I have yet to see Public Enemies, but in anticipation I thought I would put together a list of the best movie criminals.
1. Neil McCauley (Heat) – This movie is by far one of my favorites. Michael Mann just has way of illustrating bad-ass, depressed, violent criminals, and only he could still make you feel bad for them. This guy is bad-ass in every way. He’s the leader of a balls-out team that takes on the riskiest jobs. He and his team rob an armored truck (in one of the best heist scenes) with a semi, they rob a bank and fight off the entire LAPD in the streets of Los Angeles… you name it they’re up for it.
2. Benjamin O’Ryan (Suspect Zero) – How do you beat a criminal that can project and see the future? Ben Kingsley plays a deranged military-trained criminal that has a specialty, seeing the freakin’ future. The movie is actually quite good, co-starring the amazing Aaron Eckhart and Carrie-Anne Moss as the detectives on his trail. The fact that he has this special gift makes him one of the ultimate criminals.
3. Beatrix Kiddo/Black Mamba (Kill Bill) – Betrayed, with an attitude, ex-mercenary, can pluck your eye out with her fingers, and kills people with a Samurai sword. No reason why she wouldn’t make this list.
4. Michael Sullivan (Road to Perdition) – A mobster refuses to take the life of his own son so he proceeds to take on the entire mafia family and goons. A very stylized film with fantastic cinematography. Tom Hanks plays a bad-ass mobster with a thirst for gangster blood.
5. Frank Abagnale Jr. (Catch me if you Can) – This one is based on a true story but still deserves a spot on this list. Abagnale Jr. was able to fool authorities for years faking and cashing checks, impersonating pilots, doctors, you name it. He traveled all over the world making counterfeit checks totaling over $2.5 million. Not only that, he wasn’t arrested. He ends up getting a job for the government helping them catch other counterfeiters.
6. The Joker (Batman, TDK)
Ever since The Joker has been around he’s been one of (if not the) Batman’s most famous adversaries. Once he hit the big screen he’s meaner, badder, more insane and has less and less regard for the law.
Tags: Criminals