African
Proverb
If you’re like me (and if you follow
this blog, you probably are), your social media feed keeps getting populated by
“Gentleman” articles and memes about how men can be better men. Most of these
tend to focus on the honorable development of your Chivalry, as we strive to
become the hero of our own saga. In a similar manner, many people view the
prototypical gentlemen as being too soft or nice or even delicate to deal with
today’s chaotically aggressive society. So, if being a Gentleman is so
conducive to being the “good guy” or a KISA (Knight in Shining Armor), why is
it that every time Hollywood needs a memorable bad guy, they give us a
Gentleman Villain?
When a movie starts, we see just how
bad-ass our hero is in that initial sequence, as he spends the first 10 minutes
of the film having to prove himself to us as an audience. The villain? He just has
to step into frame in his perfectly tailored suit, impeccable eloquence, and overwhelming
presence and we buy it, no questions asked. Is it because of their calm
superiority? Because they are effortlessly imposing? Their arrogance? Their
style? It’s all that and more.
Take a moment and think of the most
memorable villains we’ve been served, the ones that become more popular than
the hero themselves. From Hans Gruber in the original Die Hard to James
Moriarty in the Sherlock Holmes series to John Milton in Devil’s Advocate (in
truth any role taken by Al Pacino), we end up more invested in the villain than
we do in the hero. If you don’t believe me, just consider how out of the two
hours of Silence Of The Lambs, Hannibal Lecter only appears for 16 minutes, and
yet that’s all he needed to leave a lasting impression in our social psyche as
one of the most memorable villains of all times. It only takes a few cords of
the imperial march, to make us gasp in expectation, waiting for Lord Vader to
walk into the scene.
Movies (books, theater, and even
video games for that matter) tend to make heroes relatable, so the audience can
live vicariously through them. This means that our protagonist will be as
generic (read as “bland”) as possible. It’s only through his development that
he becomes more, as he is expected to learn and grow through some kind of
musical montage. To counter his blandness, writers need to create a colorful
antagonist that we can all relate to hating. He must be the guy we envy in our
own lives because he dresses better, drives a better car, has the better job,
and is more successful than us. They create someone who makes us feel inferior
as they’re playing off our insecurities.
Except some of us look at that guy
and want to become him! The women in the audience find themselves wondering why
the leading lady’s putting up with our hero’s bullshit self-righteousness instead
of running into our villain’s hedonistic arms. I mean, the villain is someone
who’s driven and committed to achieve success, real a go-getter. His wealth, social
standing, and attitude are a testaments to his success. On the other hand, the
hero simply waits around to react to the bad guy’s actions. The villain’s
passionate about his ambitions and desires as he’s willing to do what most
people won’t even consider. His attention to detail, bespoke suit, and
razor-sharp wit only serves to show off the lack luster of the hero we’re
expected to root for.
Note:
I want to clarify that this isn’t limited to the Gentleman Villain, as the Lady
Villainess is just as imposing. Just look at Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) in
the Devil Wears Prada, Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty or the movie bearing her
name, or even Selina Kyle (Catwoman) in the Batman Series. Nothing says “desire
me all you want, but don’t even think I won’t kill you if you get in my way”
like a well developed “Bitch Face.”
While the hero spends most of the
time trying to prove himself, overcome his own flaws and insecurities, while
the movie plays off his weaknesses for the audience’s sympathy, the villain
doesn’t need our validation or sympathy. They just are, letting US bask in THEIR
awesomeness. Playing the victim card? That’s left for heroes and victims
to use. They don’t play to the crowd. If anything, they should inspire us to
achieve greatness for nothing more than greatness sake.
They’re powerful and imposing
without the need to prove it or remind us. They embrace their passions without
the moralist qualms reinforced by hypocritical social standards. If they
display restraint, it’s to let us know about their iron will and self-discipline;
only unleashing their fury when needed and then only to deal with the
incompetence of others. Even John “Jigsaw” Kramer, from the Saw series, keeps a
constant and even level tone to his voice. It’s this villain’s calmness that
works off our own fear. They are the epitome of the adage “Be polite, be
professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet.”
Note that the true Gentleman Villain
isn’t an abuser or falls for pettiness, as they see these things below their
notice. They don’t need to make anyone feel inferior or show off their
greatness or even remind anyone of who they are, as that again would be playing
to the crowd and needing validation. Sure, they’ll blow up a shelter full of
orphaned kittens, but they’ll do it simply because it was in their way. Raul
Juliá best exemplifies this mentality in Street Fighter. (Before you judge me
for bringing this piece of cinematic crap up, I know this is a good awful
movie, but Juliá chews through every scene he’s allowed to cut loose in.)
"For
you, the day Bison graced your village was the most important day of your life.
But for me, it was Tuesday."
The fact that these gentlemen are so
determined, so imposing, and so unapologetic makes them “Evil,” or at least
that’s what their creator wants us to think. It’s later on, as the writers
realize just how popular the villain has become, do they feel the need to “flaw”
him so either, we can believe that the hero has at least a chance to defeat
them or they can become hero’s themselves in the sequel. Suddenly Vader takes
off his mask and stops being James Earl Jones or the Six Fingered man just flee
cowardly, as the writers dismantle the well-developed villain in only two
seconds worth of bad filmmaking. Why the hell do they think this is a good
thing, I don’t know. Personally, I view it as a cheat to try and keep the hero
more popular. Besides, we’re expected to root for the hero simply because he’s
the hero. We ignore the fact that his only motivation is probably revenge (yet
nobody’s motivated to get revenge on the hero for all the faceless minions he
kills) or simply because it’s his job (get’s paid to stop the villain). Sure,
the villain’s the bad guy of the story, but as long as Red Riding Hood’s
telling the story, the Wolf will always be the bad guy. We aren’t shown all the
work that went into creating his evil empire, all the personal sacrifices and
dedication that went into becoming the powerful men they are.
Let’s make it clear. I’m in no way
promoting the idea that Villainy should be viewed as a proper career choice,
nor are we romanticizing the extremes that villains go to or the people they
hurt. We still need heroes. We still have to understand that blowing up
innocent kittens and puppies should always be frowned upon because… they are
puppies and kittens, you sick bastard! Because that’s where the villain fails
us. They cross the line where their personal passion ignores the people they
hurt in the process. That’s the only thing that makes them into villains worth
stopping.
We need the KISA to prove to society
that men are honorable creatures despite all the bad press we get. But don’t
you think it’s time to stop having to prove yourself for other people’s
validations or even permission? In a society where you have to start most
expositions with trigger word warnings or begging people not to take everything
personal, seeing someone being proud of who they are or openly enjoying what
they’ve achieved through hard work and dedication (all those sports cars and
Italian suits aren’t cheap and building an evil empire isn’t easy) is almost a
breath of fresh air. When you get to a point where you no longer have to
impress others, that’s when you become free.
Isn’t it time to stop asking for
permission to strive for greatness? Isn’t it
time to enjoy being the man you are, the unapologetic Gentleman you’ve become? Isn’t
it time to prove you've gone past your own insecurities as you no longer walk on eggshells, or feel like
a victim, or even have to play to the crowd? Isn’t it time to discipline
yourself into the man you’re destined to be?
The world isn’t going to conquer
itself.
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