British Villains

[tkioz]

So I snagged the DVD Boxset of the British TV series "House of Cards" and it's left me wondering, why are we so much more accepting of evil British characters then other nationalities?

I swear if the main character had been American or South African or Australia, or something else the entire audience would have hated him, yet I find him oddly sympathetic, and he's got bugger all redeeming qualities (slight spoilers for a 20 year old TV show), he's a murderer (of good people!), a politician, a black mailer, a frame up artist, he ruins lives, and yet I still find myself hoping he wins...

And it's not just that show, I've seen it in movies and TV shows for years, the guy can be unredeemably evil, but if it's an Englishmen, he's still oddly got a fan following.

Is it the smooth accent? Something else? the posture? the culture? the poise?

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

Cause us Brits are just so charming and polite

 

[standokan]

Dastardly!

The british villains are mostly the ones with the top hats, monocles and mustaches aren't they?

 

[Chased]

British peoples tend to have a certain elegance about them that just makes them sound suave and intelligent. It also seems that Americans stereotype them into these attributes quite often. I blame the Bond films (damn awesome nonetheless).

 

[Mr Companion]

We export the largest number of charming villains every year!

But yes, a smooth, yet sinister English accent marks you as prime villain material. An Amarican or Arfican villain wouldn't be able to be so cold! As for other reasons why American movie and game writers cast us as villains so often I think its just a trend in America that anybody who America has even been at war with has to be the villains.

Think of the middle east and Russia. Endless war movies where Russians and Iraqi's are stealing nuclear arms to get revenge on uncle Sam. In a truely good American action flick the Russians are selling nukes to middle eastern terrorists lead by Sean Bean. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[Crazy_Dude]

Monocles and Top Hats are awesome.

They should be made mandatory for every movie villian.

 

[Lethos]

This thread is an ego trip.

gimmeallurcomplimentz

 

[Radoh]

Because one of the stereotypes for Brits is the high-class feel they give. Whether this is an accurate assertion or not is not the point, but that classy villains are usually considered to be the best kind of villain, far outstripping sadists, crazies, cowards, corrupts, and the "just becauses".

 

[Leon Last Lord Shyle]

It's Because of one of the seminal British stereotypes, he is classy withdrawn intelligent, there are no outbursts of anger or passion or very few.

He allows people to see a villain with aspects of themselves but for the most part they cannot see themselves in the villain, you could be a mass murderer you could go psycho you could become corrupt or lose all conscience, you cannot become the seminal English villain... but you damn well wish you could because lets face it he would actually win and he is cool as hell.

 

[DefunctTheory]

It would seem that American villians are 'moral' villians (Kill for the pleasure of killing) while british villians tend to be of a more greed induced type (Kill for stuff\power) .

Or so it seems.

 

[Lethos]

It would seem that American villians are 'moral' villians (Kill for the pleasure of killing) while british villians tend to be of a more greed induced type (Kill for stuff\power) .

Or so it seems.

What what? Killing for the pleasure of killing is moral? D:
If you said something like killing to save millions then I would agree.

 

[Sirpipple]

Did any one else think of Total-biscuit when reading the title
OT: It has to be the voice there's just something about it that says "evil" (there I go thinking about Total-biscuit again)

 

[Geo Da Sponge]

Let us see what QI have to say on the subject:


British people don't play villains. They play very interesting people.

 

[DefunctTheory]

It would seem that American villians are 'moral' villians (Kill for the pleasure of killing) while british villians tend to be of a more greed induced type (Kill for stuff\power) .

Or so it seems.

What what? Killing for the pleasure of killing is moral? D:
If you said something like killing to save millions then I would agree.

I meant a measure of morality, not that it WAS moral.

I suppose greed is immoral as well, but to amuch lesser degree.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

A British villian is usually played as being posh and rich, so they are not doing it for the money or the fame, they already have them! They are well dressed and clean, and polite, and usually ingrained into their nature is this weird philosophy of fair-play, the idea that a villian wants to murder, exploit and destroy, but will be following the rules of ettiquette all the time to the letter, he will not backstab anyone because that would be impolite. This whimsical nature so far removed from the real world gives an English villian that otherworldly, untouchable feel, no other nationality can achieve that.

Or I could be reading too much into this. Either way...

 

[Lethos]

It would seem that American villians are 'moral' villians (Kill for the pleasure of killing) while british villians tend to be of a more greed induced type (Kill for stuff\power) .

Or so it seems.

What what? Killing for the pleasure of killing is moral? D:
If you said something like killing to save millions then I would agree.

I meant a measure of morality, not that it WAS moral.

I suppose greed is immoral as well, but to amuch lesser degree.

Ah okay, my bad. Was pretty funny when reading it from my perspective though

 

[tigermilk]

Monocles and Top Hats are awesome.

They should be made mandatory for every movie villian.

Monocles and Top Hats should be mandatory for all men aged 18-65, the world would definitly be a better place.

 

[6unn3r]

Alan Rickman - Robin Hood, does it get any better than...?

Sir Guy of Gisbourne: Why a spoon, cousin? Why not an axe?
Sheriff of Nottingham: Because it's dull, you twit! It'll hurt more!

Or from Die Hard:

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

I think the definitive British villain that reinforced this was Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lectre. The guy even managed to make cannibalism classy for christ's sake!

 

[JoJo]

This thread is an ego trip.

gimmeallurcomplimentz

How so? The OP isn't British, a quick check of his profile reveals he is an Australian.

OT: Because us Brits, at-least the middle and upper classes, have a certain style that makes us likeable even when we are evil. How else did a tiny island manage to form the largest empire ever known? ;-)