10 Best War Movie Villain Performances, Ranked

Many war movies capture the many stakes that exist in times of war. Since war is so often made up of heroes and villains, it makes sense that movies would capture the villains that usually thrive in chaos. War attracts many people eager to take advantage of the violence to further their own agendas. It makes sense, then, that many war movies would highlight exactly what it would take to be a villain that sets themselves apart from the fighting itself.

Some movies, like Downfall, focus on real villains of history who caused immense destruction. Other movies, like Beasts of No Nation, use fictional characters to showcase real villainy that takes place in war every day. The most terrifying war movie villains are devoid of humanity and use any power given to them to target those they deem enemies. Additionally, the most horrifying villains in war movies are the ones who target innocent people who find themselves caught up in wars they didn’t ask to be a part of.

10

Bruno Ganz as Adolf Hitler

‘Downfall’ (2004)

Downfall focuses on the last days of Adolf Hitler (Bruno Ganz) in his secret bunker. While the story is told mainly through his secretary, Traudl Junge (Alexandra Maria Lara), it focuses on how mentally unstable Hitler had become in his final days in particular. Downfall highlights the chaos that the end of the war meant for Germany. The movie paints Hitler as completely incompetent and ineffective, which ultimately made his downfall inevitable.

What makes Ganz’s performance so notable is the fact that he showcases how terrifying Hitler was as a person, because he was ultimately nothing more than an ordinary man. Ganz’s characterization of Hitler is rooted in the paranoia that he always exhibited. The fact that Ganz shows Hitler as someone who was never capable of anything resembling leadership highlights how he was a villain from the beginning to the end of his reign of terror.

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9

Sessue Hayakawa as Colonel Saito

‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’ (1957)

The Bridge on the River Kwai was loosely based on the story of British prisoners of war who constructed the Burma Railway while prisoners of Japanese forces. Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) is in charge of the prison camp and oversees the day-to-day lives of the prisoners. Saito consistently abuses the prisoners in the camp and forces them to work far past their physical and mental abilities. He never misses a chance to use his authority to make the prisoners’ lives dangerous and miserable.

What makes Colonel Saito such a disturbing wartime villain is the fact that he represents the many people who were given an inappropriate amount of power during World War II. The fact that he uses this power to abuse prisoners makes him a terrifying villain to follow. Additionally, the way Saito acts with no remorse for his actions makes him that much more menacing. Saito represents the destructive and evil nature of the Japanese empire during World War II.

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8

Paul Schofield as Franz Von Waldheim

‘The Train’ (1964)

The Train is based on real events during World War II, which saw German forces work to steal works of art from across Europe. The movie follows the fictional Colonel Von Waldheim (Paul Schofield) in particular, as he tries to outsmart and outrun the French resistance to secure works of art for Germany. The movie highlights the evils of the Nazi regime and how they attempted to gain control of Europe’s culture while committing horrific atrocities.

The fact that Colonel Von Waldheim consistently puts the well-being of art while killing human beings is what made him such a horrifying villain. This inhumanity is what makes him such a notable villain. He represents the evil of the Nazi regime and how it so callously disregarded anyone who stood in the way of its objectives. Through Von Waldheim, viewers are asked to remember the lengths to which the Nazis would go to pursue their power.

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7

Idris Elba as The Commandant

‘Beasts of No Nation’ (2015)

Beasts of No Nation is the story of a young boy, Agu (Abraham Attah), who becomes a child soldier in West Africa. The Commandant (Idris Elba) is the brutal leader of these child soldiers and horrifically abuses them. Beasts of No Nation is a fictional story about the all-too-real plight of children who are forced to become soldiers. The story is a disturbing one and one that is ultimately difficult to watch. Beasts of No Nation is a story of villains. However, the Commandant sets himself apart.

While the Commandant’s brutality is enough to make him a notable war movie villain, it is his disregard for humanity and innocent lives that makes him genuinely horrifying. Beasts of No Nation has a villain who so callously abuses children and puts them in danger, which makes him a villain easy to root against at every moment. The Commandant has no name, which makes him an even scarier villain, because he represents anyone who would so willingly harm children in this way.

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6

Ronald Lee Ermey as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman

‘Full Metal Jacket’ (1987)

Full Metal Jacket is based on the autobiographical novel by Gustav Hasford called “The Short-Timers”. Like the book, the movie follows a group of American soldiers during their time in boot camp before they are deployed to Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The story emphasizes how brutal boot camp was and how abused future soldiers were. Sergeant Hartman (Ronald Lee Ermey) sets himself apart as a villain by completely breaking down those who he is supposed to be training.

