Empire online has posted a list of the 100 greatest movie characters (see the entire list HERE).

Here's the top 20:

20  Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks - Forrest Gump)
19  Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson - Pulp Fiction)
18  Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro - Taxi Driver)
17  Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman - Die Hard)
16  Neo (Keanu Reeves - The Matrix)
15  Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick - Ferris Bueller's Day Off)
14  The Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger - The Terminator)
13  Gollum (Andy Serkis - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Return of the King)
12  John McClane (Bruce Willis - Die Hard 1-4)
11  James Bond (Sean Connery - Goldfinger)
10  Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando - The Godfather)
9    Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver - Alien series)
8    Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp - Pirates Of The Caribbean 1-3)
7    The Dude (Jeff Bridges - The Big Lebowski)
6    Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford - Raiders Of The Lost Ark)
5    Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Sir Anthony Hopkins - The Silence Of The Lambs, Hannibal, Red Dragon)
4    Han Solo (Harrison Ford - Star Wars, episode 4-6)
3    The Joker (Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight)
2    Darth Vader (David Prowse / James Earl Jones (voice) - Star Wars, episode 3 & 4-6)
1    Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt - Fight Club)

Now, I personally have a few small nitpicks with this top 20 (I would probably put The Dude at the top) but...Ferris Fuckin' Bueller? Please!

I love the dude.

I'm sitting here trying to figure how White Goodman was rated ahead of Snake Plissken and Atticus Finch.  I don't think I ever will.  Actually, Atticus should have been way higher.  I'd say in the 30's.

Patrick Bateman should have been top 20, opposed to 40.

I was getting nervous when I didn't see Ash, but glad he made it at 24.

Where's Jack Burton?  Howard Beale?  Dude?  (I mean the Dean Martin, Rio Bravo one)

These lists are always stupid and ruin themselves with pander-picks to appease folks who only started watching movies within the last five years.

I mean Ron Burgandy?  In an "all-time" list?  Twice??

Gimme a break.  Alot of them are good, though.

I would have liked to have seen Jake & Elwood Blues -- hey, two for the price of one -- or at least Bluto from Animal House.  How Belushi did not show up on this list in some form is beyond me.

And what about Linda Blair in Exorcist -- I am not sure what you would call her -- it was like "Pazuzu" or something -- but I think she pretty much nailed that part.  

Anyway, should have been in the list -- perhaps replacing Ben Stiller in "Dodgeball" -- and his character was 10 times better in Zoolander, anyway.

No Starbuck Star?

That list is a joke.

Cool, seen the list before.

Well, actually i love The Dude but not sure if it is for a higher position.

And i agree with the 3rd position of Heath Ledger as the Joker.

Neo? What a load of crap haha

I agree with Bert that these lists are normally a joke. Tony Montana?  How wasn't he number one? The Dude should have been high up too.

Where is Linda Lovelace's character from Deep Throat?

Where is Peachy Carnehan or Daniel Dravot?

I wish I could have a look at this whole list without having to go to everyone individually.  But it looks like they forgot Norma Desmond from Sunset Blvd.   The list looked a bit new movie-centric and I wonder if some of those characters would be considered great characters in 20 years time.  

Quoted from mcornetto The list looked a bit new movie-centric and I wonder if some of those characters would be considered great characters in 20 years time.

I noticed that too.  Not much old stuff outside of the usual Charles Foster Kane and Rick Blaine, other than Atticus Finch and Norman Bates that I recall.  This definitely could have been made a lot better if the list compiler(s) went back further and thought outside the box.

Another that occurred to me.  Doc Holliday from "Tombstone".  Weird to bring up somebody so new after my previous statement, but I thought that was an awesome "character".

Quoted from Shelton Doc Holliday from "Tombstone".

Very good call, Mike. He was awesome.

Another thing, and I haven't looked through all 100 entries, but if Jack Burton and R.J. MacReady is not on the list then I'm getting mighty pissed here.

Quoted from sniper if Jack Burton and R.J. MacReady is not on the list then I'm getting mighty pissed here.

Nope, neither are on there.  Only Snake Plissken made the list, which is some consolation I guess.

Yeah, I guess but as badass as Snake is...he ain't got shit on Burton and MacReady.

I didn't want to start a new thread for this, but it's sort of related to movie characters.

http://en.akinator.com

Think of a person or character from a book or film, and the game will ask you twenty questions to figure it out.

Seems to be fairly accurate.