10 Best Movie Villain Speeches, According To Reddit

In The Batman, Paul Dano delivers Riddler’s best quotes and impassioned speeches with the perfect mix of righteous anger and chilling creepiness, making his character the perfect villain for Matt Reeves’ film-noir-inspired detective movie. Villains are mostly defined by what they do but some have come to be known by what they said – Batman’s nemesis will certainly be remembered for his eerie riddles. Others, however, prefer to deliver lengthy memorable speeches, not only providing justification for their actions but also managing to terrify both the protagonist and viewers.

This has led film fans to ponder which movie villains gave the best speeches. With more than a century’s worth of Hollywood content to choose from, there are multiple worthy contenders for a top 10 list. But on Reddit, the opinions point to a few outstanding antagonists as the ones with the most memorable pieces of dialogue.

The Joker Interrupts A Mob Meeting

The Dark Knight (2008)

Redditor barre307 feels no other villain speech tops the Joker “describing how he got his scars.” During the scene, Joker interrupts a mob meeting, mocks everyone, and then goes on to tell his own childhood story.

A number of things make the speech iconic. First, it’s forcefully delivered to an audience that’s unwilling to hear it. The mob bosses aren’t too happy about the Joker interrupting their meeting but he goes on to tell his scar tales anyway. Themes of trauma are brought up too as it is revealed it was the Joker’s abusive father that curved a smile on his mouth with a knife.

The Devil Analyzes God’s Relationship With Humans

The Devil’s Advocate (1997)

OB1_kenobi declares that “Nothing beats a monologue by the Devil himself.” In the particular speech, Satan (Al Pacino) explains to Florida defense attorney, Kevin Lomax, how God likes keeping a distance whereas, he, the Devil is right here on Earth interacting with humans and feeling their emotions.

The brilliance of the monologue mostly lies in the terms that Satan chooses to use. He refers to God as an absentee landlord and sadist. He then refers to himself as a humanist and asks the attorney to speak up if the thinks otherwise. Even better is his declaration that he is peaking, with his best yet to come. By combining these facts, it’s easy to see why this is the undisputed one among Al Pacino’s most villainous roles.

Brick Top Explains How To Get Rid Of A Dead Body

Snatch (2000)

About great villain speeches, Metfan722 simply points out, “Bricktop’s pig speech from Snatch.” In it, betting shop owner, Brick Top, explains how the best way to get rid of a dead body is by feeding it to pigs.

For Brick Top, the details matter. What’s impressive about his speech is how he has all the numbers in his mind, stating how a 200-pound body can be consumed by pigs in approximately 8 minutes. The speech also paints him as a barbaric person who has no regard for human life. All he cares about is that no evidence gets left behind whenever a murder is committed.

Raoul Silva Compares Himself And Bond To Rats

Skyfall (2012)

When Raoul Silva captures Bond, he tells him that they are both like captured rats guaranteed to start eating each other whenever they lack food. StudBoi69 likes how the silence magnifies the intensities, stating, “No noise and music whatsoever, just him going on and on about the rat story.”

As intelligent as Silva is, there is the belief that his hatred for M is among the worst Bond villain’s motivations. Nonetheless, he brings up a good point while explaining why he and M are now on opposing sides yet they once both worked for MI6. With not enough missions for all of them, it was inevitable that some of the star agents (like him) would go bored and start attacking the same agency that molded them.

Harry Lime Emphasizes The Importance Of Chaos

The Third Man (1949)

Antagonist Harry Lime compares Switzerland to Italy, claiming that Italy was chaotic for 30 years during the reign of the Borgias but legends like Michelangelo and Leonardo DaVinci emerged as a result. Switzerland, on the other hand, was peaceful for 500 years and only have the cuckoo clock to show for it. It’s a speech that kitthehacker labels “absolutely incredible.”

Villains always find a way to justify their wrongdoing and Lime does so in the most convincing way possible. In his opinion, anarchy breeds creativity and if it wasn’t for the turmoil in Italy, the Rennaissance period would never have happened. For that reason, he believes evil men like him are important.

Agent Smith Lambasts Humans

The Matrix (1999)

While interrogating Morpheus, Smith goes on a rant in which he criticizes humans, comparing them to viruses that keep spreading. Use protendious says “you can almost hear him licking his lips between sentences for their deliciousness.”

Agent Smith’s speech isn’t just memorable because 0f his choice of words but also because of how he prepares for it. Like someone that’s going to fight, he takes off his sunglasses and cuts off communication with agents outside the room. Most importantly, he makes good points in his comparisons of humans and viruses. He accurately claims that people move to a new area once they have conquered one, just the way viruses do.

Jensen Gives Beale A Dressing Down For Sabotaging The Saudi Deal

Network (1976)

When newscaster Howard Beale tries to sabotage a merger between his network and a Saudi conglomerate, his boss Arthur Jensen gives him a piece of his mind. He lets him know that nothing matters more than money, not nations, and definitely not people. An awed jarvik7 states “Network is choke-full of great monologues!”

Villains are mostly shown to be delusional rather than right but on this occasion, Jensen makes a good point by reminding Beale that he is opposing something he doesn’t truly understand. the Saudi merger is said to be extremely essential for the network’s survival but Beale’s morality makes him see no point in it. Thanks to his hero mentality, he ends up getting assassinated.

Hans Landa Demands To Know Where The Jewish Family Is Hiding

Inglorious Basterds (2009)

In the opening scene of the movie, Nazi general, SS-Standartenführer Hans Landa visits the home of French farmer Perrier LaPadite, demanding to know where a Jewish family is hiding. ChanSungJung says Landa is “so intimidating without being aggressive.”

Landa is indeed one of the most composed villains to ever exist. Audiences can’t help but wait anxiously as he orders milk and gives several analogies to clarify why his work is very essential. Without ever torturing LaPadite, he persuades him to point to the location where the family is hiding.

Killmonger Declares That Death Is Better Than Bondage

Black Panther (2018)

When he gets defeated by Black Panther, Killmonger delivers a monologue where he suggests that is better for him to die and be thrown in the ocean so he can rest with his ancestors that jumped to their deaths from slave ships. Redditor xIcy- sums this up the best way, saying, “What can I say, those last words were really good.”

Ordinarily, villain deaths are a cause of celebration but Killmonger’s last words trigger the fall of tears because of how powerful they are. With his words, he emphasizes the importance of freedom, making it clear that it’s better to die than to live a life of captivity. The villain’s pronouncements also serve as a reminder of just how horrible slavery was.

Jack Torrence Prepares To Kill Wendy

The Shining (1980)

Looking to kill his wife, Jack Torrance attempts to reassure her first, claiming he’s not going to hurt her, he’s only going to bash her head in. Redditor shadow_trainer says “What I like about that scene is he doesn’t blink during the whole monologue.”

Among the things that make Jack one of the best horror villains of the 1980s is how he quickly morphs from a loving family man to a bloodthirsty individual. He holds the belief that bashing someone’s head in doesn’t qualify as hurting him. He has some sort of eagerness about him too, reminding her that she shouldn’t waste time begging because she had all the time to think things over.

About The Author

Philip Etemesi
(1215 Articles Published)

Philip Etemesi is an author, journalist, screenwriter and film critic based in Nairobi. Kenya. As a child, he preferred watching movies like The Goodfellas instead of Home Alone. His girlfriend constantly has to pull him from the front of the TV but he just keeps returning. Stubborn dude! An animal lover, Philip also has a pet giraffe called Refu.

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