Top 10 Most Notorious Movie Snitches

“Reservoir Dogs” (1992)

The act of going undercover within a criminal organization involves deception right from the jump, yet it’s not uncommon for some law enforcement agents to feel remorse when it comes time to reveal themselves. The final revelation that Tim Roth’s Mr. Orange has, in fact, been a cop all along is devastating to Harvey Keitel’s Mr. White. Although a deleted scene softens the impact of this scene a bit, since it reveals Mr. White’s cop-killing past, the end results remain the same. Keitel’s character is overcome with rage at not listening to “Nice Guy” Eddie Cabot’s warning, as well as shame for letting his potentially fatherly instincts towards Mr. Orange blind his intuition.

“Aliens” (1986)

This junior executive proudly admits to being a “company man” the moment he introduces himself to Ellen Ripley in “Aliens.” Carter Burke is successful in his attempts to convince Ripley to return to deep space on a rescue mission. However, what Ripley doesn’t know is that Burke’s agenda has always been to research and bring back samples of Xenomorph life. It’s through Burke’s deception that the colony of Hadley’s Hope is overtaken by the aliens, and he effectively sends the space marines off to their deaths. You know the old saying, “don’t bring a knife to a gun fight?” Well, the decisions of both Burke and Gorman doomed their team to a horribly violent death, thanks to their lack of firepower.

“Harry Potter” Franchise (2001-)

The wizarding world of Harry Potter is chock-full of individuals whose true motivations remain hidden, until just the right moment. Peter Pettigrew was an opportunist and a sycophant, a wizard always looking out for number one, and often doing so via his social connections. It’s his betrayal that results in the deaths of Harry Potter’s parents. This is despite Pettigrew initially being a close friend of Harry’s father, James. Yet, old Wormtail was looking over the horizon, he saw Voldemort’s power growing and decided to throw in his lot with evil.

“Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (1989)

The Jones boys always were a sucker for a pretty face. This is essentially why Dr. Elsa Schneider managed to get one over on both Indiana Jones and his father. Her seductive nature and manipulative mannerisms hide her true intentions: to acquire the Holy Grail for her employers in Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Party. She betrays the trust of Indy and his father without a second thought, and is eventually successful in finding the Grail. Schneider’s greed remains with her right to the end, and winds up becoming her undoing. Indiana attempts to save her as she dangles from a dangerous precipice, but her desire to grab the Grail, which is just out of her reach, results in a fatal fall.

“Jurassic Park” (1993)

John Hammond hired Dennis Nedry to work as a computer programmer for his vision of “Jurassic Park.” However, Nedry’s greed and disloyalty would kick off the first film’s disastrous chain of events. Struggling with significant debt, Nedry begins to feel that he’s underpaid for the work he puts in at the park. This dissatisfaction leads him to betray Hammond’s trust, and attempt to smuggle dinosaur embryos out of the park. In order to accomplish this, the programmer deactivates nearly all of the security systems, thereby putting the entire island in jeopardy. Nedry eventually gets his just desserts, however, as he’s ambushed and killed by a Dilophosaurus before he can escape Jurassic Park.

“The Lord of the Rings” Franchise (2001-)

They say that power corrupts, and that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Saruman the White is hungry for that power. Saruman was the leader of the Istari Wizards, the group of sorcerers who were sent to Middle-Earth to oppose Sauron, the Dark Lord. However, Saruman begins to crave Sauron’s power and forms an alliance with him, betraying all of Middle-Earth in the process, including his former friends, like Gandalf the Grey. His desire for knowledge, order and power further blinds him to the knives pointed at his back. This was seen in the extended version of “Return of the King” where Saruman gets his comeuppance at the hands of his long-suffering servant, Grima Wormtongue.

“Star Wars” Franchise (1977-)

“I had no choice, they arrived right before you did.” Those were the fateful words uttered by Cloud City administrator Lando Calrissian after it was revealed that he had betrayed his friend Han Solo. Lando initially forsakes Han and company with altruistic intentions, as he sought to distance Cloud City from the influence and control of the Galactic Empire. However, he soon realizes the grave consequences of his actions as they result in Han being frozen in carbonite, and bring the galaxy one step closer to being ruled by the Empire. Ultimately, Lando undergoes a redemption arc. He ends up joining the Rebel Alliance, frees Han Solo, and atones for his earlier betrayal.

“Goodfellas” (1990)

We could’ve easily populated this list with figures from the seedy underworld of organized crime. That said, Ray Liotta’s fictionalized portrayal of real-life monster Henry Hill just has to be one of the most memorable. This is thanks not only to the gravity of Hill’s actions, but also due to their consequences. We follow Hill’s violent rise to power throughout the 1990 film “Goodfellas,” but all of that influence is gone in an instant once he’s nabbed by the FBI. He testifies against his former colleagues, and winds up entering the witness protection program. Yet it’s Hill who has to live with himself and the decisions he’s made, as he lives out his days in safe, but anonymous freedom.

“The Godfather Part II” (1974)

It’s one of the most famous betrayals in movie history, as well as perhaps the most iconic reactions to a betrayal. Al Pacino’s aggressive “kiss of death” to co-star John Cazale ensures that both Cazale’s Fredo Corleone and the audience know everything that’s about to go down. Fredo has forgotten his family ties while working under Moe Greene in Las Vegas, and outright betrays Michael by colluding with Johnny Ola and Hyman Roth. This results in an assassination attempt on Michael, which creates a permanent rift between the two siblings. Fredo is eventually killed on Michael’s orders, although the youngest Corleone waits until their mother’s passing to have the deed done.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Forsakes His Wife to Satanists for a Career in Show Business

The Ultimate Negotiator Fails to Convince Nakatomi Terrorists & Pays the Price

Revealed as Shaw’s Secret Lover & Has to Leave the Team

A Massachusetts State Police Officer Working for the Mob

Grey Morality and Perverse Loyalties Among Crooked Cops

“The Matrix” (1999)

What would YOU do if you were in Cypher’s shoes in “The Matrix?” On one hand, we can certainly understand the desire for a return to normalcy, the yearning to eat a steak. This is despite Cypher’s own admission that the steak “doesn’t exist.” Yet, it’s Cypher’s betrayal of the team that gets members Apoc, Switch and Dozer killed, and alerts Agent Smith to their location. Actor Joe Pantoliano defended Cypher’s actions in a 2023 interview with AV Club, countering that Cypher “didn’t think that Neo was the guy” and that “he bet on the wrong horse.” Cypher’s desired switch from redpill to bluepill may have erased his memory, but we’ll never forget this betrayal of the Nebuchadnezzar.