Why I Love Me Some Bad Boys
I’ve always had a thing for bad boys. There was the guy with the motorcycle. There was the dude with the tattoos. And there was the fellow who supposedly “did it” with a sheep. Maybe this weird attraction to naughty explains why I have a thing for prison movies.
One of the earliest prison movies I remember seeing was Escape From Alcatraz (1979). Based on a true story, Frank Morris (Clint Eastwood) is a cunning bank robber who gets caught and is told upon his arrival at Alcatraz that no one ever escapes. From that moment on, Frank is pretty much hell bent on getting off the island alive. I knew I was supposed to reject Frank, but I found him handsome, persistent, creative and intelligent. I wanted him to get off the island. Honestly, I didn’t care if he went back to the streets of California and continued his life of crime. Weird how movies can get you to do that, n’est pas?
I remember seeing Silence of the Lambs (1991) in Buffalo, New York. A poor graduate student, I rarely had money enough to go to the movies but saw this one on a date. Newbie FBI agent, Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) has to earn the confidence from the brilliant but wildly psychopathic Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) so that she can stop a serial murderer. What makes SOTL so dang delicious is that there are two hideous bad boys. We have a whack-job sociopath living on the outside with his moth collection, constructing a “skin-suit” out of plus-sized women’s flesh. Then there’s the maniac in a cage: good ole Hannibal Lecter—brilliant, intense, well schooled. And so thirsty for blood. We know they are both crazy as loons and unremorseful. Doesn’t get any better than that.
In The Shawshank Redemption (1994) Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), a talented banker, is in prison after being found guilty of murdering his wife and her lover. But as the movie unrolls, we see the real bastard is the warden who finds a way to use Andy’s accounting prowess to doctor the prison books for his personal gain. Like Frank Morris in Escape from Alcatraz, Andy spends every day in prison focused on getting out. He dreams of a life by the sea in a place called Zihuatanejo, and he is able to develop deep friendships while in prison. And we find ourselves rooting for Andy, praying for him to get out of there however he can.
Sidenote: In 1994, I had been dating the same man for nearly three years and knew we would one day marry. After seeing The Shawshank Redemption, we decided that we would travel to Zihutanejo, Mexico for our honeymoon. Yes, our honeymoon destination was based on our shared love for this movie, which was based on my love of bad boys. It should be noted that we arrived in Zihutanejo, we realized the movie had probably not been filmed on location. True story.
In 1995, my (new) husband and I had been living in New Orleans for two years, so you can imagine my delight when Dead Man Walking came to the big screen. I was excited because there were bad boys and also because there were names like Delecroix and Prejean and Poncelet: names I knew how to properly pronounce and spell. After all, a Robichaux, a Boudreaux, a Naquin, and two Biguenets had sat through my classes. I had driven on Tchoupitoulas, and I just had seen a rodeo at Angola State Prison.
In the movie, Matthew Poncelet (Sean Penn) admits to being guilty of his heinous crimes. And while the good nun (Susan Sarandon) tries to guide him to salvation, I wanted him to stay bad. Why? I have absolutely no idea. At the time, New Orleans was a dangerous place. Friends had been robbed at gunpoint; my students had been car-jacked; two of my most beloveds had been stuffed in the trunk of a car and almost murdered. There were nightly news reports of tourists being fatally stabbed. And while I loved living in New Orleans, Dead Man Walking reminded me that life was not all about Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest, sugar magnolias and crawfish boils. Danger lurked there too. And I liked it.
When my husband and I saw The Green Mile (1999), our son was a newborn. I was emotional. Tom Hanks played Paul Edgecomb, the most-seasoned prison guard at the Louisiana Cold Mountain Penitentiary, the fictional setting loosely based on death row at Angola, Louisiana in the 1930s. I knew nothing about this movie going in. I was expecting a bad boy and didn’t expect John Coffey. Eight feet tall and accused of killing two little girls, viewers immediately recognize that John Coffey is gentle as a lamb and possesses an amazing gift: the ability to take away others’ pain. The real bad guy is not the man behind the bars but prison guard Percy Wetmore, the evil and spoiled nephew of the governor’s wife. I was unprepared for the true horror of The Green Mile: that innocent people can die hideous deaths at the hands of “stupid and mean” people with strong political connections, folks who do things because they can. This movie unnerved me, and I sobbed even after the lights came on in the theatre. Hormones.
