Similar to my animated anti-heroes list, this list contains the greatest anti-heroes in live-action performances from both film and television. There are actually close to 20 great anti-heroes that could be interchanged with this list but I am going to list what I feel are the greatest 5. You can see the others that I was thinking about using in the runner-up section below.
#5. Richard B. Riddick – Pitch Black, Dark Fury, Chronicles of Riddick
Riddick, played by Vin Diesel, is a fictional character from the Pitch Black and Chronicles of Riddick series. Most activities in his life are guided by his instincts rather than thought making him a more savage and barbaric character than normal heroes. His priority is survival and he will use whatever or whoever he needs to ensure his survival. He is incredibly strong and can perform feats though to be impossible for normal humans. The introduction of Riddick in the first film, Pitch Black, is one of the first times you meet a dangerous convict who ends up being the only source of salvation for the rest of the characters in the story… but again, he doesn’t care about that.
Also, I feel it is my duty to state that I have seen every version of Chronicles of Riddick, I saw it in the movie theater twice, bought the first dvd release, saw it on cable/on demand, and bought the directors cut. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CABLE AND ON DEMAND VERSIONS HAVE ADDED DIALOGUE GIVING RIDDICK ONE-LINERS WHERE HE ACTUALLY SAYS NOTHING IN THE REAL MOVIE. DO NOT WATCH ANY VERSION OTHER THAN THE REAL MOVIE (DIRECTORS CUT PREFERRED). IF HE SAYS ANYTHING DURING THE SCENE WHERE HE’S BEING ESCORDTED WHEN FLYING TO THE PLANET AFTER THE OPENING SCENE, THEN YOU ARE WATCHING THE SHITTY TV VERSION… HE SAYS NOTHING IN THE REAL VERSION WHEN HE CLIPS THAT WING, HE JUST DOES IT.
#4. Snake Plissken – Escape from New York, Escape from LA
Snake, played by Kurt Russel, is a former Army Lieutenant turned criminal. In this world, the prison population became so large that they turn Manhattan island (LA in the sequel) into a prison where if you get sent there, you never leave. After being picked up by the authorities, they offer Snake a deal to retrieve the president (a device in the sequel) and bring him out of the island in exchange for his freedom. They use timed death as the motivation to make him do what they want him to do, but Snake is just in it to survive. In the end of both movies, it is clear that he flat out does not care about the “mission” whatsoever nor does he care what his actions have on individuals or society. Also, for a guy with no depth perception, he can play a mean round of hoops.
#3. William Foster (D-Fens) – Falling Down
In the movie Falling Down, William Foster, played by Michael Douglas, has a bad day. All he’s trying to do is get across town to his daughter’s birthday party but everything just seems to be going wrong. D-Fens going postal is one of the greatest things Michael Douglas has ever done. The great part about the movie, is he is technically right all the time, it’s just not his day. Also, there wouldn’t have been a Frank Grimes without D-Fens.
#2. Porter – Payback
Porter, played by Mel Gibson, is a bad guy trying to get his share of money from another bad guy. This is one of the only movies I’ve ever seen where you have no choice but to root for the bad guy because in Payback, there are no good guys. So you pick the best of the worst which is a criminal who only goes by the name of Porter. He goes through the movie continuing to be the bad guy but is still the hero even after making himself the most violent, but most honorable, of the bad guys.
#1. Gaius Baltar – Battlestar Galactica
Gaius Baltar from Battlestar Galactica is the 2nd greatest anti-hero in history (Vegeta is #1). His only goal is self-preservation and he is very talented at it. The entire conflict of the series is because of his actions. The attacks that wipe out most of humanity, the ousting of high ranking officials, the selling of his fellow people as slaves, and all the other conflict in the show is directly caused by him. Even after he tries to become peaceful, every action that he takes directly affects the outcome of the show. He does grow in the series, but at the end, he is still the evil good guy.
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Runner-ups:
Brodie Bruce – Mallrats, The Dude – The Big Lebowski, George Costanza – Seinfeld, Ben Linux – Lost, Michael Scott – The Office, Jack Bauer – 24, Ash Williams - Evil Dead, Leon – The Professional, Travis Bickle – Taxi Driver, Peter Gibbons – Office Space