Top 20 Greatest Movie Villain Monologues

“Goldfinger” (1964)
If there’s one thing that this classic Bond villain loves, it’s definitely gold. The megalomaniacal Goldfinger talks about his fascination with the precious metal while questioning James Bond. In a great sequence from the series, he intimidates Bond as a laser inches toward the secret agent. His casual delivery makes him sound progressively more insane as the danger of the situation increases. Before leaving, the baddie also unleashes a famous quote for the ages. The whole speech encompasses all of the brutal and devilish elements of the man’s twisted personality. You could argue that this monologue reaches the top of the 007 canon.

“The Third Man” (1949)
Talking to the hero Holly Martins on a Ferris wheel, the mysterious Harry Lime finally lays out his case and outlines his warped worldview as a black market dealer. The entire speech plays out in poetic fashion courtesy of Orson Welles’ performance. With his distinctive voice, the actor makes the dialogue sing while maintaining an imposing presence. The blend of philosophy and sinister words reveals the hidden depths of the evil character. Welles easily switches from his trademark charm to a more threatening figure on a dime. He even gets to issue a clever line before it’s all over.

“The Devil’s Advocate” (1997)
While you might not call it obvious casting, Al Pacino truly sinks his teeth into the role of Satan. This scene from “The Devil’s Advocate” lets his villain rant about God. Every step of the way, Pacino reminds everyone of his pure intensity as a performer. The actor doesn’t hold back in a tirade rivaling his other roles like “Scarface.” John Milton makes outrageous claims with a raw attitude, going in-depth on everything he deems to be his rival’s fault. He then shifts to talking about humanity and keeps the screams coming. With such a juicy part, the Oscar winner can’t help but chew up every inch of scenery here.

“Watchmen” (2009)
As an incredibly smart villain, Ozymandias concocts a deadly plan to bring humanity together. Adrian Veidt describes everything in a deadly serious, matter-of-fact way that will have your skin crawling. With a disturbing plot to bomb millions, the evil man shows off just how low he can really go. He’s even able to fight against his former partners while monologuing. After detailing everything, Veidt leaves everyone stunned as they contemplate the state of the world. The other heroes are unable to stop him, making this one of the rare speeches that subverts the audience’s expectations.

“Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” (1982)
For this acclaimed sequel, the filmmakers brought back Ricardo Montalbán to play one of the best antagonists in the series. His commanding presence comes out in this speech about revenge. Quoting Herman Melville’s classic “Moby-Dick,” Khan makes his case for hunting down Kirk. The marvelous performance from Montalbán finds a way to make the moment all the more compelling. Adapting 19th century words into a futuristic world is symbolic of Khan’s life, which was divided between two different eras in history. The performer draws you in with each syllable and elevates the material beyond a basic sci-fi villain.

“Se7en” (1995)
One of the things that makes “Se7en” a truly terrifying film is the fact that we don’t find out the identity or the motives of the killer until near the end. Once we do, however, we wish we hadn’t. In this brilliant but chilling monologue, John Doe, played by Kevin Spacey, reveals why he killed all those people. At the core of this speech is our ignorance, and our willingness to look the other way when someone does something terribly wrong. While we don’t condone his actions by any means, it’s a bit disturbing to think that he may actually have a point.

“V for Vendetta” (2005)
Taking control of the news, the revolutionary at the center of this story has a subversive message for the citizenry. In his address, he details the crimes of totalitarian Britain and the corrupt party controlling it. It’s the kind of inspiring speech that you don’t usually expect from a comic book adaptation. After revealing his involvement in the bombing of the Old Bailey, V asks the British people to join him on November 5th. The monologue comes together in a mesmerizing scene full of great reaction shots. While the anti-hero finishes his remarks, he sends chills down the spines of his enemies who are unable to stop the broadcast. The vocal talents of Hugo Weaving round out a brilliant and timeless piece of writing.

“Platoon” (1986)
Under the influence of two sergeants, Army grunt Chris Taylor endures a rough tour in Vietnam. The gruff Sgt. Barnes decides to address Taylor and his fellow platoon members in this powerful scene. Played by Tom Berenger, the leader issues a statement about warfare. The speech is a vicious takedown of the other soldiers’ coping mechanisms. Given Berenger’s scowling performance, the monologue comes across as much more threatening than motivating. The fact that this all comes after his murder of Sgt. Elias only confirms viewers’ sense that he’s a complete monster. Challenging his men to attack him, the officer really lets his evil flag fly.

“Skyfall” (2012)
Raoul Silva is one of the more memorable villains of the Bond franchise. A former spy for MI6, Silva uses his smarts to seek revenge on M, and causes significant destruction on his path to doing so. But this is the scene where both James Bond and the audience first meet Silva. As he slowly walks towards the camera, Silva tells a gruesome anecdote about rats. The monologue, brilliantly delivered by Javier Bardem, serves as a metaphor for Bond and Silva, as Silva blames M for turning the two agents against one another. It would seem that Bond has finally met his match.

“Fight Club” (1999)
In one of the more famous scenes from the movie, Tyler Durden addresses the men of his club in a powerful anti-materialist screed. For a film full of incredible dialogue, this speech might just beat out the rest. Brad Pitt helps sell the effortless cool of Durden throughout the sequence. The monologue proves to be a defining point of no return for the characters. It’s only later that this anti-hero turns out to be something much more evil. Upon returning to this scene after the surprise ending, audiences might look at this moment as the start of the villain’s origin story.