Which is the best movie? For me, they’re equally excellent and I can’t pick. In each of these films there is a hope—for escape, redemption, salvation, relief. Sometimes that hope is realized; sometimes it is squashed. All I know is that if the television is on and I hear one line of dialogue from any of these films, everything stops. I stop and sit on my chocolate brown couch, box of Kleenex at my side, to inspect the invisible, thin line where naughty and nice collide.
Who is your favorite bad boy from the movies?
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Yay, thought I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death I shall fear no evil, for I’m the meanest S.O.B. in the Valley.
Which has the benefit of being true. When I write fight scenes, I don’t need to refer to a book about how a fight works, I know from experience. A lady friend of mine used to insist on my going with her whenever she went to downtown Toronto. She said she felt safer because everyone crossed the street to avoid me. I thought she was joking, but one day I watched, and she wasn’t.
Of course this made it rather hard to write horror. How could I try to write about being scared witless when I never was? It was an interesting conundrum.
Bad boys, be they Han Solo (who is far more interesting than that milquetoast Skywalker), or Mornelithe Falconsbane (a man of no redeeming qualities that I could see – other than possibly as fertilizer) add a certain taste to fiction. Even when they loose, they have this tendency to go down snarling defiance at the world.
And we need that, for the times we are loosing ourselves.
Wayne
::swoon::
Oh, Wayne. I never knew you were a bad boy. But, I should have figured. Seeing we have this cyber romance and all. 😉
ROFL.
Well, actually my favorite is not from a movie, but a television show. I loved Johnathan Rhys Meyers as King Henry VIII in The Tudors. And, he’s going to be staring as Dracula in a new television series sometime soon. I’m not a vampire fan, but if he’s going to be in it, I’ll watch it, HOT HOT HOT!!!!!
I’m embarrassed to admit that I did not watch The Tudors, but I did Google Jonathan Rhys Myers. Um, yes please. 😉
Oooo, The Bad Boy!
I went out w/ LOTS of those bad boys, but married a NICE boy. Weird.
Dead Men Walking is in my top 10 movies. FABulous))) I’ve watched many times. I love the idea of redemption. I also ADORE Sean Penn.
Have you watched SONS OF ANARCHY yet. Now, those is some BAD dudes. I am in love w/ JAX!
Great post, as usual, R. Xxx
Kim: I did the same thing. Dated lots of bad boys, but married a good man. That said, I can appreciate all those naughty boys. I have watched SONS of ANARCHY. Awesome. Last night, I was sooo pissed because i watched Winter’s Bone, and I was all: When are we going to meet the Big, Bad, Troublemaker?! Turns out (Spoiler Alert!) he’s dead. There’s two hours of my life I’ll never get back. *head desk*
I’m not a major movie fan, but I just rewatched The Green Mile a few weeks ago and was just as moved by it on second viewing as I was on first, many years ago.
I don’t go for bad boys but women who sometimes show a bad-girl side do get my attention!
Hi Jim: I’m not a big film lover either — as you can see by my movie selections; most of these flicks are kind of old. But I do really like prison movies. I think I have seen them all. Don’t get me started. Glad you can appreciate a bad girl. 😉 I like them, too. *meow*
Does Snape count? ‘Cause I kind of love him.
Snape kind of counts. Because he was mean for a really, really long time. Until he wasn’t. If you know what I mean. 😉
But Snape always had tat edge to him. It made him a totally fascinating character, just like Dumbledore became more interesting when his backstory came out in the later books.
Wayne
Bad boys are fun! And dangerous! And fun! 🙂 It’s a three-way tie between the insidious evil of Hannibal Lecter, the otherworldly and not-bad-at-all John Coffey, and the is-he-or-isn’t-he Biblical villain Judas Iscariot (how’s that for a throwback?).
