Aside from a few movies in his filmography, when you think of Steven Spielberg, the last word that comes to mind is 'evil.' Sure, there are antagonists because every narrative requires them, but his films aren't characterized as being showcases of villains and their dark intentions. Spielberg's films tend to be thrilling but joyful. Perilous but adventurous. There's very little nihilism or darkness in the critically-acclaimed "Spielbergverse."
But again, there are exceptions, and they're extremely interesting. The villains in Steven Spielberg's films are usually well-written, with solidly built arcs that make sense in the end. Sure, they will never outlast the heroes (there are no records of unhappy endings in Spielberg's filmography). Still, they're worth remembering as the counterparts to icons like Indiana Jones and Peter Pan. This is a collection of the best villains in the Steven Spielberg universe.
10 Mister
The Color Purple (1985)
In The Color Purple, Celie Harris' ordeal begins when she's just a teenager. Living in early 20th-century Georgia, the African-American girl is constantly abused by her own father. Her only "escape" is her relationship with her younger sister, Nettie. When Mister arrives at their doorstep and demands to marry Nettie, the girls' father refuses. Instead, Celie is "gifted" to Mister, who also turns out to be an abusive partner.
Nettie runs away from home, trying to escape her father's abuse, and finds herself going to Celie's, where Mister also tries to assault her. As the sisters become separated, they promise always to stay connected through written letters. This is rural America in a way that had never been depicted in film.
The Horrific Execution of Reality
Spielberg's adaptation of Alice Walker's novel is a riveting and realistic execution of a concept that had always laid dormant in the annals of history. Nevertheless, the director decides to make a raw but strangely uplifting film.
Mister, played by Danny Glover, is just another monster in a sea of monsters. Mysoginism, incest, domestic violence, and child abuse are just some features of the living hell the Harris sisters had to endure since they were born. Mister was the hope, the light at the end of the tunnel, and he ended up being the memorable ghoul to always fuel Celie's trauma. You can stream The Color Purple on Tubi.
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9 The Truck
Duel (1971)
Duel
- Release Date
- November 13, 1971
Spielberg's debut in 1971 also featured one of his most iconic villains. In Duel, based on Richard Matheson's short story, David Mann is on a business trip across southern California. As it regularly happens, he encounters a truck that's going too slow. When David decides to pass it, the truck counter-passes. This begins a frantic journey where the truck tries its best to kill David by crashing into the man's sedan.
A Faceless Yet Merciless Monster
Duel is mysterious because, ultimately, there's no grand reveal. There's no motivation as to why the truck is going after David. Of course, someone was driving the truck. The film is far from being a supernatural piece. However, the driver's wrath was too extreme to put him within the boundaries of a reason.
You would have thought there was a past that could fuel the killer's agenda, but Spielberg decides there isn't any. This is just killing for the sake of killing and destroying.
Fun fact: Be aware of the truck's sound as it falls. It's the same sound effect the shark in Jaws makes when it's obliterated in the ending. So, yes, same kind of creature.
8 René Belloq
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Raiders of the Lost Ark follows an archaeologist/teacher/adventurer whose latest mission ends with him barely escaping and losing the object he sought. However, Indiana Jones is quickly commissioned to go across the continent to stop the Nazis from getting their hands on the Ark of the Covenant. The Germans are trying to find the object to indulge in experiments with what they find inside, and the man in charge of leading the search is Indy's nemesis, René Belloq.
Indy's Best and Most Understandable Villain
Weirdly, Indiana Jones hasn't had the most memorable villains in Spielberg's catalog. Sure, they're "bad" enough to face Indy, but almost no one remembers the old dude in Last Crusade or Cate Blanchett in Crystal Skull.
Belloq is plenty memorable. You understand what he's after and almost feel sorry for him as his body explodes in the film's conclusion. Also, Belloq's warmth is an excellent balance to the cold stance of Major Toht, the Gestapo monster whose ways are anything but monstrous. You can stream Raiders of the Lost Ark on Disney+.
7 Captain Hook
Hook (1991)
Hook
- Release Date
- April 10, 1991
- Director
- Steven Spielberg
In Hook, a lawyer by the name of Peter Banning is going through a rough patch in his adulthood. He's disconnected from his marriage and his oldest son doesn't respect him one bit. But when the kids are suddenly kidnapped, Peter is forced to go after them. This will take him to Neverland, a place where he once was Peter Pan, and he faced the villainous Captain Hook, who has now taken his children just to draw him back the fantasy land.
One of Dustin Hoffman's Best Performances
Dustin Hoffman plays Captain Hook in an excellent performance that will go down as one of his best and boldest. Spielberg's Hook is a beautiful and underrated fantasy film with a significant lead in Robin Williams and Spielberg's signature direction of a young cast. But it's Hook's figure that stands out as a perfect example of antagonism whose "safety" doesn't mean he can't be menacing, and his cartoonish features are strangely compelling.
6 Danny Witwer
Minority Report (2002)
Minority Report follows chief John Anderton as he's become a controversial figure in the Precrime program. Using the psychic abilities of clairvoyants, Anderton is able to see the future and ultimately prevent crimes from being committed.
In the middle of an ethics conversation (why should criminals be arrested for crimes they haven't committed yet?) brought on by Danny Witwer, a Department of Justice agent, Anderton sees himself in a "precog" impression of killing someone. When his partners realize this, they begin the hunt.
Some Reason Amidst the Madness
Colin Farrell gives life to Witwer in a very interesting performance. The agent, with far too many religious insights, asks the right questions when he starts to audit the Precrime police department. Unfortunately, Witwer discovers the conspiracy in which Anderton is being framed, and the real culprit kills him, framing Anderton once again.
