Monday, March 29, 2010

Cheering for the...Villain?

I watched a movie this weekend. Law Abiding Citizen. Good movie, action. I found myself cheering for the main character, played by Gerard Butler, even though he was killing people. LOL It got me to thinking about bad guys and why we seemed to love them so much.

One very popular bad guy, Lucius Malfoy from the Harry Potter movies. He's not even a little bit good. And yet, something about that white hair and sinister look makes us want to swear our allegiance. Okay, maybe that's a bit dramatic, but you get the drift. LOL

There are plenty of books out there that have delicious bad guys, but for the life of me I can't think of any of them right now. Give me a few titles! Was there a particular baddie that you drooled over? And what is it about these guys that make us sit up and take notice? Maybe it's the James Dean thing. The rebel. He's sexy, he's off limits, he's the guy you're mother warned you about. So, of course we want to get a little closer. Whenever we ladies are told Don't Touch, we touch. We can't help it!

So, give me some of your favorite bad guys. I'm feeling reckless! :)

18 comments:

Cecile Smutty Hussy said...

Just giving you a heads up, lol... ONLY cuz I luv this man... Gerard Butler starred in Law Abiding Citizen. =)

And a bad boy is all those things you have described all rolled up in one. And of course my mother warned me about them, lol.. didn't mean I listened!

Hope you have a great day! When I think of some actual titles, I will be back!

Bookie said...

I watched this movie a few weeks ago and I found myself rooting for Butler too! I think maybe his back story made me feel sympathy for him.

I love Al from Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan series.

Regina Carlysle said...

Yeah, those anti-heroes can be soooo yummy and irresistable. The first one that came to mind is Adam Black from the Karen Marie Moning Highlander series. He was a sexy, outrageous 'baddy' through several of these until he got a chance to redeem himself in his own book. There are tons of them in tv and movies. They are just so bad but show us moments of vulnerability that make us love them.

Regina Carlysle said...

Another one I think is Zsadist from the Black Dagger Brotherhood series and Zerek from the Dark Hunters. Both got a chance to show they were really good guys but they didn't start out that way.

Anne Rainey said...

My computer must be messing up because I'm seeing a lot of red Xs where images should be...?

Cecile--I changed it right after I published it. LOL Not sure why I typed Russell Crowe. He's cute too though. *grin*

Cecile Smutty Hussy said...

Oh I would take him too honey.. LOL!!!!

I can see the imagines. A blogger friend of mine complained that blogger is sucking right now... Not sure what the problem is.

Anne Rainey said...

OH! I loved Zarek!! He was one of my favorite hunters! Might have to reread that book.

Lanna Kaye said...

Hi all...this is my first time visiting your blog and love the very first topic!

Okay, my input--(after being so fondly reminded of the delish Adam Black and Zsadist)--as far as movie bad boys are concerned, is Eric from True Blood. I haven't read the books, so I'm not sure how his character comes across on paper, but in the shows...sigh. He's just so alpha compared to Bill. So I love him. :)

Lanna

Madison Scott said...

Law Abiding Citizen is a fantastic movie. We watched it and loved it too. I was doing the same thing and rooting for Butler. LOL

Elizabeth Black said...

Could some of the attraction to those particular villains be that Gerard Butler and Jason Isaacs are incredibly hot? I lusted after Isaacs as Luscious Lucius in the Harry Potter movies and especially the Snape/Lucius fan fic (Yes, I admit I read that dreck but it was good dreck). Rent "Passionata" to see him in a romantic role.

One sort-of villain character who drove women wild was Snape in the the Harry Potter books. Yeah, he turned out to be the good guy but for most of the books it was unclear. I was one of the Snape lovers and the fan fic was the best and worst of Mary Sue fiction. Train wreck appeal. It didn't hurt that Alan Rickman is a very sexy man with a gorgeous voice.

So if he looks like a babe magnet maybe that's a reason a villain can be attractive. I even found Sir Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lector strangely attractive. The gist of the attraction could be that maybe... just maybe ... the right woman can set him straight.

Jolie Cain said...

Steven Dorff in Blade. :) Verra hott!!I didn't root for him, but I salivated over him. And all the bad vampires in Lost Boys!! lol! I'm dating myself here.

Anne Rainey said...

Lanna--Thanks for the compliments and welcome! :)

Anne Rainey said...

Bookie--I've never read Kim Harrison's books. I'll have to check them out! Thanks for the rec!

Anne Rainey said...

Jolie--I LOVED that movie!!!

Anne Rainey said...

The Lost Boys, I mean. LOL I didn't specify.

beth kery said...

I love this topic. :) Thank you for introducing it.

Let's see...Darth Vader. Don't laugh. I love seeing the evolution of a dark prince, the seeds of low self-esteem, the fear, the bad circumstances that tempt them to fall. I've probably never rooted so hard for a villian not to give into the dark side, knowing what he became...

Another one would be Mordred from Mary Stewart's fantastic King Arthur trilogy. Or what about that young, good looking guy who became the Goblin after his father was killed in the Spider Man movies? When you know their background and motivations...or worse, the outcome, it just pulls at your heart, and you're like...NO...DON'T. lol.

The only problem with this in a romance novel, I think, is it might tarnish the hero a bit. Maybe I'm wrong about that, but that is my impression when it's done really well.

I haven't seen Law Abiding Citizen, Cecile. I should check that out.

I enjoy this blog. This article tempted me to write. :)

Anne Rainey said...

Hi Beth! Thanks for coming over and commenting! And I agree with you about Darth Vader. It's not immediate though. It's the more you see his character that you start to cheer for him in some way.

Another baddie that seemed to be an unlikely hero in a romance book is Rehvenge from J. R. Ward's "Lover Avenged". Didn't think I'd like him as much as I did. :)

Molly Daniels said...

OMG Beth...I cried BUCKETS during ROTS, knowing it had to be done, otherwise SW, ESB, and ROTJ wouldn't make sense if Anakin didn't turn to the dark side!

Another villian I loved...and this is going back a few years...Kirk Douglas as The Villian to da Arnold's Handsome Stranger.