I find myself drawn to Hannibal like the popular moth to a flame. I want to get to know him better – from a safe distance, thanks. More, I want to befriend him so he won’t eat me.
John Coffey is a no-brainer for me: He can take away people’s pain, and I can help facilitate that, too. We’re kindred spirits, John and I.
Judas Iscariot, that “poor unfortunate soul,” gets a bad rap. I’m not at all convinced it’s earned, and I’m hard-pressed to say why. Strong feelings around that. Must explore.
Did you see that our beloved John Coffey died recently? (Or the actor who played him, anyway.) Oh, I cry every time I see that movie. I know what is coming. I know the profound sacrifice he chooses to make, and yet I weep every time. I have those strong feelings, too. *sob*
Clint Eastwood, and strangely enough–Richard Gere
Yeah! Loved ‘The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly’, it is one of the best movies ever. Not one really good guy in the lot.
Tuco was fascinating. His line to his brother about becoming either a priest or an outlaw made the movie in a lot of ways!
Wayne
“Go ahead. Make my day.” Yes, Clint is quite the bad boy.
Why can I only picture Richard Gere in PRETTY WOMAN right now? 😉
doesn’t matter what he is in — he is a bad boy from the word go
Can’t think of a movie character right now. Neal Caffrey from the TV show White Collar pops into my head. I waver between wanting him to turn good and wanting him to stay bad. Is it bad that it fascinates me how he can pull off a con?
TJ: If we are talking about television, i have a whole other post I could write about bad boys who are really good. For example, I love Jon Reese from PERSON OF INTEREST. That guy is absolutely a renegade law-breaker. But he only kills people who deserve to be killed- while helping people who need to be helped at the same time. And Jim Caviezel is actually waaaaaay hot. Somebody give me a glass of water. *sizzle*
Hard to pick just one so my apologies, but here are my Top 3: #3 – Johnny Depp in “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”, #2 – James Spader in “The Secretary” runs a close 2nd…and I must go with “Closet Land” and Alan Rickman for #1.
Johnny Depp was great in SWEENEY TODD. The makeup helped. He was so creepy looking. And he really was so dark. I have never seen CLOSET LAND. Is this something I should see? Sounds like? ARe there prisons involved? That seems to be my thing. Apparently.
In the spirit of your post’s question…It takes place in a prison, yes. Rickman uses diabolical physical and mental torture to coerce Madeline Stowe into confession. I thoroughly enjoyed some of his mental and physical techniques to get what he wants. It is a fictitious story by the way, but may have certain uses in specific role-playing circumstances (evil grin).
On my “MUST RENT” list, stored inside my cabinet door next to my “MUST READ” list. 😉 And I figured you might be into some role play. You naughty professor, you!
I like “bad boys,” too. My favorite “bad boy” is Al Pacino in “Dog Day Afternoon.” I must have seen that movie 6 or 7 times. I still watch it every time it comes on television and often catch it if I’m in the mood on Amazon just for kicks. He is spectacular as the out of control bank robber-hostage taker who is cornered in that movie. I just love him in that movie. He is the quintessential “bad boy.”
Isn’t it funny how a certain movie can come on and it’s like: “Stop! Hold it. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. We’re watching this.” Your DOG DAY is my SHAWSHANK. It’s ridiculous. Also, I do the same thing for To Kill A Mockingbird. How I hated that damn Bob Ewell. (And of course, I could have written about it in this post because there is a prison scene in TKAM, but a post has to end somewhere, right?)
To Kill A Mockingbird is one of my favorite movies as well. Also a favorite book. It’s a favorite of my granddaughters too after they read the book for school and then I got the movie for them to watch. My daughter liked the movie though she never read the book. I know what you mean about a post having to end somewhere. Sometimes we can just go on forever, like this comment. 🙂
I love your comments. But I think I will have to do a post about bad guys in TV shows. And bad guys in books. That freaking Ewell.
The obvious answer is Karl Urban as Kirill in The Bourne Supremacy. He’s my black operative of choice.
But, number two would have to be Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber in Die Hard. Pure evil in a good suit.
