Audiences typically begin an action film expecting to see its protagonists prevail, but a few notable films in the genre see its villains beat the odds and come out on top. When the bad guys in an action film win, be it also a thriller or superhero story as well, it can be equally exciting and frustrating. Audiences are used to the heroes winning, as it's a familiar outcome seen in countless beloved action films. However, there is still plenty of fun to be had when that isn't the case and the bad guys succeed.
In films like Skyfall and Avengers: Infinity War, the villains' wins foster anticipation within fans for the following films in their respective franchises. Each villainous victory in the listed films serves a different purpose, such as setting up an upcoming sequel or driving home the themes within the film, as seen in Nightcrawler. The bad guy wins in these films also results in varied reactions from audiences. Some actors' performances are especially tremendous and audiences don't feel bad accepting their win.
Spoiler Warning: Major plot points are discussed for each of the following films.
10 Natural Born Killers (1994)
Directed by Oliver Stone
In Natural Born Killers, Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis play Mickey and Mallory Knox, a married couple embarking on a vicious killing spree. The film explores the way the mass media tends to glorify such horrific crimes, which is a theme that becomes increasingly relevant as the years go by. Natural Born Killers is considered to be quite controversial. However, the ability of the Knox couple to avoid a definitive punishment is not the root of division among audiences.
Instead, many critics and audiences point to the film's extreme use of violence and graphic scenes that take away from the strength of the message it’s trying to convey. Still, Natural Born Killers has a cult following. Seeing Mickey and Mallory get away with their monstrous crimes and become popular figures in the media makes for an equally frustrating and enthralling viewing experience.
9 Watchmen (2009)
Directed by Zack Snyder
Based on the famed comic book series of the same name, Watchmen follows a group of superheroes investigating the death of former hero Edward Blake, also known as the Comedian. Though many have criticized the film for its lack of depth, Watchmen does contain many of the dark elements present within the comics. There is also a substantial amount of gritty action that aligns with the shift seen in other superhero films at the time.
During the investigation, all signs point to Adrian Veidt, also known as Ozymandias, as being guilty. When confronted with the accusations, Ozymandias confesses to a plethora of villainous acts, which include killing the Comedian and framing Doctor Manhattan as a bad guy. Though the heroes have Ozymandias' confession, for the sake of the developing world peace, they choose to keep the truth to themselves, allowing Ozymandias to secure a win.
8 Alien: Covenant (2017)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Acting as a sequel to Prometheus, Alien: Covenant follows the crew aboard the titular spaceship as they explore an uncharted planet. Conflicting with fans' preconceived beliefs about the xenomorphs' origins, Covenant explains that the android David (Michael Fassbender) is the creator of the Alien series' threatening monsters. Much of Covenant is covered in dark themes about humanity and features a stellar performance from Fassbender as the two android models, David and Walter.
The difference between the two is distinct and the behavior of the former creates a heavy amount of suspense leading up to Covenant's ending. The end of the film sees David pose as the deceased Walter. With the ship’s crew in cryosleep, David has all he needs right in front of him to continue with experiments and reach his true goal of creating the perfect lifeform.
7 Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo
Thanos is a powerful Marvel supervillain. In the third Avengers film, Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos is set on collecting the Infinity Stones and using them in his plan to eliminate half of life within the entire universe. It's quite a substantial plan for Infinity War's heroes to prevent from happening, and exciting action scenes depict them teaming up with one another to keep the stones out of Thanos' hands. However, the victory at the end of the film isn't what its characters or audiences were expecting.
Though there's always a struggle superheroes must overcome in their films before claiming victory, many almost always end with the protagonists succeeding. Infinity War changes this when Thanos is successful in his plans to wipe out half the population, and fans are forced to watch beloved characters vanish away as a result. This end to Infinity War was shocking and emotional all at once and built a great amount of anticipation for the following film, Avengers: Endgame.
6 Fallen (1998)
Directed by Gregory Hoblit
Fallen is led by Denzel Washington as Detective John Hobbes, who investigates a series of murders with his partner Jonesy (John Goodman). The two are under the impression that the killer is a copycat, but they soon put the pieces together and realize they are up against a demon who possesses people and commits murder. The supernatural elements in the film make for a unique crime thriller and a villain unlike any other.
