NationStates Jolt Archive


Opinions: Who is the Greatest Film Character of All Time?

Winston S Churchill
06-07-2005, 05:33
Of all the films you've seen, who do you think is the greatest film character you've seen? You can judge it based on any criteria. If you cannot decide on one, then listing a short few is fine by me.


Personally I'm torn between

Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford)
Jules Winfield from Pulp Fiction (Samuel L. Jackson)
Judah Ben Hur from Ben Hur (Charlton Heston)
Globes R Us
06-07-2005, 05:36
Rick. Casablanca.
Uginin
06-07-2005, 05:38
Hmm...

I'm torn between

James Bond
Ash (Evil Dead)
Indiana Jones
Neo Kervoskia
06-07-2005, 05:40
Ah, that guy who had all those super powers, he was cool what was his name? Oh yeah, Jesus!
Boonytopia
06-07-2005, 08:51
Julia Roberts' character (whatever her name was) from Pretty Woman. What a great film, what a great character.
Unblogged
06-07-2005, 08:52
Jules Winnfield. Period.
The Lightning Star
06-07-2005, 09:02
Darth Vader.

Seriously, that guy is badass to the core. Except for A. at the end of the third movies, when he goes Noooooooooo!, and B. When Luke screws with his head at the end of number 6.


I mean, seriously he blows up planets, tortures people, and slaughters entire species for a living. How badass is that?
Undelia
06-07-2005, 09:07
Indiana Jones
Sam (Lord of the Rings)
Obi-wan Kenobi
Yoda
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader.
Aldranin
06-07-2005, 09:10
My top four:

Hartman. Read my quote. Enough said.

Willie. Main character of Bad Santa. Enough said.

Spottswoode. Jesus titty-fucking Christ. Enough said.

Silent Bob. Enough said.
New Shiron
06-07-2005, 16:27
Bugs Bunny... and such a long career too

HAL9000 (2001 A Space Odyssey)

Herbie (the original one)... a Volkswagon Beetle

the Shark (Jaws)

as far as humans go.....

Harry Callahan (Dirty Harry movies)
General Ripper (Dr. Strangelove)
Han Solo
Rick (Casablanca)
Laerod
06-07-2005, 16:29
Scaramanga (Christopher Lee)

He's the bad guy in "The Man with the Golden Gun", a Bond movie.
Guadalupelerma
06-07-2005, 16:32
Dr. Frank N Furter - Rocky Horror Picture Show
Hedwig - Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Patsy and Eddina - Ab Fab
Ash - Evil Dead Trilogy
Bugs Bunny - I'm with New Shiron on this one
Whispering Legs
06-07-2005, 16:32
Tyler Durden
Drunk commies deleted
06-07-2005, 16:33
Sorry, too many to choose from.
Laerod
06-07-2005, 16:34
Tyler Durden
Good one :D
Sdaeriji
06-07-2005, 16:35
The Corleones. I can't pick just one.
Swimmingpool
06-07-2005, 16:35
My favs

Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins)
Dracula (Bela Lugosi)
Amelie Poulain (Audrey Tautou)
Vimeria
06-07-2005, 16:39
Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean)
Vincent (Collateral)
New Nowhereland
06-07-2005, 16:48
Malcolm Reynolds and/or River Tam (Nathan Fillion and Summer Glau, respectively) [Serenity]
Hannibal (Sir Anthony Hopkins)
Han Solo (Harrison Ford)
John Keating (Robin Williams) [Dead Poets' Society]
Will Dormer and Walter Finch (Al Pacino and Robin Williams, respectively) [Insomnia]
Bodies Without Organs
06-07-2005, 16:49
The Tramp - Charlie Chaplin. None of the others here listed (with the possible exception of Rick from Casablanca are anywhere near as iconic.
Laerod
06-07-2005, 16:53
The Tramp - Charlie Chaplin. None of the others here listed (with the possible exception of Rick from Casablanca are anywhere near as iconic.
Christopher Lee isn't iconic? Noooo! :(
New Nowhereland
06-07-2005, 16:55
The Tramp - Charlie Chaplin. None of the others here listed (with the possible exception of Rick from Casablanca are anywhere near as iconic.

Oooh... Icons, then. Sam Spade?
Bodies Without Organs
06-07-2005, 16:55
Christopher Lee isn't iconic? Noooo! :(

Christopher Lee is iconic, but not to the same extent. Show John Q Random a picture of him and one of Chaplin in his role as the Tramp, and I'm pretty certain that more people would be able to name Chaplin. If anything the distinction here is that Christopher Lee in any role is pretty much as iconic as in any other, but not so with Chaplin: a question of whether we are talking iconic actors or iconic roles. Of course, the irony here is that Chaplin is so strongly identified with the role of the Tramp that few would be able to name the role he was actually playing.
Bodies Without Organs
06-07-2005, 16:57
Oooh... Icons, then. Sam Spade?