“Training Day” (2001)
Denzel Washington won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Detective Alonzo Harris in this film, and this monologue shows why. A selfish man and corrupt cop, Harris is used to getting what he wants, until young patrol officer Jake Hoyt stands up to him. Alonzo attempts to get the crowd to kill Jake for him, but they’ve grown tired of his arrogance and refuse to do it, prompting this epic meltdown. Washington is on another level in this scene, delivering the perfect mix of overbearing arrogance combined with crippling fear.

“Wall Street” (1987)
A shareholder’s meeting really takes off with this villain in the driver’s seat. Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street” says a lot of things about sleazy business practices, featuring one of the slimiest brokers in movie history, Gordon Gekko. During this scene, his speech outlines the various methods that turned him into a success. This includes an iconic line about the concept of greed and its apparent benefits. Michael Douglas gives the monologue like a true professional, digging into the cold psyche of a crooked man. If the words don’t shock you, there’s also the fact that they receive a warm reaction from the crowd.

“There Will Be Blood” (2007)
Cornering his rival in his in-home bowling alley, Daniel Plainview does the ultimate take down in the climax of “There Will Be Blood.” He picks apart Eli Sunday until the preacher is a shell of a man. After making fun of Sunday and refusing to help him, Plainview uses an unlikely metaphor to explain his methods for stealing the oil under Sunday’s land. With a career-defining performance from Daniel Day-Lewis, this harrowing sequence really lets the actor loose. In fact, the scene even rivals another Day-Lewis monologue as Bill the Butcher in “Gangs of New York.” Plainview’s speech is an unforgettable way to put your enemy in his place.

“Apocalypse Now” (1979)
Perhaps no speech captures the horrors of war better than this one. The scene is filmed brilliantly, as we only see Kurtz’s shaved head poking out from the shadows. This puts the emphasis on his words, and what he says is truly terrifying. Delivered perfectly by Marlon Brando, Kurtz recounts a horrific experience he had after inoculating children with polio, which eventually sent him down the path of insanity. He realizes that the perfect soldier is one who can kill without feeling any remorse. While we are repulsed by Kurtz’s actions throughout the film, Brando’s performance puts us right in his head.

“Django Unchained” (2012)
In this intense Tarantino dinner scene, Calvin Candie, played to perfection by Leonardo DiCaprio, has discovered that Dr. Schultz and Django have come to take Broomhilda, Django’s wife. Before revealing this information, however, he gives a lesson in phrenology, the study of skulls. Everyone listens with bated breath as Candie speaks calmly, but with a hint of a threat behind his words. What makes this monologue even more impressive, and more disturbing, is that DiCaprio actually cuts his hand when he slams his fist on the table, and manages to use it to make this scene more dramatic than it already is.

“A Few Good Men” (1992)
Jack Nicholson is at his very best in this scene. Nicholson’s Colonel Jessup is on the witness stand during a court-martial trial following the death of Marine Private William Santiago. While you may not agree with Jessup’s actions or philosophy, you can’t deny the confidence and conviction he has in his beliefs. Jessup passionately defends his role on the so-called wall and the job he does ensuring the existence of freedom. It’s this monologue that makes this film a classic, and one of the best courtroom dramas of all time.

“Blade Runner” (1982)
Although this monologue is short, it’s one of the most iconic speeches in cinematic history. Batty references events that the audience never got to see – and that’s the point. With his impending death, these memories will be lost forever. Although Batty is the main villain of the film, his main purpose is to survive – something any person can relate to – and he fears that once he has died, he will be forgotten. Even more impressive is the fact that Rutger Hauer improvised the monologue on the spot, as it wasn’t in the original script.

“Inglourious Basterds” (2009)
In classic Quentin Tarantino style, the opening scene of “Inglourious Basterds” slowly but surely moves from dialogue to terrible violence. This scene also introduces the main villain of the film, however: Colonel Hans Landa. Landa is entirely aware that LaPadite is hiding Jews under his floorboards, but he toys with him first, delivering an epic monologue explaining the reasoning behind the Germans’ hatred for the Jews. With a lack of music throughout most of the scene, we’re made to feel the uncomfortable silence. Christoph Waltz won an Academy Award for his performance, and with a monologue like this, it’s not hard to see why.

“The Silence of the Lambs” (1991)
Hannibal might be the one behind bars in this scene, but it’s pretty clear who has all the power. Dr. Lecter is vastly intelligent and intuitive, and both traits are on full display in this scene, as he immediately sizes up Clarice Starling’s character and background. She manages to get a retort in, demanding he apply the same detailed analysis to himself, but she’s not ready for the response. Through Anthony Hopkins’ phenomenal delivery, a dangerous killer, and one of the creepiest characters of all time, comes to life. We’ll hear that noise in our nightmares forever.

“The Dark Knight” (2008)
Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy has several impressive monologues, like Bane’s speech about giving the power back to the people. At the end of the day, however, how could it not be the Joker? In this scene, Rachel Dawes tries to stand up to the madman as he terrorizes guests at a fundraiser, only to get an explanation about the terrible scars on The Joker’s face. Heath Ledger’s dynamite performance only enhances the tension that the characters on-screen – and the audience – feel. Why so serious indeed.