Well, of course, Karl Urban. Hahahaha! I should have known that would be your answer, BD. Of course. Alan Rickman is evil, too. Profeswsor Taboo up there named him in CLOSET LAND. I’ve never even heard of that. Have you? Dude must be typecast or something — which, by the way, I also find creepy.
I have two bad boys that come to mind. There wasn’t even a moment of hesitation for me. The first was Hannibal Lecter. If you haven’t read any of those novels by Thomas Harris, then shame on you. 😉 The books are fantastic, but having Anthony Hopkins do such a kick-ass job with the part in the movie really pushed this character over the top for me.
The second bad boy is played by Vin Diesel in the “Chronicles of Riddick”. Vin Diesel is an unapologetic bad ass. If I were a bad boy, I would chose a combination of these two. 😉
Hi Zach: I have read all the Harris books. So fabulous. And, as you said, Anthony Hopkins made that flick. Amazing. I dream about it. I saw Vin Diesel in New Orleans many years ago. He was riding a float and smiling. He doesn’t terrify me anymore.
LMAO Yeah, riding a float would deflate the fear-factor.
If I were a guy, I would have had a softy. #IYKWIM 😉
IKWYM rsrsrs (Brazilian form of lol)
You crack my ass up Renée!
I am not responsible for that crack! That was there before I met you! 😉
I’m trying to think of a clean reply that isn’t loaded with euphemisms, but you haven’t left me much wiggle-room here.
I love me some Shawshank Redemption! My husband and I have a connection over that movie also! I definitely liked the bad boys in my day – can’t think of a movie example other than Hans Solo right now, but trust me on this! We’ll have to compare bad boy stories one of these days! Great post, Renee – I love all the movie references!
Oooh, I can’t wait to hear your Shawshank story, Mare. We are evil twins! It’s crazy!
My favorite Bad Boy is also my Celebrity Crush… Keifer Sutherland. Mark Wahlberg as well.. the Rooster knows he can walk thru the door with any movie and if it has either of them in it, I’m good to go.
Keifer Sutherland is your celebrity crush? You could probably go over to his house and have him right now. Just go over and ring the doorbell. 😉 I crush over Ben Affleck. It’s so stupid. Kristen — are you going to BlissDom? I’m so confused. I hope you are. I’d love to meet you!
You think? Girl don’t tell me that.. I might take a wrong left turn leaving NC and head straight to LA. I am NOT going to Blissdom this year.. I’m doing BlogHer, Social Slam, Bloggy Boot Camp and MAYBE Type A Parent. Blissdome is on my list for next year 🙂
You must be sponsored up the wazoozie! Those are big conferences. You are BIGTIME! Enjoy your conferences. And keep your eyes open for those bad boys! They are everywhere! 🙂
I. Did. That. Honest to goodness, when Keifer Sutherland was filming Article 99 in Kansas City in 1990, my friend and I wanted to meet him so our buddy who managed a pizza joint gave us a pizza and a couple of Pyramid Pizza baseball hats and told us to go deliver pizza to him (yes, of course we knew the house he was renting). We did overlook one tiny detail, though: it was 2 in the morning (did I mention we had already hit the bar scene on our quest to meet Keifer that evening? What? I didn’t? Oh, well, anyway…) So we dolled ourselves up and waltzed right up to that door and rang the doorbell. About 5 times. And he answered. In his plaid pajama pants and no shirt. And I’m still in love.
Fan-freaking-tastic. I love me a good stalker story. Soooo did you just hand over the pizza? What? No kiss? 🙂
Oh, we were smooth. We went all doe-eyed and sheepish and said, “Did you order a pizza from Pyramid Pizza?” And he said, “Um, no, not at two in the morning.” (Scratching his gruff chin and smiling) so I said, “Well, do you want it anyway?” And he replied, “no, thank you, but good luck.”
And he closed the door and we walked back to our car in a daze and repeating, “omigod it was him. It was him. It was HIM!” No pictures, no kisses, but it didn’t matter because we finally met Kiefer and he was awesome!
I remember it like it was yesterday.
I just finally saw Skyfall and for the first time really liked a Bond antagonist. I thought the character was humanized in this movie and I sympathized with his motivation to want to kill M.
