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AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes & Villains

  • TV Special
  • 20032003
  • TV-14TV-14
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
262
YOUR RATING
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes & Villains (2003)
  • Documentary
The American Film Institute celebrates 100 years of film by recognizing the top 50 film heroes and top 50 film villains of all time.The American Film Institute celebrates 100 years of film by recognizing the top 50 film heroes and top 50 film villains of all time.The American Film Institute celebrates 100 years of film by recognizing the top 50 film heroes and top 50 film villains of all time.
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
262
YOUR RATING
  • Directors
    • Gary Smith
    • Dann Netter(segment director)
  • Writer
    • Bob Gazzale
  • Stars
    • Kathy Bates
    • Anthony Hopkins
    • Hayden Christensen
Top credits
  • Directors
    • Gary Smith
    • Dann Netter(segment director)
  • Writer
    • Bob Gazzale
  • Stars
    • Kathy Bates
    • Anthony Hopkins
    • Hayden Christensen
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 6User reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
      • 2 nominations total

    Photos

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    Top cast

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    Kathy Bates
    Kathy Bates
    • Selfas Self
    Anthony Hopkins
    Anthony Hopkins
    • Dr. Hannibal Lecter (#1 Villain)as Dr. Hannibal Lecter (#1 Villain)
    Hayden Christensen
    Hayden Christensen
    • Selfas Self
    Glenn Close
    Glenn Close
    • Selfas Self
    Wes Craven
    Wes Craven
    • Selfas Self
    Geena Davis
    Geena Davis
    • Selfas Self
    Kirk Douglas
    Kirk Douglas
    • Selfas Self
    Robert Englund
    Robert Englund
    • Selfas Self
    Sally Field
    Sally Field
    • Selfas Self
    Louise Fletcher
    Louise Fletcher
    • Selfas Self
    Harrison Ford
    Harrison Ford
    • Selfas Self
    Milos Forman
    Milos Forman
    • Selfas Self
    Jodie Foster
    Jodie Foster
    • Selfas Self
    William Friedkin
    William Friedkin
    • Selfas Self
    Antoine Fuqua
    Antoine Fuqua
    • Selfas Self
    Celeste Holm
    Celeste Holm
    • Selfas Self
    Dennis Hopper
    Dennis Hopper
    • Selfas Self
    Michael Keaton
    Michael Keaton
    • Selfas Self
    • Directors
      • Gary Smith
      • Dann Netter(segment director)
    • Writer
      • Bob Gazzale
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) and Dr. Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Hannibal (2001), Red Dragon (2002), and Hannibal Rising (2007) were listed as the #1 hero and villain.
    • Quotes

      Harrison Ford: Whoever decided that Indiana Jones should wear a felt hat and a leather jacket in the jungles should have been shot.

    • Connections
      Features Little Caesar (1931)

    User reviews6

    Review
    Top review
    Some good choices, some bad choices...
    Just a few choices I agree with:

    The Terminator

    Annie Wilkes

    Hannibal

    Hans Gruber

    et al.

    Villains and heroes who should have been on the list:

    Vito Corleone

    Frankenstein's Monster

    Riggs and Murtaugh ("Lethal Weapon")

    William Wallace ("Braveheart")

    John McClane (THE action hero -- c'mon, AFI!)

    John Matrix (dumb movie, great hero)

    Dutch Schaeffer (a true screen macho hero)

    John Rambo (the sequels weren't good, but he's still an infamous hero)

    Michael Myers (there's no Freddy without him!)

    Andy Dufresne

    Hjalmar Poelzig ("The Black Cat")

    Kyle Reese

    Sarah Connor

    John Connor

    Tony Montana (say hello to a favorite villain!)

    George Bailey (he was on, but should have been higher up -- same for Rick Blaine!)

    I could go on!

    --

    Okay, I agreed with some of the choices, but Thelma and Louise did not belong on there any more than Tony Montana or Hjalmar Poelzig. In fact, this list seemed to be ranked by popularity of films -- not by actual villains and heroes. Not many people have heard of Boris Karloff's Hjalmar Poelzig from "The Black Cat" (1931), but he deserved to be on there. WHY WASN'T HE ON THERE? He's creepy, scary, and truly evil.

    Also, what was it with Ridley Scott? "Thelma and Louise," "Alien," Ellen Ripley, Maximus from "Gladiator" (who did NOT deserve to be on that list), etc. Some of them (Ripley, "Alien") belonged to be on there, but come on already...

    Arnie does a good job presenting this, but I don't believe that the choices were as good as they should have been -- there are TONS of truly great heroes out there not even touched by this little compilation.

    Oh, and all the people who deserved to be on there seemed to be misplaced. Travis Bickle is better than the psycho killer in "Fatal Attraction" any day. And what about De Niro's character in the remake of "Cape Fear"? Anyone seen "Halloween"? Where are these villains and heroes?

    Worth a look, but I bet you'll disagree with at least 70 % of the choices.
    helpful•3
    1
    • MovieAddict2016
    • Dec 21, 2003

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 3, 2003 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • AFI (United States)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • AFI's 100 Years, 100 Heroes & Villains: America's Greatest Screen Characters
    • Production companies
      • American Film Institute (AFI)
      • SFM Entertainment
      • The Gary Smith Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Color
      • Color

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