10 Greatest Movie Anti-Heroes Ever

Just as I'm a sucker for darker areas of cinema (like zombie movies, apocalyptic movies, and post apocalyptic movies), I'm a sucker for a good anti-hero. If I have a choice between an anti-hero and a regular hero, I'll take the anti-hero any day of the week because I think they are inherently more interesting characters than their truly noble counterparts.

The definition of an anti-hero as a character who performs acts that are generally deemed or thought to be heroic, but he/she will do so with methods, actions, manners, and intentions that are not so. I also tend to add that there is a touch of darkness surrounding anti-heroes, a sense of danger that doesn't go away. With that definition, who are the ten best to ever grace the cinema screen?

#1: Travis Bickle, "Taxi Driver" (1976)

No matter what list you look at of top anti-heroes in movies, Robert De Niro's portrayal of a cab driver gone vigilante is right at the top of everyone's list. This is especially amazing considering how many good anti-heroes are out there in movies, and there is wide disagreement on top ten lists, but Travis Bickle is a great example of how the darkness can seep in.

First off, we as the audience tend to sympathize with him, but his motives remain unknown throughout the film which makes it hard to stay with his actions, especially as it becomes clear that he's not completely all there, and then the assassination attempt of a political candidate seems straight out evil until he saves a child prostitute, but his head is so messed up you don't know why he's doing anything any more, making even heroic actions seem, well, really creepy.

#2: Leon, "Leon: The Professional" (1994)

There have been few movies so beautifully woven, few characters like Leon, played by Jean Reno. Leon is a professional assassin who lives in a shady part of New York City. He lives next door to a 13 year old Matilda, who is part of a dysfunctional family. When the family is killed by a corrupt DEA agent, Leon reluctantly agrees to take care of the young girl.