Loved it!
Fun post! Movies are a new subject for you…n’est pas?
Actually this is an old post recycled from 2010 — so you busted me. But you know I do love writing about bad boys. I’ve been thinking about writing about bad boys in TV. I’ve written about them in books. (Time to bring back the old posts as I work on my WIP.) 😉
And you’re such a nice girl . . . Actually, I can’t think of any bad guys I pulled for, although I know I have. Occasionally I remember something – but not often.
What about bad girls? Do you like Cat Girl? *meow*
I think the bad boy is like a Jungian archetype, innate in all females. I loved vampires long before they were fashionable, and Hannibal Lecter will always be one of my favorite characters. I wouldn’t want to spend my life with a bad boy, but they certainly are the stuff of fantasies. Ooh la la!
Vampires. Heh. Have you ever read Fred Saberhagen’s novel ‘The Dracula Tapes’?
You really should read it. It tells the original Dracula story, from Vlad Dracula’s viewpoint.
Wayne
Interesting – I’ll have to check it out. Those pasty boys of Twilight have nothing on Vlad. Thanks for the tip!
Oh yes, Saberhagen’s Dracula is excellent!
My favorite was Dominion, the fifth book. The old man was incredible. Totally incredible. I have a song that Doug MacArthur wrote about him that I can play and sing, I’ll record it and email it to you (about the character, not about him in that book exactly).
Wayne
PS: Note that I’m not being specific about who it is, though I suspect most people would recognize his name, because it would be a spoiler.
If you like The Dracula Tapes, there are a further ten books staring Dracula several of which occur in modern times. They are pretty good.
Wayne
I love prison movies! Are you a fan of Prison Break as well? One of the best TV shows of all time, IMO. The bad boys are also the goodies, which makes them even hotter. 😉
DIE for all prison movies! Bad boys, Papillon. I think I have seen them all. I’m not kidding. In real life, the bad boys are definitely NOT the good boys. You know that, right? It only works on the silver screen. I don’t want to meet or fall in love with a blood-thirsty cannibal. No, thank you. 😉
Ooh, and my favorite of those you listed has to be Silence of the Lambs, with the Green Mile close behind. It’s tough to beat Thomas Harris’s stories—love his books, too.
I just saw WINTER’S BONE last night — and I was soooo pissed because there is NO BIG BAD TROUBLEMAKER! He’s freaking dead. I was all: Whaaat? You can’t do that. But they did. And now I know why that film didn’t win Best Picture last year. 😉
I was all about the bad boys . . . until I met the hubs. The goodest of good boys that there is. And I upped and married him. Damn. 😉
Shawshank is the best movie ever. I love it so much. And I remember openly sobbing at Green Mile. As in, sitting in the theater with tears streaming down my face even when the lights came up, and being too upset and emotional to care. Maybe I had just had a newborn as well. Or something. Those damn hormones!
Great list and great post, Renee!!
Wait. We maybe gonna have to have a girlie fight up in here. Because my hubs is the goodest goodie two-shoes in the land. Seriously. He makes blind people see, Misty. He does!
Wait, but your hubby buys you stuffed animals and stuff. Hmmm. Actually, this could be a very funny battle we could start. The battle of the Goodest of the Good Spouses. We could have people tell the stories of how awesome their spouses are and have people vote in a Poll Daddy Poll. We might need to discuss this venture. I’m not kidding.
And yes, sobbing in THE GREEN MILE. Of course. I still sob every time I see it. Duh. I’m tearing up just THINKING of Jon Coffey right now. No new baby. What’s my excuse? Menopause? 😉
Oh, Renee. Oh honey, sweetie, pookie-face. You know I love you, right? But, no. No, no, no, no, NO. You will not win this one. I know you are the queen of all thing interwebz competition and all, so I’m sure you are going into this with a false sense of bravada, but . . . I would crush you.
While I’m sure your hubs is a super kind, sweet, caring and doting husband, he is nothing compared to how good my husband is? Do you doubt me? Well, then . . . if you persist, then GAME. ON.
