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Movies have depicted the fight between good and evil in many different ways. Of course, it is satisfying to see the wicked villains getting their just desserts but it isn't always easy for the good guys to reign victorious, especially against powerful enemies. In fact, several movies have steered away from accepted conventions to explore the aftermath of dark forces getting away with horrifying evil deeds.
In these movies, filmmakers tend to put the spotlight on formidable antagonists who the audience will love to hate. The idea here is not to glorify evil forces but to use the menacing nature of the villain to draw out the inner strength and courage from within the hero and other central characters.
Cinephiles should keep an eye out for the movies on this list that explore thrilling confrontations between good and evil.
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Disclaimer: This list contains information from various sources. It contains spoilers.
Primal Fear, Gone Girl and eight other intriguing movies wherein the antagonists have the last word
1) The Wicker Man (1973)
There are some movies that tend to carve a nice for themselves without needing to fit into any one genre, and The Wicker Man by Robin Hardy certainly fits that bill. Edward Woodward plays Sergeant Neil Howie who travels to an isolated Scottish island to investigate the disappearance of a young girl named Rowan.
He is shocked to witness the strange rituals of the Islanders who have embraced paganism and is skeptical of the island's leader, Lord Summerisle, portrayed by Christopher Lee. Howie believes that the villagers plan to offer Rowan as a sacrifice for a successful harvest and tries to help, but pays for his honorable actions with his life.
Even though Howie sees through Lord Summerisle's deception, he is unable to convince the brainwashed villagers who believe that a sacrifice is the only way to guarantee a fruitful harvest. It is certainly horrifying to see Howie burn to death along with other animal sacrifices in the end but the narrative is a stark reminder that good doesn't always triumph over evil.
Where to watch: The Wicker Man is available for streaming on Apple TV+ and Tubi.
2) The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
George Lucas' Star Wars never fails to deliver in terms of iconic battles between good and evil. In The Empire Strikes Back by Irvin Kershner, Luke Skywalker, portrayed by Mark Hamill, has to master the Force in order to take on one of the most powerful leaders of the Galactic Empire, Darth Vader, voiced by James Earl Jones.
As far as compelling villains go, Darth Vader's reputation has expanded beyond fans of the franchise. Given his impressive prowess and abilities, movie-goers knew that Luke would have a tough time containing Vader. Their duel takes place towards the end of the movie, and Vader quickly demonstrates who's in charge.
When he severs Luke's right hand, it became clear that the duel wasn't going to end well for the Rebel Alliance. Despite his valiant efforts, Luke knew that he had to retreat, especially after finding out that Vader was his father. The good guys didn't win but they put up a great fight and that is what matters. Also, the shocking revelation and Luke's escape helped set the stage for the next movies.
Where to watch: The Empire Strikes Back can be streamed on Disney+, Apple TV+ and Prime Video.
3) The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Anthony Hopkins has featured in many notable movies throughout his career but no role has ever presented him in such a menacing avatar as The Silence of the Lambs. In the movie, he plays Hannibal Lecter, an imprisoned cannibalistic serial killer and the only one who can lead the FBI to a dangerous psychopathic killer who skins his victims.
Clarice Starling, a young FBI trainee played by Jodie Foster attempts to converse with Lecter in order to gain valuable insight that can help solve the case. Lecter enjoys playing mind games and manipulates Clarice to reveal personal secrets in return for information.
Clarice does end up catching the killer known as Buffalo Bill. But the victory isn't long-lived as Lecter manages to escape prison after brutally killing two guards. The end signified that a much bigger threat was on the prowl once again, much to the dismay of Clarice and the authorities.
Where to watch: The Silence of the Lambs by Jonathan Demme is available on Prime Video, Apple TV+ and Max.
4) The Usual Suspects (1995)
Crime thriller movies are dependent on good hooks and surprising twists and The Usual Suspects nails both with impressive consistency. In fact, many consider it to be one of the best thriller movies of all time. This highly acclaimed Bryan Singer movie stars Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro, Kevin Spacey and more.
The narrative focuses on the interrogation of Roger Kint aka Verbal, a small-time con man portrayed by Spacey, who survived a massacre and fire on a ship docked at the Port of Los Angeles. He proceeds to tell the police how he and his criminal companions ended up on the boat at the behest of Keyser Söze, a master criminal who controlled them.
As the police scramble to track down Söze, they are disrupted by multiple false leads. Verbal is released on bail and right after, the police receive a sketch artist's facial composite of Söze which resembles Verbal. It is certainly impressive how Spacey's character was able to convince the cops with his convoluted story but that doesn't change the fact that evil triumphed over evil in the end.
Where to watch: The Usual Suspects can be viewed on Apple TV+ and Prime Video.
5) Se7en (1995)
In movies that reflect the battle between good and evil, there are times when the line becomes blurred. The same can be seen in Se7en by David Fincher. Morgan Freeman plays Detective Lieutenant William Somerset who is partnered up with Brad Pitt's David Mills who recently relocated to the city. They are in pursuit of a serial killer who commits murders based on the seven deadly sins.
The killer, who comes to be known as John Doe, surrenders himself and then coerces Mills and Somerset to escort him to an undisclosed location to find the envy and wrath victims. It is then revealed that the final part of his plan is to embody envy and die at the hands of Mills who must become wrath. In order to ensure everything goes to plan, he kills Mills' wife.
