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.

Haha pretty good.

I tried with Ellen Ripley - it nailed it in 20. Although this question seemed pretty weird:

Quoted Text Is your character an Argentinian television actor ?

Que?

Ferris Bueller is one of my favourite films. He definitely deserves to be on there. He was pretty much the role model for a whole generation of teenagers. : )

Quoted from Shelton 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.

Hey, this is a nifty little game, Mike.

I tried Roy Batty, from Blade Runner.  After 20, it guessed "Mr. Blonde" -- which is kind of interesting right there -- and given another 5, it nailed it.

Like Sniper, I had an odd question -- "Did he play in the 2002 World's Cup?"

I wonder what soccer player is in the same category as Mr. Blonde and Roy Batty?

That's a great little game.  It guessed all three of my characters on the 20 question.

After looking at the top 20 list, I have no interest to look at the other 80.  I didn't even recognize the name Tyler Durden and wouldn't have if Brad Pitt's name was included.  And I've seen the movie!

The fact that most of these movies seem to be less than twenty years old says that young people made the list.  I'm surprised that characters from Twilight weren't up there?

Was Dorothy Gale on the list?  Or Rick Blaine?  Rooster Cogburn?  Doctor Rumack?  Who here knows who where these four characters come from?

People are idiots.


Phil

Dorothy Gale - No (But the Wicked Witch of the West)

Rick Blaine - Yes

Rooster Cogburn - No, I think.  There's a John Wayne character on there somewhere, but I can't remember which.

Dr. Rumack - Surely, you're kidding.  That list doesn't even have Dr. Strangelove.

That is a bit freaky, I have no idea how he did that based on the questions he asked. He got both Linda Lovelace and Jigsaw from Saw correct. The Jigsaw one was weird, all he knew was that it was a movie character who has been in a movie in the last 2 years, never been to jail and might like chocolate. How?? Odd.

Quoted from Shelton http://en.akinator.com Seems to be fairly accurate.

I played this three times and beat it twice.  The first was a softball lob with Ash Williams.  The machine won very quickly with this.

The next two were with Charles 'Chachi' Arcola and Harcourt Fenton Mudd.

Phil smart!


Phil

quint from jaws and butcher bill from gangs of new york should both be in the top ten

Quoted from sniper Haha pretty good. I tried with Ellen Ripley - it nailed it in 20. Although this question seemed pretty weird: Que?

The last 5 questions the machine threw at me (after asking 3 times if it was a man or a woman) was:

Is your character Brazilian?

Is your character Israeli?

Is your character European?

Is your character Australian?

Is your character involved with cinema in any way?


AND STILL it got Jimmy Stewart right!!!

It's like it's showing off. Like when you play twenty questions and guess it's Keira Knightley or some shit after 6 , and then just for kicks ask if it's William Shattner 13 times, nailing it on 20.

Does your character's name rhyme with Captain Smirk?

Um, like, yeah, totally.

Does your character look a helluva lot like William Shatner?

Yeah, like, kinda.

Did the wife of the actor portraying your character drown in her own swimming pool?

Um...what?

I had a weird question.

Has your character starred in a porn film?

Quoted from jayrex Has your character starred in a porn film?

The website couldn't figure out Linda Lovelace.

I'm going to bed.



Phil

That's an awesome site! Grrr it gets me everytime. I'm gonna try and beat it... Thanks for the link.

It didn't get Marty Piletti or Joe Buck the last time I tried it. I think the database grows as it fails.

Benjamin Button should be on that list. He's just so damn innocent and human. If he were real I would love to have him as a friend.

~Zack~

Heath Ledger's joker would be about #1 or 2 for me, all time

Quoted from Aaron Heath Ledger's joker would be about #1 or 2 for me, all time

Get back to us in five years.  We'll see if your feelings are the same or if a character in a 2013 movie has replaced Ledger's Joker.


Phil

Thinking about it, I'm surprised that Agent Smith (from The Matrix) wasn't on anyone's list.


Phil

Akinator is kinda spooky...I really thought I might have it stumped with Charles Foster Kane, but somehow thw sonofabitch got it right! And I NEARLY had it with Arwen, until it suddenly popped up with:

Q. 20 - Is your character in the Lord of the Rings?

A. (sigh) Yes...

Good link, Shelton!

Oh, and as for the 100 Greatest Characters List...Tyler Durden at number one? Ridiculous. Personally I'd have liked to have seen Kevin McCallister in there (which Akinator got after 19 questions). But then I'm just a sucker for that movie.

