Top 5 Movie Villain Actors

So just to clarify, these aren't the best (worst?) villains of all time...these are the guys that, if I'm the director of a big budget-type Hollywood film, they'll be my choices for the villain role. There may be some disagreement with said choices, but that's ok, I'll still be right ;)

5. John Malkovich
I struggled with this one, but the guy is just a good fucking bad guy. He hasn't been the villain in all that many movies, but the ones he's been in have been really good...honestly, how many oscars has the guy been nominated for??? Fantastic job as the assassin in the Clint Eastwood movie, In the Line of Fire. Malkovich is just perfect as the intelligent malefactor...the evil genius type. The other notable role, and don't laugh....despite the movie being one of those mindless summer flicks it had a cool bad guy....was Cyrus the Virus in Con Air. Shit man, the name alone is cool enough to warrant consideration. He's had a couple other roles as sorta-bad guys (Tom Ripley in Ripley's Game and the director in Shadow of a Vampire), but those two above just stand out.

4. Malcolm McDowell
Ok, so he's a little older now, but you just don't get any freakier and creepier than Alex DeLarge in A Clockwork Orange. Rape, assault, murder, robbery, more rape, just plain fricking scandalously evil. He's had a few other roles that cast him as a decent villain...The Cat People, I Spy, Caligula, to name a few. It shouldn't go unmentioned that he also played one of the worst serial killers of any generation in the movie Evilenko. However, the role (or should I say the dubious distinction) that cemented him on the list, was Dr. Tolian Soren in Star Trek: Generations...I mean the dude killed Captain James Tiberius Kirk. Word....that's villainy on a grand scale. The Greek god Apollo couldn't kill Capt. Kirk...that green lizard guy couldn't kill Capt. Kirk...the entire Klingon race couldn't kill Capt. Kirk...but this guy did. My hat is off to you, Mr. McDowell.

3. Kevin Spacey
Two reasons: The Usual Suspects and Se7en. I could say 'nuff said and just move on to number 2, but I'll qualify the statement. First, if you've never seen The Usual Suspects, go rent it. Now. I'll wait....ok, long enough. Spacey deserves this slot because of one scene, where Vern becomes Keyser Soze. Its just too good, especially because the movie just hinges on that one scene. As for Se7en, well, outside of Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs, I can't recall a better portrayal of a psychopathic serial killer than Spacey's John Doe. Just the stoic look on Spacey's face through most of the movie, only to unfurl a little at the end in the dialogue between he and Brad Pitt....well worth the rental price for this one. Now, if those two gems weren't enough, Mr. Spacey has been cast as the ultimate super-villain, Lex Luthor, in the upcoming Superman Returns movie. Folks, that's what I'm talking about....good call, Mr. Director.

2. Gary Oldman
Now, I know what you're saying...Gary Oldman??? But hear me out. This guy is your quintessential villain. From Lee Harvey Oswald in JFK to Dracula in Bram Stoker's Dracula to Pontius Fucking Pilot in Jesus to Satan in Beat the Devil. Anyone want to name four more dastardly characters than those? You want crazy, he can do it. You want evil, he can do it. The casting director for the Harry Potter movies obviously agrees with me since he was the main villain in the Prisoner of Azkaban. Out of this list, Oldman probably has the most impressive villain resume... the crazy, homo-gay, take-over-the-universe guy in the horribly bad The Fifth Element, the corrupt cop in The Professional, the calculating Russian in Air Force One...the list goes on. If I'm a director, and I can't get this next guy on the list, I'm calling Gary Oldman's agent.

1. Christopher Walken
Despite only playing a handful of memorable villains (Max Zorin in A View to a Kill, Max Schrek in Batman Returns, and the angel Gabriel in Prophecy), this....this is the guy I'd be casting as my villain in the blockbuster I'd be directing. He's a character actor and he's good....Chris Walken could ooze evil if the script called for it, plus he's got the charisma and presence to command attention, like you could really see him directing his cronies to take out our hero. Seriously, c'mon, how could anyone disagree with Walken as some evil genius set to take over the world. The Walken-esque eccentricities alone would be worth the price of admission. Not to mention the lines....the possibilities with the fucking evil villain monologues! ....(in my best Walken voice) Heeay...they can't stop meeee! I mean...I'm gonna take ovah tha world you knowwww. Seriousleeee. Craaazy. Ooo, I kill myself....sorry, sometimes I just get a kick out of doing that Walken impersonation. Bottomline, the guy is fucking scary in real life...like you know he's got a scalpel hidden in his coat pocket, ready to stab someone in the eye if the mood strikes him just right. Who knows...maybe he'll stab Hilary Swank in the eye as she's presenting him the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his work in my film? That my friends, would be sofa king cool.