I will warn you thought, these are some of the bullets I have in my holster:
* Every Wednesday, he stays home with the kids in the evening so I can go to Zumba, cooking them dinner, giving them baths and putting them to bed. If he is out of town, he finds a family member to come over and watch them.
*He makes dinner and gives the kids baths (again) every Sunday.
*He does the dishes and washes his own clothes.
*Just a few days ago he handed me a $100 bill because he had gone to the racetrack the night before and won $200 . . . without me asking. Just because.
These are just a few minor examples I thought of off the top of my head. Oh, and did I mention that my birthday is tomorrow? Yeah, so I expect to be fully loaded after tomorrow night. I probably mean that in more ways than one.
Still game? 😉
Okay, a few things about my Hubby.
•He is outside in the freezing cold grilling our steaks right now. (Seriously, it’s sleeting on his head.
•He takes Tech to all fencing matches where he must endure hours of beeping and buzzing. During these weekends, I am 100% free. He calls it their “man time.”
•He can cook if he wants to, and sometimes he does. Like he knows how to.
•He brings his washed and folded clothes upstairs. He irons his own shirts.
•He brings me flowers, upon occasion.
•He reads to TechSupport every night. The kid is 13 & 1/2.
•Whenever he wins any money, he hands it over. Because why wouldn’t he? Also, he rarely wins.
•His penis is enormous. It’s like the size of Texas.
Okay, you soooo win.
Game over.
Sounds like we BOTH win, Renee!! 🙂 Good thing we got over our bad boy phase and got ourselves some good men, yes?
If you really want to do something like that, I’m game. We can collaborate and do a poll on one of our posts. Let’s talk and try to come up with something. Cool beans?
Misty, I think we should talk. We could cook up something cool, I’ll bet. 🙂
Ooooh, I’d like to get in on this action. My wonderful husband does the grocery shopping every week during the school year. He also completely renovated our master bathroom (we took it down to studs, rafters, floor joists) and did it exactly the way I wanted without complaint. He makes the best chili ever and always makes the cranberry sauce, pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving. He will vacuum without being asked, he helps fold laundry, he takes his turns staying home with sick children and actually sets most of the doctor’s appointments because it’s very difficult for me to make a phone call while I’m at work.
Can I count the Outsiders as a bad boy movie? I think some of them had switch blades. I had a client on death row in MIssissippi and it was something else. Bad boys on screen are prettier than bad boys in real prisons. Great post. I want some pics of your honeymoon!
You can count the Outsiders! Totally. They were bad boys in a fresh-faced kind of way. I loved that Ponyboy. And I am soooo with you. Bad boys are better on the screen than in real life. As I said (or maybe thought), I KNOW this is an irrational obsession, but it is amazing how the movies get us to buy into these archetypes. Because you are right, I soooo don’t want to hang out with anyone in prison. No thank you, please. 😉
When I read that title my inside voice said ‘mmm girl, I know that’s right!’ Good descriptions of all those flicks. Cant think of a movie bad guy but do you watch Persons of Interest? The main character John is the best good (he only hurts the bad guys) bad guy ever! I live for that show. This post probably encouraged me to finally write an entry on my beloved John and Finch.
I was trying to stick to movies in this post, but if I were going to write about television, I would definitely write about Jon Reese in PERSON OF INTEREST. I don’t think I have missed a single episode. OMG! He is so delicious. Also, I really like Dexter. It’s weird how I find myself cheering for the vigilantes. I wonder how that happens. It’s kind of creepy.
Delicious is the perfect word for Mr. Reese! The new girl they added last week is a total bad ass. That show is so freaking good! Couldnt get into Dexter. It started when I just had the first babe who totally rewired my brain. Cant stomach the really dark stuffs anymore.
I haven’t watched Dexter in a while, but I loved it for a long time. Then it got to be a little formulaic. But Jon Reese is eye candy. ANd as long as they keep those storylines interesting, I am so in. Do you like THE MENTALIST, too? Because I am DYING to figure out who Red John is. Seriously, just when I think I am getting tired of that show they reel me back in with the Red John stuff. I kind of crush over Patrick Jayne, too. He’s got that good-boy, but I’d-kill-you-if-you-are-Red-John vibe going on.
