Characters who are good people but people think they're evil

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BoxOfficePoison's Avatar
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Pathological cinephobe
11-23-17
Originally Posted by Iroquois
I find this thread questionable because of the disregard for moral ambiguity. Any sufficiently complex characters can't be boiled down into a simple binary of "good" and "evil" so easily, let alone getting into arguing which of these two categories we think each individual character belongs.

. . .

Until she tells Billy that she's going to tell his mother about catching him in bed with McMurphy's friend, thus cementing that it's not about "just doing the job" but about abusing her own power at the expense of the patients she's supposed to be healing. I definitely agree with the idea that McMurphy himself is not a good guy, but that doesn't make Ratched good by default.

. . .

War is the villain and he is one of its many henchmen.

. . .

You've really got it backwards. Tuco is the character who's become a killer to survive (as evidenced by the scene where he talks to his brother), whereas Angel Eyes is quickly established as a ruthless killer-for-hire (Guy 1 hires him to kill Guy 2, Guy 2 tries to buy him off in order to kill Guy 1, he kills Guy 2 but takes the money and kills Guy 1 anyway). You might as well call Blondie the villain of the movie.
You make a lot of solid points here; I agree with the ones I've quoted. I think Stannis is a good example of the moral, not so much ambiguity, but complexity you mentioned (I kinda go back and forth on him myself). I'm less conversant with the other movies discussed.

One of my favorite showcases of moral complexity is the (arguably) underrated "Mad City". It's just about impossible to pin down any "heroes" or "villains" among any of the major characters; I find myself cheering somebody one minute and booing them the next. Makes the whole movie a lot more interesting.



mattiasflgrtll6's Avatar
The truth is in here
11-23-17
Originally Posted by luf
Sy Parrish from One Hour Photo is another great example.
Sy was, or well at least tried to be a good guy. He was ****ing insane of course (and definitely creepy), but he had a good heart and it's hard not to feel bad for him. Maybe it's just Williams, but I almost want to give him a hug



SeeingisBelieving's Avatar
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11-23-17
Magneto in X-Men. He's a the end justifies the means kind of person. Misguided, occasionally cruel and vindictive but not wholly evil.



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11-24-17
Originally Posted by mattiasflgrtll6
Sy was, or well at least tried to be a good guy. He was ****ing insane of course (and definitely creepy), but he had a good heart and it's hard not to feel bad for him. Maybe it's just Williams, but I almost want to give him a hug
I'd like to give Connie Nielsen a hug more.



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Pathological cinephobe
11-26-17
Then there're the mistaken-identity comedies, like After Hours (Griffin Dunne) and Il Mostro (Roberto Benigni).
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11-26-17
The Hound, Game of Thrones

Also by far my favourite character in the books and series. Highly misunderstood, often vilified, and right there with Batman in my heart.
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01-04-18
Severus Snape - Harry Potter Franchise.
Portrayed amazingly by the late, great Alan Rickman, Severus Snape's unquestionable loyalty was admirable and kept people guessing right up until he died.

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