Top 10 Paranoid Movie Characters
You're freaking us out, man! Join http://www.WatchMojo.com as we count down our picks for the Top 10 Paranoid Movie Characters. For this list, we're choosing characters from specific films only, so no generic characters like Batman who appear in multiple flicks. We're also excluding characters like Sarah Connor, since she actually knew the future, which is what made her paranoid.
Special thanks to our users Dexter Francois and Robert Alexander Conlee for submitting the idea on our Suggestions Page at WatchMojo.comsuggest
#10: Russell Casse (case) “Independence Day” (1996)
Top 10 Kurt Russell Performances
After surviving Vietnam and coping with the death of his wife, this cooky crop duster experienced yet another traumatic event: alien abduction. OR so he says. Ten years before extra-terrestrials stormed Los Angeles, Russell Casse was already well acquainted with such beings, and these encounters prepared him for another fateful meeting. He may drink you under the table before a crop-dusting session, but he’ll also offer free education on unearthly beings. He’s not crazy; he’s Russell Casse; Alcoholic and Alien Ambassador.
#9: Charlie Frost “2012” (2009)
Top 10 Crazy Charlie Sheen Moments
The world’s gonna end, man! The Mayans, man! Based at Yellowstone National Park, Charlie Frost is both an experienced talk show host and a lunatic conspiracy theorist. Ok, maybe some of his points are legit, but just look at the man. Charlie has that rare kind of cult leader charisma, and his knowledge on polar shifting must be respected. His map of Tibetan arks could save the day, but only if it’s not drenched in coffee stains. Preach, Charlie, my man, preach! And teach us how to survive a horrific apocalyptic event while you’re at it.
#8: Harry Caul “The Conversation” (1974)
Top 10 Weirdest Harry Potter Characters
This Bay Area loner has few possessions yet sleeps behind a triple-locked door. Why? Society, man. Like his paranoid character Edward Lyle from “Enemy of the State,” Gene Hackman plays Harry Caul, a man who spies on residents of San Francisco for a living; but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about them. At least he does when murder enters into the equation. Sure, he wears a raincoat on the sunniest of days and takes little pleasure in anything besides the sweet sounds of jazz music, but there’s something happening here…what it is ain’t exactly clear. Harry Caul doesn’t need all your riff-raff so just BACK OFF!
#7: Marvin Boggs “Red” (2010)
While some movie characters are paranoid for the sake of being paranoid, others have legitimate reasons for building a bunker under a decoy home on the swamp. Meet Marvin Boggs, former CIA agent and unfortunate victim of an 11-year LSD experiment. After a retired agent named Frank Moses takes out a team of unwanted “visitors,” he reaches out to former pals, including the highly suspicious Marvin Boggs, who is already well prepared for guests. He’s not your typical crazy-eyed conspiracy theorist, but he will, in fact, make you crazy through endless ranting and raving.
#6: Max Cohen “Pi” (1998)
Top 10 Movie Characters With No Name
There are some who run away from mathematics and others who obsess, dream and find meaning in numerical patterns. Darren Aronofsky’s mind trip of a film features Max Cohen as an unemployed New Yorker with no social skills whatsoever. If good Will Hunting had game, then Max Cohen had the Fibonacci sequence. He’s less interested in getting digits and more curious about 216-number sequences. While Max Cohen may you freak you out with nervous laughter and insane theories, all he really needs is some time alone to reflect on life’s mysteries. Just don’t let him use a power drill.
#5: Alvy Singer “Annie Hall” (1977)
Woody Allen directed and starred in this romantic comedy about a neurotic, New York City comedian more self-aware than most Brooklyn hipsters. In fact, “Annie Hall” opens with Alvy Singer speaking to the camera, thus producing the ultimate scene for future, paranoid impressions. Alvy rambles on in the bedroom, he stresses himself out on the street and even manages to let a Fellini conversation rattle him in line at the movie theater. No wonder Annie Hall fled to LA! Alvy is, um, very particular, you know, about his, um, his passions in life.
#4: Walter Paul Sparrow “The Number 23” (2007)
Take a look at the movie poster. Does this fellow look cool and collected? If you thought Alvy Singer was hard to handle, then check out Walter Paul Sparrow and his obsession with the number 23. After reading a book on the 23 enigma, Walt finds similarities between himself and the protagonist Detective Fingerling; who just so happens to also be a man on the brink of madness. As you might expect, Walter soon finds numerical connections on the daily and his obsession grows to, let’s say, uncomfortable levels. This is clearly one disturbed dude who dreamed of unlocking another man’s dark, dark secrets.
#3: Jerry Fletcher “Conspiracy Theory” (1997)
He’s a Prophet and a Pusher, Half-Truth, Half Fiction – a walking contradiction. Just like Travis Bickle, Jerry Fletcher pays the bills by driving a taxi, but his real passion is CONSPIRACIES. In fact, he sends off his own newsletter with saucy topics. You know, like when Howard Hughes caused Vietnam by losing a bet. Oh, and he likes to follow unsuspecting women. Despite his lunacy, Jerry does managed to get a few things right and that’s when life becomes difficult. Meaning, his mailing list turns into someone’s hit list. Winning? Not quite. Paranoid? Definitely.
#2: John Nash “A Beautiful Mind” (2001)
Top 10 INSANE Stunts in John Wick Movies
Based on the experiences of a real-life mathematical genius, this Ron Howard film detailed the mental deterioration of someone destined to change the world. As a scholar under pressure to present new theories, John Nash begins to hallucinate, and not because of good LSD…but rather becuase of his paranoid schizophrenia. While “A Beautiful Mind” presented a drastic altering of Nash’s actual life events, the character’s descent into madness was still difficult to watch, especially when Ed Harris shows up as a fictional supervisor. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. - Henry Hill “GoodFellas” (1990) - Jack “A Fantastic Fear of Everything” (2012) - Kim Jong-un “The Interview” (2014) - Laurie Strode “Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later” (1998) - Bob Arctor “A Scanner Darkly” (2006)
#1: Howard Hughes “The Aviator” (2004)
Star Wars Han Solo Film HIRES Ron Howard, FIRES Lord & Miller – The CineFiles Ep. 26
This man’s insatiable desire for perfection and undeniably strange personality made him an American icon of industry. It also made him a suitable partner for Hollywood starlets. Unfortunately for all parties involved, Howard Hughes’ paranoia and fear of germs led to a reclusive life in his own version of Neverland Ranch. The lack of treatment for his obsessive-compulsive behavior produced memorable Hollywood moments, however Martin Scorsese’s portrait of paranoia also raised awareness for mental health. “The way of the future. The way of the future. The way of the future….” Do you agree with our list? Who is your favorite paranoid character in film? For more mind-blowingTop 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
0
0
report