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Dr. No (1963)
The first James Bond movie also pioneered a lasting action movie cliché. The “Evil Genius” is hell-bent on world domination—he’ll use elaborate plans, outlandish technology, and an over-the-top melodrama. His plans are so crazy they could never fail! Pending he doesn’t reveal the entire plot (weaknesses and all) when the good guy is about to make a daring comeback… Joseph Wiseman’s original diabolical doctor became a staple for the rest of the Bond films, action movies and parodies like Despicable Me and Austin Powers.
Silence of the Lambs (1991)
An evil genius worthy of an Oscar. Anthony Hopkins’ iconic evil genius is so interesting because while certainly evil (Spoiler: he eats people) and certainly a genius, he’s nothing like a blundering Bond villain or dastardly cartoon character. Hannibal Lector doesn’t use giant lasers or man eating sharks; instead he is manipulative, clever and refuses to reveals his ultimate plan. Lector can be scarier than any other evil genius you can imagine, and all he needs is a ballpoint pen.
Nixon (1994)
America’s real life evil genius. Richard Nixon embodies the archetype of an action movie villain (he certainly looks the part). He was intelligent, yet craved power; he was able to spin clever rhetoric and convince Americans to vote for him, yet he was filled with grudges, hate and vendettas. Was Tricky Dick trying to homogenize America by antagonizing those pesky hippies? Was he in league with big business to gain more wealth and authority? Or, was he a lonely man riddled with insecurities trying to fit in? Anthony Hopkins’ (quite the actor for evil geniuses) Nixon is best described as the latter. Maybe the fiendish villains terrorizing dashing heroes are more complicated than expected. It takes a strange environment to make a person so power hungry, so bitter, and so selfish. Evil geniuses aren’t that scary—in fact, they’re kind of sad and pathetic.
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