The five most convincing psychopaths in film
Before we launch into our list of the most convincing psychopaths in film, we should probably start with an outline of the defining characteristics of a psychopath. For the very few of my readers who might be psychologists, you will be sifting my choices scrupulously with the boon of the latest knowledge. It’s worth noting that, aside from reading Jon Ronson’s humorous and revealing The Psychopath Test, I’m no expert. After taking the test, I can confirm that I’m also not a psychopath, thankfully.
So we can all be on the same page as we dip our toes into the absorbing and slightly terrifying world of psychopaths, let’s take the Psychopath Test. The official psychopath checklist, devised by famed psychologist Dr Robert D. Hare, ostensibly covers all pertinent criteria.
As you read through the 20 checkpoints below, familiarise yourself with the traits and see if you can position yourself on the wide psychopath spectrum. The test should be treated with a pinch of salt and naturally not relied upon for anything other than a little bit of fun unless in the hands of a professional.
If you’re serious about giving it a go, the response format is a 3-point scale, where 0 = item does not apply; 1 = item applies somewhat; 2 = applies definitely. Most people with an ordinary profile and non-criminal background will usually score at around five, but fear not, people have usually deemed psychopaths with a score north of 30.
Hare’s Psychopath Test Checklist:
- Glib and superficial charm
- Grandiose (exaggeratedly high) estimation of self
- Need for stimulation
- Pathological lying
- Cunning and manipulativeness
- Lack of remorse or guilt
- Shallow affect (superficial emotional responsiveness)
- Callousness and lack of empathy
- Parasitic lifestyle
- Poor behavioural controls
- Sexual promiscuity
- Early behaviour problems
- Lack of realistic long-term goals
- Impulsivity
- Irresponsibility
- Failure to accept responsibility for own actions
- Many short-term marital relationships
- Juvenile delinquency
- Revocation of conditional release
- Criminal versatility
Based on the above characteristics, we’re now going to cast our minds back through all of the films that have ever been released. Quite a tall order, I know. As a disclaimer, I haven’t seen every film in history, but I have seen a fair few in my time. With my worryingly unquenchable thirst for harrowing thriller movies, I’m going to quite arrogantly assert that the following are the most convincing psychopath portrayals in the history of film. If they’re not, I’ll play my subjectivity card.
The five most convincing psychopaths in film
5. Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler
In Dan Gilroy’s 2014 thriller, Nightcrawler, Jake Gyllenhaal portrays Louis Bloom, a con man looking for a way to make some money. After seeing a group of freelance crime photographers going about their business, he spots an opportunity to work his way into the business and make a name for himself.
With eyes set on making a living as a crime journalist, Bloom lets nothing and nobody get in his way, whether it means compromising his or somebody else’s safety. His self-absorbed outlook could toe the line into sociopathy, but either way, Gyllenhaal makes for a chillingly convincing psychopath actor in arguably his greatest role to date.
4. Denzel Washington in Training Day
Denzel Washington has played a host of intriguing characters in his time, and as his two Oscars and three Golden Globes will attest, he plays them pretty well. One of Washington’s most memorable performances, and apparently his all-time favourite character to play, was the “bad cop” to Ethan Hawke’s “good cop” in 2001’s Training Day.
Alonzo Harris is an exemplary psychopath; after he takes junior police officer Jake Hoyt (Hawke) out on patrol, the youngster quickly realises Harris is a corrupt cop. As the plot thickens, the charming, manipulative, and emotionally inept Harris reveals himself to be an outright criminal that Hoyt must take down.
3. Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct
Catherine Tramell is an intelligent and manipulative risk-taker in Paul Verhoeven’s 1992 thriller Basic Instinct. Portrayed by Sharon Stone, both of Tramell’s parents died in a boating accident, leaving her with an inheritance of $110 million.
Tramell’s life of horror and crime is hidden behind a wall of deception. One of her defining characteristics is an abnormal relationship with fear. Many psychopaths have an exceedingly high threshold for experiencing fear. Therefore, they make increasingly risky and irrational moves to get their kicks.
2. Ezra Miller in We Need to Talk About Kevin
Some psychologists clarify the relatively murky line between psychopaths and sociopaths by explaining that sociopaths will often become erratic and numb to emotion after experiencing trauma. In contrast, psychopathy is more innate and reveals itself from the early stages of childhood.
In the chilling film adaption of Lionel Shriver’s 2003 novel of the same name, Ezra Miller plays the part of Kevin, a devious child who commits a horrific massacre with a bow and arrow in his school’s sports hall. The film follows Kevin’s mother, Eva Khatchadourian (portrayed by Tilda Swinton), as she flashes back to Kevin’s childhood and wonders whether she’s in any way to blame for her son’s actions.
1. Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men
For the top spot, I’m pleased to say that I have the backing of a team of psychologists who voted for Anton Chigurh as the “most realistic psychopath ever”. In the Coen Brothers’ 2007 masterpiece, No Country for Old Men, their casting team struck gold with the brilliant Javier Bardem. Those who haven’t yet seen this fantastic film, I urge you to do so. As you will have guessed, Bardem plays the part of Chigurh, a cold-blooded hitman who shows no signs of remorse or empathy as he goes about his steely business.
As Bardem once said of his character, “[Anton] is a guy of his word, in a way, and a symbol, a violent fate that you have called for, the genie out of the lamp. And when violence shows up, it’s impossible to destroy, it only creates misery and pain and doesn’t get you anywhere. So I said okay, it’s not that I like the guy, but I like the idea behind the guy, I like what he represents.”
