meeting secretly at the fence and sharing stories, food, and games. Bruno is naive and ignorant about the true nature of the camp, while Shmuel is hopeful and resilient despite his harsh conditions.
11. The Devil’s Advocate 1997，IMDB Rating: 7.5，Douban Rating: 8.3，ID: tt0118971
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The Devil’s Advocate 1997 is a supernatural thriller that explores the themes of temptation, morality, and free will. The film stars Keanu Reeves as Kevin Lomax, a successful Florida lawyer who is recruited by John Milton (Al Pacino), the charismatic and mysterious head of a New York law firm. Kevin soon discovers that Milton is not only a brilliant and ruthless lawyer, but also the Devil himself, who has a sinister plan to use Kevin as his instrument to bring about the apocalypse.
12. Gone Girl 2014，IMDB Rating: 8.1，Douban Rating: 8.7，ID: tt2267998
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Gone Girl is a psychological thriller film directed by David Fincher and based on the novel by Gillian Flynn. It tells the story of Nick Dunne, a man who becomes the prime suspect in the disappearance of his wife, Amy, on their fifth wedding anniversary. The film explores the themes of marriage, media, manipulation, and identity through the perspectives of Nick and Amy, who reveal their secrets and lies through flashbacks and diary entries. The film has a twist ending receiving critical acclaim for its direction, screenplay, performances, and score. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for Rosamund Pike, who played Amy. It was also a box office success, grossing over $369 million worldwide. The film is considered a cult postmodern mystery and one of Fincher’s best works.
13. Memento 2000，IMDB Rating: 8.4，Douban Rating: 8.6，ID: tt0209144
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Memento is a film that challenges the conventional structure and narrative of storytelling by presenting two sequences of scenes in reverse order. The film follows Leonard, a man who suffers from anterograde amnesia, which prevents him from forming new memories. He uses notes, photos, and tattoos to remind himself of his quest to find and kill the man who raped and murdered his wife. However, as the film progresses, we learn that his condition and his mission are not as simple as they seem.
14. No Country for Old Men 2007，IMDB Rating: 8.1，Douban Rating: 8.3，ID: tt0477348
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No Country for Old Men is a neo-Western crime thriller film by the Coen brothers, based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy. It tells the story of Llewelyn Moss, a hunter who stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong and a suitcase full of money in the Texas desert. He decides to keep the money, but soon becomes the target of Anton Chigurh, a ruthless hitman who uses a coin toss to decide the fate of his victims.
15. The Usual Suspects 1995，IMDB Rating: 8.5，Douban Rating: 8.6，ID: tt0114814
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The Usual Suspects is a 1995 thriller film that features one of the most famous plot twists in cinema history. The film revolves around the interrogation of Roger “Verbal” Kint, a con man who claims to be one of the only survivors of a massacre on a ship, where a group of criminals were hired by a mysterious mastermind named Keyser Söze. As Verbal narrates his story, we learn how he and his four accomplices met in a police lineup, pulled off a series of heists, and ended up on the ship, where they were supposed to destroy a shipment of cocaine for Söze.
16. Inside Man 2006，IMDB Rating: 7.6，Douban Rating: 7.7，ID: tt0454848
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Inside Man, a 2006 crime thriller directed by Spike Lee and starring Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, and Jodie Foster. The movie follows a bank robbery-turned-hostage situation in Manhattan, where the mastermind Dalton Russell (Owen) executes a perfect heist while being confronted by the hostage negotiator Keith Frazier (Washington) and the mysterious fixer Madeleine White (Foster).
17. Saw 2004，IMDB Rating: 7.6，Douban Rating: 8.7，ID: tt0387564
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Saw is a 2004 horror film that introduced the world to the twisted games of Jigsaw, a serial killer who tests his victims’ will to live by putting them through gruesome traps. The film is one of the 30 fan favorite movies where the villain actually wins, according to various articles and lists . The film follows two men, Adam and Dr. Lawrence Gordon, who wake up chained in a filthy bathroom with a corpse between them. They find tapes and clues that reveal they are part of Jigsaw’s game, and that Gordon must kill Adam before six o’clock, or his wife and daughter will die. As they try to escape, they learn more about Jigsaw’s motives and methods, and how they are connected to him and his other victims.
18. Primal Fear 1996，IMDB Rating: 7.7，Douban Rating: 8.5，ID: tt0117381
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Primal Fear: Legal thriller. Defense attorney Martin Vail defends Aaron Stampler, accused of killing Archbishop Rushman. Aaron’s alter ego Roy actually committed the crime. Vail battles against prosecution and corruption. Reveals Rushman’s abuse. Aaron fakes disorder, planned revenge. Vail stunned.
19. Basic Instinct 1992，IMDB Rating: 7.0，Douban Rating: 7.8，ID: tt0103772
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Basic Instinct is a 1992 neo-noir erotic thriller film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas. It stars Michael Douglas as Nick Curran, a San Francisco police detective who investigates the murder of a wealthy rock star, and Sharon Stone as Catherine Tramell, a seductive and enigmatic writer who is the prime suspect. The film is one of the fan favorites where the villain actually wins, as it ends with the implication that Catherine is the killer and that she will murder Nick as well.
20. Nightcrawler 2014，IMDB Rating: 7.9，Douban Rating: 8.3，ID: tt2872718
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Nightcrawler: neo-noir thriller on crime journalism in LA. Jake Gyllenhaal as Lou Bloom, sociopathic freelancer selling shocking footage to TV station. Explores media’s exploitation of suffering and public’s love for sensationalism. Critiques capitalism, moral decay. Gyllenhaal’s captivating as Lou, Russo impressive as Nina, Ahmed as Rick. Directed by Dan Gilroy, challenges viewers’ morality and complicity.