Choice Is Yours Vol. 163: Villains – Gary Oldman Vs. Ralph Fiennes
Gary Oldman (Born 1958)
Vs.
Ralph Fiennes (Born 1962)
Some actors are just born to play villains. Something about their face just screams evil: a spark of the eye, a crook in the mouth, or perhaps the particular angle of their brow. Undoubtedly two of the best, and certainly some of the most prolific in their evildoing are the two men above you.
Gary Oldman is often heralded as the most versatile of villainous performers. Just look at his work in The Professional, Dracula, True Romance, Hannibal, Air Force One, JFK, and more to see his amazing range. I’m personally a humongous fan of Jean-Baptiste Zorg, his fey cajun future-coiffed sneerer in Fifth Element.
But, that being said, perhaps none of Oldman’s creations are as viscerally frightening as Fiennes’ epically unsettling performance as Nazi Amon Göth in Schindler’s List. Of course he’s also has bad dude turns as Voldemort in the Harry Potter series, as Hades in Clash of The Titans, as Francis Dolarhyde in Red Dragon, and one of my personal favorites, Harry in In Bruges. Both of these actors are indispensably great villains, but you know how this game works. Choice is yours…
- Whole Milk
January 17th, 2012 at 2:33 pm
This really jogged my fading memory of Ralph Fiennes’ villainous turns in film, but in the words of DeAngelo Barksdale, the king stay the king…
Gary Oldham…by a Rollie Fingers moustache hair.
January 17th, 2012 at 3:11 pm
The Oldman still got it
January 17th, 2012 at 4:38 pm
While Gary Oldham plays a fantastic villain, I have to say that Ralph Fiennes wins this in my book… his depiction of Amon Goeth in Schindler’s List is just so despicable, delusional, and downright evil. And he plays He Who Shall Not Be Named!
January 17th, 2012 at 5:51 pm
Gary Oldman deserves his own Oscar for amazingness in character acting. No body does it better!
Ralph is getting there but I think he needs a few years. Still, mother fucker got stone cold stare down.
January 18th, 2012 at 4:32 am
Gary Oldman is definitely a better maniacal villian, Ralph Fiennes is just a better actor. My vote will go with Gary Oldman everytime I watch the professional and I hear him yell Everyone! I get chills.