Overshadowed, for me, in both film and text by Philip Marlow.
Laerod
06-07-2005, 17:01
Christopher Lee is iconic, but not to the same extent.
I guess you're right, but I blame the fact that bad guy's tend to die in the movies for that...
New Nowhereland
06-07-2005, 17:02
Overshadowed, for me, in both film and text by Philip Marlow.

Agreed. Both Hawks and Bogart did much better with Chandler's character, though I'd passed on Marlowe for being primarily a novel character.

If we want to look at novel characters who are good on screen, then I'm also rather impressed by Andy Serkis as Smeagol (and also by Billy Boyd singing).
Gift-of-god
06-07-2005, 17:07
Ripley, from the Alien movies.

Think about it. A being that has acid for blood, kills just by being born, can even survive in space for short periods of time, almost impossible to kill. Freakin' tough.

And there's only one being tougher in the whole Universe: Ripley.
Legless Pirates
06-07-2005, 17:10
Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean)
CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow :rolleyes:
Bodies Without Organs
06-07-2005, 17:10
A being that has acid for blood, kills just by being born, can even survive in space for short periods of time, almost impossible to kill.

All of these qualities are also possessed by human beings: the evil of the Xenomorphs is just banal compared to common or garden human evil.
New Nowhereland
06-07-2005, 17:11
Ripley, from the Alien movies.

Think about it. A being that has acid for blood, kills just by being born, can even survive in space for short periods of time, almost impossible to kill. Freakin' tough.

And there's only one being tougher in the whole Universe: Ripley.

And the aliens have much more depth of character.

My personal favourite in Alien is the ship's cat.
New Nowhereland
06-07-2005, 17:12
All of these qualities are also possessed by human beings: the evil of the Xenomorphs is just banal compared to common or garden human evil.

Agreed.

I can make people scarier than anything you can put into latex.
Sdaeriji
06-07-2005, 17:13
The Tramp - Charlie Chaplin. None of the others here listed (with the possible exception of Rick from Casablanca are anywhere near as iconic.

Vito Corleone isn't iconic?
Bodies Without Organs
06-07-2005, 17:15
Vito Corleone isn't iconic?

No, just less of one that Chaplin in the role of the Tramp. Personally, I'd call Stanley Kowalski a more iconic role for Brando.
Demented Hamsters
06-07-2005, 17:18
Harry Callahan.
The Man with no name.
Jack Torrance.
COGIP
06-07-2005, 17:25
The Dude (The Big Lebowski)
Americai
06-07-2005, 17:25
1. Han Solo
2. Darth Vader
3. Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sideous
4. Yoda
5. Indiana Jones
6. Obi-Wan Kenobi
7. William Wallace
8. Sparticus
9. Moses
10. Cleopatra
Horrible Shenanigans
06-07-2005, 17:25
Mr. White, Mr. Pink, Mr. Blonde, Mr. Orange all from Reservoir Dogs. My favorite four from my favorite movie.
[NS]Parthini
06-07-2005, 18:38
Arnold's Character in Commando.

Bernie As he is hanging over a cliff:"I thought you were going to kill me last?"

Arnold:"I lied."

*walking back to the car*

Arnold's companion:"What happened to Bernie?"

Governator:"I had to let him go."
New Shiron
06-07-2005, 18:50
The Tramp - Charlie Chaplin. None of the others here listed (with the possible exception of Rick from Casablanca are anywhere near as iconic.

Bugs Bunny is very inconic
Vimeria
07-07-2005, 09:55
CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow :rolleyes:

I was wondering whether someone would pick up on that. :)
Sino
07-07-2005, 09:58
Darth Vader.
Crimson Sith
07-07-2005, 10:02
Hannibal Lector, for sure. :D
NianNorth
07-07-2005, 10:13
Waht! No mention of Cool Hand Luke?
Leonstein
07-07-2005, 10:19
HAL9000, Alex from Clockwork Orange, Winston from 1984 (I never watched the movie, but I assume he's the same as in the book), Yoda (the old one, not the Computer one - he lost his Muppetness)...
I probably forgot heaps.
Oh, and Neela from Emergency Room ;)
Falhaar
07-07-2005, 10:21
If you're talking about the greatest film character in MY mind, then:

Posey, The Dirty Dozen
Ash, The Evil Dead Trilogy
The Man With No Name, The Dollars Trilogy
Zatoichi, The Blind Samurai Series

But if you mean greatest in the sense of iconic then:

Tramp, The Tramp
Darth Vader, The Star Wars Saga
Indiana Jones, The Indiana Jones Trilogy
Godzilla, Three Billion Godzilla Movies
Bugs Bunny - N/A
Mickey Mouse - N/A
Hannibal Lector (By Anthony Hopkins) - Silence of the Lambs
Alien - Alien Trilogy (The 4th doesn't exist in my mind)
Shut Up Eccles
07-07-2005, 10:41
Hannibal Lechter
Michael Madsen's character from Reservoir Dogs (Help me out Horrible Shenanigans)
Alex from Clockwork Orange
The T1000 (The bad Terminator from T2)
Ed from Shawn Of The Dead
Silent Bob
Commie Catholics
07-07-2005, 10:55
Jack Ryan from Patriot Games (Harrison Ford (http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/paramount_pictures/patriot_games/harrison_ford/patriot.jpg))

Indiana Jones from The Last Crusade (also Harrison Ford (http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/paramount_pictures/raiders_of_the_lost_ark/harrison_ford/raiders8.jpg) , I liked his character better than in Raiders)

James Bond from From Russia With Love (Sean Connery (http://www.kinomarkt.ch/Autogramm/SeanConnery.JPG))
Greater Valia
07-07-2005, 11:37
Ok heres my picks.

