Real life events often inspire films, yet theatrical convention always works to shoehorn characters into the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ guys. Recent releases such as "Argo" came under criticisms for its portrayal of Iranians as 2D ‘bad guy’ characters, instead of granting more complexity to Iran’s complex internal politics. Political enemies may become partners, affecting acceptable portrayals of that nationality. I would be interested to see a kind of "bad guys" ranked. Who seems to have been the most detestable enemies in American film? The Russians? The Japanese? Who has had the most nuanced portrayals?
I think this topic can be more concise. For example, what types of villains are most dominant in different cultures, and why, or If certain villains are too simplified, then why would that happen? And could you give more explanation when you say about "ranking" bad guys? – idleric8 years ago
Sorry, I meant "precise", not concise. Also, you could research deeper into the topic by observing if the villains ever changed, and for what reason. I remember that Rambo 3 was dedicated to the "Afghan Warriors", which clearly shows that the different time and situation change whom the popular media vilify. – idleric8 years ago
really interesting suggestion, you can delve into this and find some really good examples.
– LaurenJane8 years ago
Someone could also do a villan piece along gender lines, such as famous villainesses like the Borg Queen. I love it when a movie has a really great female villan.
– Munjeera8 years ago