What makes Gunnery Sergeant Hartman such a compelling war villain is the fact that he consistently uses his position of power to mentally and physically abuse those he is supposed to be training. As an individual, Hartman represents everything wrong with the American military establishment. This is demonstrated by the fact that those who survive Hartman’s brutal boot camp themselves become the cruelest versions of themselves when faced with the realities of war.

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5

Ed Harris as Erwin König

‘Enemy at the Gates’ (2001)

Enemy at the Gates shows the Battle of Stalingrad, one of the most brutal battles fought during World War II. The story is told through the eyes of Soviet sniper Vasily Zaitsev (Jude Law). Enemy at the Gates follows Zaitsev’s role in liberating Stalingrad from German forces. The movie showcases this massive battle, which was one of the defining ones of World War II, and makes it a contained battle of wills between two snipers.

What makes König (Ed Harris) such a compelling wartime villain is that he is another example of a character representing the evils of the Nazis. The fact that he goes above and beyond to track down his enemies makes him a villain. Rather than defending an ideal or loved one, his motivation is strictly personal, and he makes it clear that he wants to cause as much harm as possible. König uses the evil of the empire behind him to cause personal destruction.

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4

Tom Berenger as Robert Barnes

‘Platoon’ (1986)

Platoon follows American soldier Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) as he deploys to Vietnam. He immediately meets his platoon, who are stationed at the Cambodian border. Staff Sergeant Barnes (Tom Berenger) is one of the staff sergeants the platoon looks to for leadership since they have such an inexperienced lieutenant leading them. Barnes becomes resented by the men he is supposed to lead, which puts the entire platoon in danger.

Berenger plays Barnes as a deeply cynical man from the moment he’s introduced. What makes him particularly villainous is the fact that he uses his position of power and respect to harm those in his charge. Barnes is responsible for the death of a soldier in his platoon and becomes increasingly unstable as the war progresses. Barnes represents the kind of person who uses war to lean into their most evil impulses.

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3

Christoph Waltz as Hans Landa

‘Inglourious Basterds’ (2009)

Inglourious Basterds takes place in an alternate historical timeline involving plots to assassinate Hitler. The story follows a group of Jewish American soldiers led by First Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) during World War II. They are joined by French cinema owner Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent), who is on a quest to avenge her family’s murders. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) is a ruthless SS officer who makes it his mission to sabotage the Basterds at every turn.

Hans Landa is a ruthless villain who takes delight in inflicting brutality against those he considers his enemies. His profound inhumanity makes him a terrifying villain to follow. Inglourious Basterds paints Landa as another example of a villain who is able to be as horrifying as he was because such a sadistic regime supported him. Waltz plays Landa as someone comfortable using the veneer of culture to show how obsessive and twisted he is, which makes him a terrifying villain.

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2

Marlon Brando as Walter Kurtz

‘Apocalypse Now’ (1979)

Apocalypse Now follows American Captain Willard (Martin Sheen), who is tasked with assassinating a rogue special forces officer, Colonel Walter Kurtz (Marlon Brando) during the Vietnam War. Kurtz is accused of murder and is considered mentally unstable by his superiors once he leaves his post. The movie underscores how apocalyptic the Vietnam War was and is a meditation on how Americans thought about this war in hindsight.

What makes Kurtz such a terrifying but effective war movie villain is the fact that he uses his armed forces training to cause the maximum amount of destruction. Kurtz uses the chaos of the Vietnam War and the fact that America was on a losing path to lean into the brutal instincts he always had. Apocalypse Now asks viewers to consider how ordinary people involved in war can become so brutal in such a short time. Brando plays Kurtz as someone who has been through so much, and who ultimately snapped.

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1

Ralph Fiennes as Amön Goth

‘Schindler’s List’ (1993)

Schindler’s List follows the life of Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), a German industrialist who eventually used his factory to rescue Jewish prisoners during World War II. The movie presents a nuanced view of Schindler’s journey from someone who initially profited off of the Holocaust to someone who chose to use his power to save lives. By contrast, Amon Göth (Ralph Fiennes), the commandant of the concentration camp, is shown to be a horrifying villain who murdered many.

Fiennes plays Amon Göth as a man who was completely comfortable causing the destruction he does. What makes Göth such an effective villain in this movie is that he is shown to be nothing more or less than a regular man who consistently chose to kill and harm others. Schindler’s List is a meditation on the human condition and how it is tested during times of war. Fiennes makes Göth an example of a man who chose to disregard his humanity at every opportunity.

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