Mills, distraught with the loss, does end up pulling the trigger. Even though Doe's death ensures that he can't harm anyone else, it comes at the expense of Mills' mental well-being which will be hard to reset. The fact that Mills inadvertently helped Doe execute his plan means that evil called the shots till the very end.
Where to watch: Se7en is available for streaming on Prime Video, Apple TV+ and Netflix.
6) Primal Fear (1996)
Legal movies can get monotonous but the same cannot be said about Primal Fear by Gregory Hoblit. In the lead is Richard Gere who plays Martin Vail, a highly skilled Chicago defense attorney. He takes on the case wherein a 19-year-old altar boy named Aaron, portrayed by Edward Norton, is accused of murdering the Archbishop.
Martin is certain that the meek and stuttering Aaron is not capable of such brutality. Eventually, it is believed that he has dissociative identity disorder. Martin builds his case in a way that Aaron is acquitted by reason of insanity, which does happen.
It seems like a win for the good guys but Aaron admits that he faked having multiple personalities and boastfully talks about the murders he committed. Both Martin and the audience are left in disbelief as they come to terms with the fact that a cruel murderer was declared "not guilty".
Where to watch: Primal Fear can be streamed on Apple TV+ and Prime Video.
7) No Country for Old Men (2007)
Many cinephiles aren't completely satisfied with movies that have anticlimactic endings but there are some movies like No Country for Old Men that thrive on unconventional conclusions. This neo-Western movie by Joel and Ethan Coen stars Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin.
Brolin plays Llewelyn Moss, a veteran who chances upon a large sum of money. Bardem's character, Chigurh is a hitman who has been asked to retrieve the money and Lee plays Ed Tom Bell, a sheriff who is investigating the crime. Western movies usually introduce viewers to compelling morally grey characters and If No Country for Old Men is no different.
It was certainly difficult for viewers to wrap their heads around Moss's death while Chigurh escapes with the money. Like Bell, the audience is also left with a nagging feeling that justice was not delivered till the end.
Where to watch: Fans of Western movies can view this thriller on Prime Video and Apple TV+.
8) The Dark Knight (2008)
Christopher Nolan helped breathe new life into the Batman movies. The narrative of the movies in The Dark Knight trilogy highlighted the moral conundrums that plagued Bruce whenever he donned the iconic all-black costume. In this installment, Joker makes an elaborate sinister plan that will test how far Batman will go to save the city.
Alongside Batman, district attorney Harvey Dent, portrayed by Aaron Eckhart, is also rallying against the evil forces in Gotham. Even though Joker's plan to corrupt Batman fails, he succeeds in turning Dent who transitions into Two-Face. When Dent falls to his death, Batman knows that the city will lose faith if his corruption is revealed so he takes the blame and becomes the target of a manhunt.
Even though the police were able to arrest Joker, he still recorded a victory by manipulating Gotham's righteous hero and having civilians turn on their last real hope - Batman. Unsurprisingly, like all of Nolan's movies, the edgy narrative of The Dark Knight left a lasting impression on viewers, especially because of its sombre ending.
Where to watch: The Dark Knight is available on Netflix, Apple TV+ and Prime Video.
9) Gone Girl (2014)
Movies that are based on books usually tend to create a buzz because bookworms are often excited to see their favorite characters on screen. Adapted from Gillian Flynn's novel, Gone Girl surprised cinephiles with its faithful representation of the characters and the suspenseful narrative. Ben Affleck stars as Nick Dunne who is stuck in a crumbling marriage with Rosamund Pike's Amy.
When Amy disappears suddenly, it becomes national news. As the police start to investigate, they find clues that point to Nick. Even though she had planned to pin her murder on Nick, Amy has a change of heart and returns home. To prove Nick's innocence, she blames the ex-boyfriend who she ends up killing.
Amy is clearly the villain who takes pride in destroying lives but there isn't enough evidence to implicate her. When Nick wants to leave, weeks after her return, she stops him by revealing her pregnancy. Nick is not perfect but the audience starts to sympathize with him when they realize that Amy will always reign supreme in their relationship.
Where to watch: Gone Girl by David Fincher can be viewed on Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video and Apple TV+.
10) Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Superhero movies, with a few exceptions, tend to center around the fight of good versus evil and viewers expect to see the good guys prevail in the end. And, Marvel movies have mostly stuck to this order of events but Avengers: Infinity War by Anthony and Joe Russo breaks the mold in a big way.
In this installment, the Avengers team up with the Guardians of the Galaxy to stop Thanos from getting the six Infinity Stones. Despite troublesome challenges, they get close to their objective. But in the end scene, Thanos is still able to wipe out half of all life in the universe. It was a indeed terrible sight to witness some of the franchise's best characters disintegrate on-screen.
Even though there was still hope that the remaining heroes would be able to turn things around in the next installment, seeing Thanos get his way at the end of Avengers: Infinity War left audiences around the world downhearted.
Where to watch: Avengers: Infinity War is available on Disney+, Prime Video and Apple TV+.
Not all movies have happy endings and these movies in particular capture the dread that follows after the triumph of evil over good.
