I have two cherished topics when it comes to geeking out about movies: the facets of what makes a fine literary adaptation and… badasses. Nothing makes me grin more than watching badasses do what they do best: being badass. We love them because they talk tough, kick butt, and look cool when bloodied—traits that we, the meek, only exhibit in mad day dreams.
Cinema is chock-full of badasses from Sam Spade to Anton Chigurh. To come up with the greatest and filter it to the best 10 ever is a task for more brilliant men than me. Each year adds at least 10 great badasses for the record books. What you’ll see here is a list that represents one character per actor (otherwise Clint Eastwood would occupy all 10 spots), one character per film, generally one genre represented, and all human characters (sorry King Kong and Dolph Lundgren). Plus, I tended to lean towards (anti) heroes rather than villains because that’s just the way it happened. Deal with it. This isn’t the stone tablet of badasses. It’s a list to ignite discussion during family dinner on an important topic: Who and what is badass? However with that said, the number one spot is definitely the meanest badass to ever tear the screen a new asshole.