Though there are brief moments throughout the film when audiences believe the detectives have a chance at defeating the demon, they are ultimately proven wrong in an unexpected, somewhat silly twist at the end. Though Fallen failed at the box office and didn't impress critics, it's become somewhat of a cult classic and is seen as one of the better, underrated performances by Washington.
5 Skyfall (2012)
Directed by Sam Mendes
One of the most iconic James Bond villains is Raoul Silva, played by Javier Bardem. In Skyfall, it is explained that the former MI6 agent was betrayed to the Chinese government by M, and his main goal throughout the film is to get revenge on her. As is the case with many of the James Bond films, there is plenty of thrilling action leading up to the moment when audiences see whether Silva gets his way or not.
Bardem is captivating as the film's antagonist. He has strong on-screen chemistry with the leading characters in the film, in addition to his own magnetic presence. Though Silva is killed before he gets the opportunity to celebrate his accomplishments, he is unfortunately successful in killing M. Played by Judi Dench, the death of M is one of the bigger moments throughout Daniel Craig's James Bond movies. Her death had a great impact on Bond and the remainder of the franchise.
4 Nightcrawler (2014)
Directed by Dan Gilroy
Jake Gyllenhaal stars as the villain in Nightcrawler, Lou Bloom. The film is about Lou's efforts to find a job as a thief. When he comes across a few freelance photojournalists, Lou realizes he can make a profit off of filming crime scenes and sending them to a local news station. When Lou is made aware the news is especially interested in graphic crimes, Lou goes to the extreme to tamper with crime scenes to get exclusive footage.
Like Natural Born Killers, Nightcrawler is interested in examining the media and its viewer's relationship to violent crimes. Nightcrawler's themes are mostly concerned with unethical practices of journalism and the demand from consumers that fuels Lou's heinous behavior. Seeing how far Lou is willing to go to use others' pain for his advantage, it's distressing to see his triumph. Putting on a fabricated charm, Lou is extremely personable to others and is able to successfully grow his business.
3 The Dark Knight (2008)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Due to the way the Joker's journey ends in The Dark Knight, there's debate about who truly won in the film. In addition to the mayhem created throughout the film, one final act of chaos committed by the Joker (Heath Ledger) is an orchestrated plan in which two ferries are set to explode unless the passengers on either ferry sacrifice the other. Things don't go how the Joker expected and his last appearance in The Dark Knight is before getting arrested.
This makes it seem as though Batman has claimed the victory, but it doesn't last long as the Joker tells the superhero of his primary objective. The villain successfully corrupted district attorney Harvey Dent, and his death at the hands of Batman indicates a win for the Joker. Furthermore, believing it's what's best for Gotham, Batman takes on the blame for Harvey's villainous actions as Two-Face.
2 Oldboy (2003)
Directed by Park Chan-wook
Compared to other action films where the villain wins, Oldboy's victory isn't as clear. The acclaimed Korean film follows Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik), who, after being imprisoned by a mysterious figure for 15 years, seeks revenge on the person who kept him captive. It's eventually revealed the person responsible is Lee Woo-jin (Yoo Ji-tae), who acted on plans of revenge as well, as he believes Dae-su played a role in his sister's suicide.
The violence and action within Oldboy are brutal and difficult to watch at times, but it's also a psychological thriller that messes with the audience's heads. The themes of revenge are fascinating and the results of both Dae-su and Woo-jin's actions lead to a complicated ending. Technically, Woo-jin succeeds in making Dae-su feel the same pain he'd felt all the years before. Dae-su doesn't die, but his ending isn't particularly happy either. He's left emotionally broken, just as Woo-jin hoped.
1 No Country For Old Men (2007)
Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
The Coen brothers' No Country for Old Men is based on Cormac McCarthy's novel of the same name and sees the intertwined story of three characters, Llewelyn Moss, Ed Tom Bell, and Anton Chigurh. The latter acts as the film's villain, who is after Llewelyn and the briefcase in his possession, which is full of a large sum of money. Though No Country for Old Men has all the makings of a traditional Western film, its ending proves to be a bit more complicated.
There's no intense final shootout with the three leading characters pointing weapons at one another, resulting in the defeat of the villain. Instead, Llewelyn is killed, and Anton wins by taking the stolen money, killing Llewelyn's wife, and successfully evading legal punishment from Sheriff Bell. The ending of No Country for Old Men points to a world Bell grapples with, where immoral behavior and violence prevail, as seen in Anton's actions.
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