I don't think that I could come up with any one particular character as a favorite, or even a top ten of 'em. There are certain characters that I enjoy for different reasons, but those reasons tend to be so varied, that I really couldn't just catergorize 'em into one list. Therefore, I'm gonna come up with ten random faves offa the top of my head & then rank 'em in order.
Later on, I might come up with a few more that I decide I like more & replace some of the ones already listed here.
Maybe.
I dunno....
10. Fred Fenster from the Usual Suspects - Just one of those instances where an actor portrays a character in manner so distintive, he makes it completely his own. Del Toro plays this guy in a such a way that even tho the majority of the time, you don't what he's saying, you still know where he's coming from.
9. Beatrice Kiddo, The Bride from Kill Bill - I realize that during a good portion of this film, the lead character wears yellow, but during the wedding scene,
not only does she show up looking like she's late into her trimester of pregnancy, but also, she has enough balls to wear a wedding dress that is white, the traditional color that is supposed to symbolize virginancy.
So, then the question arises,
how does one stop such an act of aborition of such a long-standing nuptial tradition?
Try sending her a Bill.
8. Chili Palmer from Get Shorty - He shows that it is actually possible for someone to be both a movie nerd
and a bad-ass, at the same time.
Hmmmm....
maybe I should change my screen-name to "ChiliPalmer",.........
7. The Gimp from Pulp Fiction - Despite having the shortest screen time of any character qualified for this thread subject, he has by far one of the most definitive "WTF?" appearances ever onscreen.
6. Pvt. Jeanette Vasquez from Aliens - Yeah, sure, Ripley can certainly handle a big gun & kick enough ass to help contribute to making this movie one of my favorite sci-fi flicks of all time. But Vasquez, when she carries a fire-arm,
any fire-arm, no matter how big or small, she wields it as though it were a natural extension of she is.
And when it comes to xenomorphs,
she just needs to know one thing:
Where
they
are......
and don't even think about mistaking her for a man
.... cabron.
5. Doc Holliday from Tombstone - He made the combo of being drunk & shooting people look f#ckin' cool.
Well, I mean, y'know.... cooler than it usually is.
As Doc Holliday, Val Kilmer steals every scene that he's in this movie account of Wyatt Earp & Co.'s shootout at the O.K. Coral (a depiction that allows itself plenty of liberties, mind you). Kilmer's portyal as a sureshot who alcoholism doesn't seem to affect his aim too much, remains memorable in this film as one of the coolest cowboys in recent film history. Sure, he might not be the kind of doctor you'd expect to make house calls,
but he'll be your huckleberry.
4. Gunnery Sgt. Hartman from Full Metal Jacket - "Five foot nine? I didn't know they stacked sh#t that high!"
"Holy dog sh#t! Texas? Only steers and queers come from Texas, Private Cowboy. And you don't look much like a steer to me so that kinda narrows it down."
"I'll bet you're the kinda guy that would f#ck a person in the ass and not even have the godd@mn common courtesy to give him a reach-around. I'll be watching you."
With lines like that, how can you
not like this guy?
3. Karl Childers from Sling Blade - For my money, one of the most unique characters to come onto the silver screen in a long time.
And BTW, it's true, you know. If you read the list of ingredients offa can of potted meat, it actually say's right there on the label "pork shoulders, lips, peckers & intestines....".
Hunh.
Go reckon.
2. Man With No Name from that one western trilogy that is best served with meatballs - A gunslinger that epitomizes the strong, silent bad-ass type so much that it's hard to believe that there was actually a time in movie history that this character didn't exist.
Pard'ner.
...oops. I mean....
Puhnk.
1. Vito Corleone from the Godfather - The original gangsta of the modern original gangster. The Godfather of all godfathers.
Marlon Brando is back with a performance uniquely his own. Reportedly, at the time, his career was seriously on the wane. But then Fate steps in & hands him a role of which would become one of the most iconic in film history.