The character isn't the real villain in the film, but through a very compelling argument led by him, we're able to see the cracks in the shady schematics of Precrime. Minority Report is one of Spielberg's best adult-themed movies that should get more love.
5 Frank Dixon
The Terminal (2004)
The Terminal tells the story of the peculiar Viktor Navorski, a man from Krakozhia whose misfortune puts him in the John F. Kennedy International Airport, where he lands after a long flight and discovers his country is no more. Military leaders have overthrown the government, and his passport isn't valid anymore for entering the United States. Navorski is forced to stay living in the airport until something happens, as his passport return and ticket are taken.
Airport authority Frank Dixon is concerned with Victor's presence and tries his best to get rid of the problem in any way he can, even if it means denying entry to the country in a state of emergency.
The Funny Yet Pitiless Example of Autocratic Culture
Played by Stanley Tucci in one of his best performances, Dixon is an exceptional execution of exaggerated American paranoia to stem from 9/11 in an airport setting. He knows there's a solution at hand, or at least a way to make things easier for the victim, but giving in would mean losing principle and what he swore by when he took the job of being an authority in a place as important as a New York airport. Dixon is the funny version of Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
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4 Frank Abagnale Jr.
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Catch Me If You Can is the real story of Frank Abagnale Jr., a con man who, by the age of 19, had already scammed enough companies to earn millions of dollars. Abagnale started by impersonating a Pan Am pilot, and things took off from there. He became a doctor and a lawyer, but he would eventually be caught by an FBI agent called Carl Hanratty, who found a way to emotionally connect with the teenager when he became a world-famous criminal.
This Spielberg film is one of the most underrated crime dramas ever made.
An Endearing and Perfect "Villain"
Call him a villain, an anti-hero, or a hero. But the fact is that Abagnale is an antagonist simply due to the moral conundrums of his acts. Frank's transition from a clever teenager to a lonesome adult is the basis of the film, but during this character's journey, it's impossible to stop and think if the boy's "business" is good or bad or simply profitable. Spielberg's balance between action and comedy is spotless, and Catch Me If You Can ends up being a fascinating study of karma, ethics, and human naïveté.
3 The Shark
Jaws (1975)
Jaws
- Release Date
- June 18, 1975
In Jaws, the residents of Amity Island wake up to a tragedy. The body of a girl has washed ashore, and the mutilation shows signs of a shark attack. When Chief Martin Brody decides to close the beaches to investigate the presence of the animal, the authorities decide he's exaggerating.
After all, this could just be a coincidence, and with the coming summer, the town will die if the beaches are closed. However, another attack takes place, and ultimately, Brody will lead the hunt for one of nature's perfect exterminators.
The Legacy of a Ruthless Killing Machine
The film isn't a traditional creature feature, as it doesn't expose its monster early on. Yes, it's a fact that this was not intentional, as the special effects department faced a shark prop that barely worked. However, the fact that the shark doesn't show up during the first half of the film ends up being an excellent narrative resource.
When the great white shark decides to show up, it's a gut-wrenching surprise and one hell of a jump scare. Then, it becomes clear enough that the colossal mammal won't stop until it destroys the boat where its hunters are trying to survive.
2 The Beast
Poltergeist (1982)
Poltergeist
- Release Date
- June 4, 1982
- Cast
- Craig T. Nelson , JoBeth Williams , Beatrice Straight , Dominique Dunne , Oliver Robins , Heather O'Rourke
- Runtime
- 114
In Poltergeist, the Freelings are a perfect display of the American family during the Reagan era of progress, capitalism, and growth. However, their new home holds a secret, and 5-year-old Carol Anne discovers there are "people in the TV." During a raging storm, the girl is taken, and the family desperately look for her.
Carol Anne's voice whimpers from the TV, calling for them, and the family begins their journey to retrieve the girl from the realm where the dead roam, refusing to depart to the other side.
Corrupting the American Dream
Yes, this one's a bit of a cheat, but bear in mind that while Spielberg didn't direct Poltergeist (or maybe he did), he produced and wrote it. Spielberg's depiction of the monster is eerily malleable. The Beast doesn't have a fixed agenda. This fluidity in the antagonist is what makes Poltergeist such a scary piece of horror that takes the American family and submits it to improbable horror while exploiting its most vulnerable: the blonde white cherub girl. You can stream Poltergeist on AMC+.
1 Amon Göth
Schindler's List (1993)
Schindler's List is Spielberg's rendering of the Nazi holocaust. During World War II, Hitler commissions the creation of concentration camps in what will ultimately become known as a genocide for the Jewish people who were captured in Europe.
A Nazi businessman realizes he can show mercy and decides to hire Jewish prisoners to work in his factory, saving them from the extermination led by a ruthless SS functionary called Amon Göth. This is how his employee list becomes a staple of peace against the wrath of the Third Reich.
A Spotless Rendering of Evil
Göth, played by Ralph Fiennes, is undoubtedly the best villain in Spielberg's filmography, and perhaps it's because he's the antagonist in the director's most sober film and the one he's proudest of. He decided to cast Fiennes after he saw his potential to play the sociopath. Spielberg said back in the day: "There were moments of kindness that would move across his eyes and then instantly run cold."
His personification of evil is perfect and realistic, and he resembled the war criminal so much that when writer Milla Pfefferberg met Fiennes in costume on the film set, she started shaking uncontrollably. You can stream Schindler's List on Prime Video.
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