UPDATE: Hah! Stupid genie couldn't even guess L.B. Jeffries in 40 questions. Foolish game.

i love how they have put (voice) next to kathleen turner who played jessica rabbit in who framed roger rabit! what? like people actually thought she was the cartoon haha.

and im sorry but boba fett????  but they have erected that mess up with brick tamland played by steve carell at i think no.57 he was a funny character. good to see Jake Gyllenhaal as donnie darko up their but that list is a pile of b******s i cant stand genralised top 10/25/100 lists they never look at everything just a small selection and they dont even get the ones they have chosen in the right order!!!!!! they should jus keep it to personel opinion because no will ever completely agree

Phil: It's Heath Ledger as the joker! Nothing more need be said. Look, he turned in a performance that was AWESOME. It was too much for words, you've heard "a picture is worth 1,000 words". Well, "Heath Ledger's performance as the joker is worth 1,000,000". It was just-wow. What I am saying is that anyone who attempts the joker again, will be compared to THAT. Which is amazing. There are two kinds of people when it comes to this. The kind who thinks the joker can be played by anyone else, and the kind that believe that Heath will always own the joker. Look, I'm a member of the last kind. I know, I know, people said Heath wouldn't be as good as Jack's, and look, he was. OK, I get that. But do you realize how high Heath set the bar for the joker???? Incredibly high. He deserves the top 100 characters of all time. He just DOES
And I do agree about Agent Smith, he was pretty cool

It's only been a month, Aaron.  Not five years.

When The Matrix first came out, everyone squealled in delight over the special effects.  This movie set the bar.

When the second movie came out, no one was impressed because the same effects were being used in television commercials.

If I had to pick my favorite psychotic killer in movies, it wouldn't even be the Joker; It would be Hannibal Lecter (from Silence of the Lambs).  It was more realistic.


Phil

Quoted from dogglebe If I had to pick my favorite psychotic killer in movies, it would even be the Joker; It would be Hannibal Lecter (from Silence of the Lambs).  It was more realistic.

100% agree there. Okay, Ledger was amazing as the Joker, I'm not saying he wasn't. I doubt the Joker will ever be portrayed better. However, the Joker as a character wasn't that great.

Aaron, what were his motives, or dramatic needs in the movie? Apart from wanting to "kill the Batman", and causing general havoc (like all of Batman's opponents), he didn't really have any.

Ledger portrayed the character perfectly, however, the character isn't special enough to be, as you claimed, the best character of all time.

I believe Hopkins portrayed Hannibal Lecter just as well as Ledger portrayed te Joker, but Lecter's character was a better character in my opinion.

He did have a motive, he wanted to screw up Gotham just for the heck of it. But I think we would all agree that the soul of The Dark Knight was Harvey Dent

Phil: Very true, Lecter is one awesome character in movies

Quoted from Aaron He did have a motive, he wanted to screw up Gotham just for the heck of it.

Doing something for the heck of it is not a motive.  Neither is saying because he's crazy.


Phil

My question is, if Harvey Dent was the soul of The Dark Knight, wouldn't that make him a better character than The Joker?

Not necessarily, Harvey Dent was the main character, no doubt there, but I just enjoy the joker more

^^ What is your definition for a 'main character'? I don't see how Harvey Dent can be called the main character... He has no defined motive, and nor is he a well developed character, with a defined back story. I don't see how he could be called the protaganist...

Okay, he has a great deal of screen time, but this doesn't necessarily signify the protagonist. Okay, it usually does, but not always. Take "City of God" for example (an excellent film). Rocket is the protagonist; We see the story unfold through his eyes, with his narrative and voice-over accompanying the action, which we see is mostly the obstacles standing in the way of his motive (to escape the 'hood'). Lil' Ze shares the most screen-time, but Rocket is the protagonist.

Now, how is Harvey Dent the main character, or protagonist? I could understand the Joker being called the protagonist, and IMO, his motive is more defined than Batman's. But Harvey Dent as a protagonist is pushing it a bit too far...

Quoted from Toby_E Take "City of God" for example (an excellent film).

Echo that. And quite realistic.

There is no rule that the characters have to be the protagonists. Look at the list, how many of them are protagonists? Antags seem to be cooler than protags as far as cool characters are concerned.

And yes, Mike, Jack Burton should have made it. One of the most quotable characters ever.

Quoted from Murphy Where is Linda Lovelace's character from Deep Throat?

You're joking here it seems, but it's actually a good question.

I don't think that Linda Lovelace deserves to be on this list.  Deep Throat, IMHO, should go on a list of the Top 100 Movies, but the character isn't anything noteworthy.


Phil