For our first dip into cinematic countdowns this year, we have a real eclectic mix of villains, protagonists, and a weirdly high percentage of villain-protagonists. It’s perhaps a bit of a light one for memorable comic relief, which traditionally is well-represented here via cameos and supporting cast members, but maybe that says something about the kind of focused film we were able to enjoy repeatedly throughout 2024 as big-ticket ensembles were few and far between.
While not as spoiler-heavy as the next movie countdown, sometimes I do need to spoil plot moments to talk about why I find certain characters so compelling, so tread lightly.
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VR BEST OF 2024 DISCLAIMER
This list represents my opinion only. I am not asserting any kind of superiority or self-importance by presenting it as I have. My opinion is not fact. Nobody ever agrees with me 100%. Respectful disagreement is most welcome.
SPOILERS MAY FOLLOW.
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10. Kid – Monkey Man
Man, I just love this shot (so did Monkey Man’s marketing team, naturally). The film’s unnamed protagonist doesn’t talk a whole lot, and a significant portion of what might be called his character arc amounts to getting beaten up a bunch, but the astonishing behind-the-scenes story of how Dev Patel and his team got this grimy revenge fantasy flick made is so ludicrously lined with hurdles and pitfalls that it can’t help but come through in the writer-director’s own determined, unwavering lead performance. It’s a wonder to behold, and if it wasn’t so believable Monkey Man would probably just go down in history as yet another John Wick clone.
9. Gambit – Deadpool & Wolverine
I still can’t believe this happened. In a movie that already features a Chris Evans fake-out and an audacious, suspiciously prophetic Wesley Snipes one-liner, Ryan Reynolds and Kevin Feige set straight yet another controversial superhero take from X-Men Origins: Wolverine by putting a properly comic-accurate Gambit on screen – from inherently silly purple headgear to heavily exaggerated Cajun affect. Like, they actually did it. They even cast Channing Tatum, which arguably only works as a joke in a movie so reliant on pummelling the fourth wall that it fully expects its audience to remember that Tatum tried to get a Gambit movie off the ground many years ago. I say “as a joke” because Tatum is clearly so excited to be there that he makes the character work anyway, both as a card-throwing badass and a reliable source of comedy.
8. Dementus – Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Ever since Chris Hemsworth became a household name, we’ve all been waiting for a big role that lets him keep his Aussie accent. Not only does he grab that chance with both hands in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga as the maniacal Dementus, he runs with it through the desert doing bogan meth-head cartwheels. Boosted by dashing facial prosthetics and multiple in-universe makeovers as he ages over the course of the story, Dementus significantly helps transform a prequel that seemed pretty unnecessary into a standalone story worth watching; as the movie progresses he is alternately terrifying, hilarious, powerful and pathetic. Sometimes he’s all three at once. But he is always a scene-stealer.
7. Rodney Alcala – Woman of the Hour
I really should’ve known going into Woman of the Hour that it was based on a true story, but beyond the fact that the director/lead actor is Anna Kendrick I actually knew very little about the film in general; I just added it to my watchlist on a friend’s recommendation and went in reasonably blind. So I had no idea that Daniel Zovatto was playing a real-life serial killer until the very end of the movie, and was on the edge of my seat every time he met a new victim as a result. Channeling a young Vincent D’Onifrio, Zovatto’s ability to switch from pure charm to deeply unsettling laser-focused stare and then back to charisma king left me cold, especially because the sound mix often leaves him completely alone in the frame.
6. Galinda – Wicked Part 1
I try to keep these lists at one character per movie, but no film tested that policy more in 2024 than Wicked Part 1. Neither of the expanded musical adaptation’s deuteragonists allow anyone to upstage them in any scenes – with the exception of Jeff Goldblum’s introduction, but come on, it’s Jeff Goldblum – and of course both of them can sing. But as good as Cynthia Erivo is in the eponymous role, I had heard a ton of hype there; I was considerably less ready for the riotous Ariana Grande to catch me laughing out loud in my seat on multiple occasions. I completely missed her Nickelodeon era (and much of her music career, to be fair) so her comedic timing hit like a sucker punch. Grande’s Galinda plays like if Sharpay from High School Musical could actually back up the bravado.
