Action cinema isn't always the best place to go looking for stellar characterization, but it has produced some of the most beloved icons of the big screen. Those big names aren't always the heroes taking up arms and fighting to defend the innocent from danger. Sometimes the danger earns the spotlight.
While most lists of fan-favorite villains yield half of their spots to the MCU, there are plenty of other interesting performances in nasty roles that deserve recognition. There are countless different villains in action cinema and endless unique ways to play them. When the villain is the most compelling force in the film, it's worth dissecting what makes them so powerful.
Madeline "Ma-Ma" Madrigal - Dredd
In the writing phase of this beloved 2012 adaptation of the long-running comic book, writer Alex Garland devised an original villain, rather than the many existing options. The figure he came up with was pitched as a heavily made-up obese elderly woman. Those plans changed when the great Lena Headey joined the project. Best known for portraying Cersei Lannister, Dredd sees Headey in a role that's simultaneously similar and opposite. Ma-Ma is a former prostitute whose life of abuse leads her to pursue violent gangland dominance.
Through clever planning and ruthless cruelty, Ma-Ma swiftly becomes the dictator of the Peach Trees housing project and the leading supplier of illicit drugs. Ma-Ma is overwhelmingly cruel, imminently intimidating, and strikingly cold. Headey steps into the role effortlessly and elevates the text with her undeniable charisma. From the height of class to the depths of the underworld, Headey is a perfect villain.
Agent Kruger - Elysium
Neil Blomkamp's explosive 2009 debut District 9 immediately made him one of the most sought-after sci-fi directors in the industry. When fans heard he'd be reuniting with star Sharlto Copley, they couldn't have possibly expected the role they'd see him in. Like his first film, Elysium is a futuristic political polemic that uses sci-fi violence to explore issues ripped from the headlines.
Though it's generally less well-received than District 9, Elysium is a great action epic with a hard edge of social commentary. While the main villain is initially corrupt secretary Jessica Delacourt, performed brilliantly by Jodie Foster, Kruger is the man on the ground and the power behind the office. Kruger is an unstable mercenary hired by Delacourt to slaughter anyone who would dare to immigrate to Elysium. He's an excitedly bizarre figure, his obvious madness portrayed somewhere between Travis Bickle and Kano from Mortal Kombat. Kruger is as intimidating as he is fun to watch, and that's a hard line to walk.
STEM - Upgrade
Leigh Whannell's 2018 sci-fi action horror film plays a fun roundabout with its villain. Half of the characters in the cast come across as ill-intentioned or dangerous. Mechanic Grey Trace is assaulted by a gang of criminals, leaving his girlfriend dead and his body paralyzed from the neck down. A shifty Silicon Valley tech billionaire seems to take pity on Grey and offers him a neural implant called STEM that gives him back his full capabilities and much more.
Grey seeks vengeance, hunting down the men who left him for dead and eliminating them with his newfound powers. As the story unfolds, the STEM implant seems to take more control over Grey's body. Grey seeks out the chip's creator, assuming he's to blame. The film's final moments reveal that the real villain is STEM itself, a rogue AI that seeks a body to spread its influence. This cyberpunk story depicts a nightmarish possible future with style.
Mad Dog - The Raid: Redemption
Gareth Evans' modern martial arts epic remains one of the most powerful action films of recent memory. The simple story of a group of cops storming a drug dealer's Jakarta high-rise features some of the best fight scenes of all time. The drug dealer in question is Tama, but the most dynamic foe of the film is the sadistic enforcer Mad Dog.
If Tama is Jakarta's Lord Sidious, Mad Dog is its Darth Vader. Mad Dog is a very simple character, a force of nature with superhuman fighting capabilities and a singular drive towards combat. The power of Mad Dog is in his portrayer, Yayan Ruhian, a martial artist so skilled and dynamic on-screen that he appeared as a different character in the sequel. Mad Dog is a beast, and fans will have to wait and see how the misguided American remake might handle him.
Koba - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Originally one of the many apes who joined Caesar in his escape and attack on humanity, Koba becomes the primary antagonist of the second film in the modern trilogy. Koba is a deadly and unpredictable ape who seeks violent confrontation and vengeance. Koba was abused by his captors which led him to a sympathetic desire for war.
Despite his tendencies toward violence and desire to kill others, Koba is one of the most moving figures in the franchise. Toby Kebbell provides the voice and face capture for the villainous primate, and his performance occasionally eclipses even the great Andy Serkis. Koba is a masterfully written villain with a fully realized motivation, even with limited dialogue.