Leon the Professional, from Leon the Professional (Jean Reno)
Zatoichi the blind swordsman (dont know the name of the actor... the one from the old movies not Beat Takeshi)
Ichi, from Ichi the Killer
Raoul Duke, from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Ash, from the Evil Dead movies

All of these characters will kick your pansy ass 3 ways from Sunday (well, maybe not Raul Duke but hes still cool) and not even think twice about it.
Sanctaphrax
07-07-2005, 12:11
James Bond
(Russell Crowe) from Gladiator, don't remember the name.
Greater Valia
07-07-2005, 12:16
(Russell Crowe) from Gladiator, don't remember the name.

Marcus Aurelius.
Fachistos
07-07-2005, 12:18
Of all the films you've seen, who do you think is the greatest film character you've seen? You can judge it based on any criteria. If you cannot decide on one, then listing a short few is fine by me.


Personally I'm torn between

Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford)
Jules Winfield from Pulp Fiction (Samuel L. Jackson)
Judah Ben Hur from Ben Hur (Charlton Heston)

I vote for none other than Dirty Harry Callahan. He's just incredibly though.
Garsec
07-07-2005, 12:34
Personal Choices:

Magenta - Rocky Horror Picture Show
Willie Wonka - Willie Wonka and the Chocolate factory
Donnie Darko - Donnie Darko (one of the best movies ever made)
All Jack Nicholson's characters.
imported_Wilf
07-07-2005, 12:41
Napoleon Dynamite
Bryanized
07-07-2005, 12:56
Michael Corleone from The Godfather
Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars
Anarchic Conceptions
07-07-2005, 13:24
I think I have to go with Chaplin's Tramp.

But I'm exceptionally biased on this matter.
Successoria
07-07-2005, 13:25
K (MIB)
Todd (Soldier)
Marcus Aralius (Gladiator)
Ra's A Ghoul (Batman Begins)
Morpheus (Matrix)
Ramerez (Highlander)
Commie Catholics
07-07-2005, 13:27
Ok heres my picks.

Leon the Professional, from Leon the Professional (Jean Reno)
Zatoichi the blind swordsman (dont know the name of the actor... the one from the old movies not Beat Takeshi)
Ichi, from Ichi the Killer
Raoul Duke, from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Ash, from the Evil Dead movies

All of these characters will kick your pansy ass 3 ways from Sunday (well, maybe not Raul Duke but hes still cool) and not even think twice about it.
Leon is a fantastic character. It's been a while since I've seen that movie.
Xiuhtecuhtle
07-07-2005, 13:36
Indiana Jones
Tyler Durten
Duke [Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas]
Summertime Blues
07-07-2005, 13:39
Jules Winfield (Samuel L. Jackson) Pulp Fiction. Gets some cool lines (Bible quote, Quarter-Pounder/Royale speech) and some emotional stuff. Also survives the whole film. (By the way, the Royale stuff is true. I checked)
Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando/Robert De Niro) Godfather 1 and 2. Kills a bunch of people, then makes peace.
Any Groucho Marx character. The guy ALWAYS cracks me up, but my favourite has to be Dr. Crackenbush (or whatever his name is) in A Day at the Races.
Any Christopher Lee character. He's got to be the most menacing actor ever, but he nearly always dies :( .
Darth Vader (David Prowse/James Earl Jones) Star Wars IV,V and VI. THE iconic movie villain. Rivals The Tramp and Rick.
The aforementioned Tramp and Rick.
James Bond (the Connery one) numerous films. Connery is the iconic Bond.
Jake La Motta (Robert De Niro) Raging Bull. OK so he's a real person, but who's counting?
NianNorth
07-07-2005, 13:42
Leon is a fantastic character. It's been a while since I've seen that movie.
Was it called somehting else in the US as in the UK it was just called Leon?
Anarchic Conceptions
07-07-2005, 14:09
Was it called somehting else in the US as in the UK it was just called Leon?

I think it was called "The Profesional" in the US, and a few cuts were made to the US version iirc.
Roshni
07-07-2005, 15:09
Bobby Boucher (The Waterboy) He's hilarious and adorable at the same time.
Drzhen
08-07-2005, 07:46
It would have to be Tyler Durden from Fight Club, played by Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. Anyone who watched this movie as I did, and happened to understand it, would have to agree.