5. Feyd-Rautha – Dune Part II
Austin Butler’s star continues to rise after an already eclectic career thanks to his singular performance in the crucial Dune II primary antagonist role. There is just something so creepy about a villain who attracts curious adulation thanks to his aloof confidence despite a repulsive air engendered by odd movements, a twisted silver-spoon background and some really weird, cruel hobbies. He’s far more likeable than his uncle, Dune I antagonist Baron Harkonnen, but he’s also much more immediately threatening, especially whenever his trademark daggers come out. Feyd-Rautha’s ultimate place in the Dune II narrative is to distract from the true villains of the piece, who are much more ambiguous by design; on that front, Butler ensures he passes with flying colours.
4. Cooper – Trap
Josh Hartnett may have begun his career comeback a couple of years ago, but he hadn’t truly reclaimed his massive leading-man potential until he took on what must have looked like one of the strangest scripts of his career with M.Night Shyamalan’s Trap. Spoilers: that movie will not be in my overall top ten this year, but it is an utterly fascinating film to discuss; so many elements within just do not work, but plenty of them do, and most of those come down to Hartnett’s cold-eyes-warm-smile reaction to every member of the supporting cast except Cooper’s beloved daughter. Watching him deliver stilted lines as he keeps one eye on his next attempted escape scheme is thrillingly tense, even as you find yourself conflicted as to whether you should be rooting for or against him. Welcome back, Josh.
3. Elisabeth Sparkles – The Substance
It’s extremely rare on these character lists that a movie features not one but two prominent villainous characters who thoroughly dominate the scenes they inhabit, and yet I still pick the protagonist. But here we are; Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid are each absolutely magnificent throughout instant body-horror classic The Substance, but the film just belongs to Demi Moore. Sure, the internal conflict she sells on every inch of her face as fading star Elisabeth Sparkle kicks off the surreal events of the story, and the most heartbreaking scene of the movie rests entirely on her shoulders, but it’s the third act that truly allows Moore to reclaim the film from Qualley and Quaid; I really don’t want to go into detail but if you’ve seen the movie, here’s three words: chicken, goblin, scream.
2. Milady – Three Musketeers: Milady
If you’ve been around long enough to have experienced and then forgotten how good Eva Green can be in a villainous role, allow me to introduce you to Milady 2K24. Green’s take on the infamous femme fatale from Alexandre Dumas’ revered Three Musketeers story is perhaps the largest characterisation departure from the source material (at least from what I can tell) in Martin Bourboulon’s expensive action-cranked 2024 adaptation, as Milady doesn’t just scheme and slink and purr; she hurts people. Though she plays a large part within The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnon, there’s a reason the second half of this new take bears her name: Green is able to explore a wider range of Milady’s emotions in The Three Musketeers: Milady, starting off in an uncomfortably vulnerable position, exploring the kaleidoscope of a mind fractured by circumstance, and ending with a fiery flourish.
1. Macrinus – Gladiator II
It has been a good few years since I’ve been able to wholeheartedly recommend people see a movie just for one character or performance, but Denzel Washington is just that memorable in Gladiator II. His interpretation of mysterious Roman powerbroker Macrinus jumps from the page and becomes something entirely different on screen, as he somehow manages to simmer with malice despite turning on the flamboyance at almost every turn. I have not seen such consistently chaotic scene interaction hit this effectively since Frank Woodley’s regular stints on Thank God You’re Here back in the mid-2000s – but that was for comedy. Washington’s restless gesturing, random shifting of sleeves and fabric, and refusal to stay on his mark are all about asserting power, and somehow, it all just works. The performance almost has to be seen to be believed; I can’t remember anything quite like it.
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Honorable Mentions
–Anxiety – Inside Out 2
The major new element that starts up the real meat of the plot momentum, once Anxiety shows up Inside Out 2 gets uncomfortable in that old Pixar-good kind of way. Maya Hawke lends the reluctant antagonist just the right amount of pathos to ensure that ending climax hits.
–Gary – Hit Man
The ending rapidly reduces his karma meter, but Glen Powell is such a charming dude – with some neat comedic chops to boot – that an admittedly flimsy pitch with a way-too-rapid initial setup just about stays engaging for the majority of Hit Man’s run time.
–Tashi – Challengers
Challengers is a style-first movie, and Zendaya is extremely used to looking stylish on film, but that isn’t why she’s so magnetic in the role of Tashi. Part love triangle hypotenuse, part relatable monument to the tragedy of the missed calling, Tashi simmers with resentment and drive whether or not anyone around her cares.
–Laura – Ferrari
If I was more confident about whether Ferrari actually counts as a 2024 movie (ugh, I hate Oscar season), I’d put Penelope Cruz’s hard-drinking, hard-smoking, hard-hating Laura Ferrari on the main list. The film kind of belongs to her.
Vagrant Rant 