Top 5 Movies Where The Bad Guy Wins

 remember growing up and seeing Bambi’s Mom die, I remember watching Mufasa fall into the gorge, I remember these moments and I remember bawling uncontrollably. But even when I was little I knew it would be okay because the good guy always wins. Well that is not how real life works, heck that’s not even how movies work. This week I decided to make a list of the five best movies where the bad guy wins.

This list has a lot to do with the endings of movies, so to that end I won’t discuss any movies released in the past 10 years. All five of these movies are really good, and I recommend them to everyone but it is impossible to do this list without talking about the endings. So here's your last chance—spoiler alert, obviously.
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5) Saw

This was the toughest movie on the list for me. It really could have gone to a whole slew of other movies. I wanted to put One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest on here; I wanted to put Arlington Road, which is probably really dated by this point; I also really liked Woody Allen's Match Point for this list. But I felt it would be a shame not to put at least one serial killer on the list so please allow Saw to represent all of those movies. In this movie the villain is John Kramer, also known as Jigsaw. In his mind he's doing a good thing—he's taking people who are throwing away their lives and giving them a second chance. That is, if they are willing to make near inhuman sacrifices. Any good villain needs to be able to justify his actions, and they have to be able to walk away and that's exactly what he does. Kramer gets up from his little nap and then walks out the door, slamming it in another victim’s face. Tough one.
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4) No Country for Old Men

Don't get on the bad side of Anton Chigurh, because despite his haircut he is not a man you want to mess with. He is a cold, calculating killer who always finishes the job and is a man of his word, even if that word is a promise to kill your whole family. Sure a lot of villains say that—but Chigurh means it. By the time the final frames are rolling Chigurh has his money and walks away as the sole survivor. He's a bad man who you don't want to get in a coin toss with. But if by chance you do get involved in a coin flip, for the love of god always pick tails. It never fails.
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3) Se7en

John Doe is another villain who believes he's doing the right thing. He is confronted every day by people embracing the seven deadly sins instead of trying to avoid them. John Doe calls attention to these sins with brutal murders. But at the end of the movie there are two sins left: envy and wrath. Morgan Freeman opens that box with that pretty little package inside of it and John Doe's masterpiece is complete— even if he isn't around to see the finale.
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2) Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

Sure, at the end of the day it turns out all good for Luke and the gang, but this one is the ultimate downer. After destroying the Death Star, the Empire comes back with a vengeance. Luke gets his hand chopped off, Han is trapped in carbonite, and Lea is going to have to deal with the fact that she made out with her brother to make the man she loves jealous. The last frame may leave the audience with a little bit of hope. but the Empire comes out ahead at the end. Rey and Finn should be very worried about what happens in Episode 8.

1. The Usual Suspects

Who is Keyser Soze? That is the question the police are trying to get to the bottom of and they are talking to Roger 'Verbal' Kint to get their answers. Verbal is a crippled criminal who was the only one to make it out alive of a heist gone wrong. Keyser Soze may as well be the devil incarnate the way Verbal describes his acts. Soze is willing to dispatch anyone who stands in his way, no matter the cost. There are many who consider the final five minutes of The Usual Suspects to be a perfect ending. I would have a tough time disagreeing.

This isn’t the end, although it may feel like it. No, even if it looks like those willing to take away the rights of some of our citizens have the upper hand this is the moment to decide: are you going to lie down and take it? Or are you going to show up to the sequel and fight again? I hope it’s the latter, because this is a fight worth having. Stay strong everybody.