Was Boromir really evil? In The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Boromir immediately has his desires set on the Ring. Aragorn suspects this even upon his first meeting of Boromir when he picks up the shards of Narsil. It seems every character is subtly aware of Boromir's intentions, as they are all prepared to defend Frodo from Boromir taking the Ring.
Aragorn at one point looks as if he is at any moment ready to draw out his sword—prepared to fight Boromir to the death for the sake of all Middle Earth. Right before his death, Boromir sacrifices himself to save his friends and Merry and Pippin. Was this really a selfless act, or was Boromir still inherently evil?
Through the first film in the trilogy, Boromir doesn't do anything outwardly manipulative or violent towards The Fellowship, that is until his last encounter with Frodo. But from the moment he arrives, his motives are not pure. When Boromir gets to Rivendell for the Council of Elrond, he tries to convince everyone to give Gondor the Ring. Gondor is very near to Mordor so that they can keep an eye on the enemy. It is said that Gondor was the greatest realm of Men in all of Middle Earth during the Third Age. But being so close to Mordor has made Gondor and its people weak due to the growing forces of evil. Denethor II (Boromir's father and Ruling Steward of Gondor) believes the power of the Ring can be used against the enemy to save the world.
It is revealed later in The Lord of the Rings trilogy that Boromir's only purpose in coming to the Council of Elrond was to take the One Ring that had finally been found (a quest tasked to him by his father) and to bring it back to Gondor to use against the enemy. Boromir says, it is "a gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not use this ring? Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people are your lands kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against him." When the time comes to form The Fellowship, Boromir only joins after being denied the Ring. And it's not long till he tries once again to take it.
When Frodo stumbles on The Fellowship's way to the pass of Caradhras and the Ring falls from his neck, Boromir immediately uses even this small chance as a way to take the Ring from Frodo on the snow-covered hillside. Everyone is immediately put on edge, as this shows them all just how controlling the power of the Ring is. There are several other scenes that show Boromir's obvious desires and weakness for the Ring. When The Fellowship is taken to Galadriel, she and Boromir have a telepathic conversation which immediately causes Boromir to burst into tears. She senses his desires for the Ring but tells him not to give in because even now, there is hope.
Why does this cause Boromir sadness? Boromir was put under great stress by his father to retrieve the Ring, and he let the Ring take control of his mind. Because of this, he is ashamed and disappointed in himself. This proves the Boromir is at his core a good person. Boromir knows what he has been thinking is wrong, and so he cries. He has a great desire to do good by his people, and the Ring can sense Boromir's greatness and uses his well-meaning desires against him. That is why although Boromir knows that Frodo must succeed and the Ring is evil, he is still overcome by the temptation of power one last time near Parth Galen. He tries to take the Ring from Frodo.
In The Fellowship of the Ring movie, when Boromir is saying "give it to me, give me the Ring," if viewers listen closely, they can hear what almost sounds like a demonic voice coming from Boromir, as if he is being possessed by the spirit of Sauron. He falls to the ground and realizes his mistake. Boromir is not evil. He is just weak-willed when it comes to the Ring. When Frodo runs off and an attack by Sauramon's Orc army begins, Boromir does everything in his power to fight as long as he can to protect Merry and Pippin, taking several arrows through his torso in the process. But he is only human and can fight no more.
Before dying at the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Boromir confesses to trying to take the Ring from Frodo—an attempt to rid himself of the guilt and apologize with great regret. During the movie, he resisted Aragorn as the rightful King of Gondor, but accepts him as his own leader before his death. Frodo runs off because he knows that if it's not Boromir being seduced by the Ring, it will soon be one of the other members of The Fellowship. Boromir was inherently good, but weak against the presence of The Ring.