Those gorgeous men who turned into Vampires.
I am of another generation. I loved James Dean in “Rebel without a Cause,” Paul Newman in “Cool Man Luke”. “Dog Day Afternoon” with Al Pacino. “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”with Paul Newman and Robert Redford. “Bonnie and Clyde” with Warren Beatty. Humphrey Bogart in “Caine Mutiny”. “Apocalypse Now” with Marlon Brando. Steve McQueen in “Bullitt” All the men in “Godfather.” “Birdman of Alcatrez” with Burt Lancaster. “African Queen” with Humphrey Bogart. Frank Sinatra in “From Here to Eternity”.
Classic stuff.
Wayne
Forgot to mention the short lived TV series ‘Firefly’, which had no real good guys in it. Jayne Cobb was the real baddy, but Malcolm Reynolds was no shrinking violet either. Even Simon the Doctor and Shepherd Book got into various bits of nastiness. Hoban was the closest thing to a good guy on the crew, and he was a certifiable lunatic.
And don’t leave out the ladies. Zoe was sooo nasty she was super sexy. Inara, well, what exactly do you do with a Companion? Kaylee wasn’t above using a gun herself.
And then you’ve got River. OMG, she had the best freaking fight scenes!
Wayne
DId we have this series in the United States? I have never even heard of FIREFLY. Why must I always Google after you leave me a comment, Borean?
Because you aren’t a Science Fiction fan maybe?
Wikipedia article on Firefly
IMDB Entry on Firefly
IMDB Entry on Serenity the Firefly Movie
Go to your local big box store – most of them carry Firefly in DVD. Watch the TV Series, and then watch Serenity. It’s a hoot. One of the best TV shows of the 21st Century. The best American TV show at any rate. I’m not sure whether I’d rate it as better than Sherlock, or the BBC production of Life on Mars, but it’s pretty damned good.
Wayne
PS: WIth the links I expect this will need approval 🙂
hmmm. bad boys huh? i could have introduced you to a few, had i known!
Oh David. How could you NOT have known? Really. I might have swished around in my cheerleader skirt, but what was that old high school essay? Appearances can be deceiving. 😉
I was (for a while by marriage) related to George Lucas so I saw his movie American Graffiti at a (most likely inappropriately) young age.
I remember thinking the guy who drives around with MacKenzie Phillips in his hot rod all night was EVERYTHING. But I was too young to know what “bad boy” meant.
He was like the Fonz. Only better looking because let’s face it, Henry Winkler wasn’t so beautiful. I also loved John Travolta in Grease. Even though he’s really just bad-boy lite.
Anyway, I get it.
I even smoked a few cigarettes in my day trying to keep up with my bad boy crushes.
Then I met Bill.
He bought wine glasses when we started dating and made me dinner.
He held doors for me.
I was done.
Let me be clear. Nobody wants to be married to Jessup Dolly from WINTER’S BONE. (Also, no one should see that movie. That’s 2 hours of your life you’ll never get back.)
Hooray for husbands who hold doors and make dinner. Hooray for civility. 😉
Well, I’m a bit creeped out that you’re saying you have a thing for bad boys and you included Silence of the Lambs. Cuh-reepy, Renee! Please don’t start visiting sociopaths or collecting moths anytime soon, ok? Promise!
LOL. My favorite bad boy – hmm, how about Edward Norton in American History X? Such a harsh movie, but deeply moving story. He’s so ignorant to begin, but we see this full circle transition and how he tries to make a difference in his old world.
Jess: You know what? I don’t know if I ever saw American History X. I think that came out when Tech was a wee thing, and I didn’t get out much. I missed that flick. I’m going to have to check that out. Kudos to you for winning August’s #BOAW Fest. Yours was the very first post I read, and honestly, it couldn’t have happened to a more deserving person. You are so generous yourself! (I know, since I have been on the receiving end of your glorious gifts!) Enjoy your new Kindle Fire and — hopefully — a lot of new traffic!
I love me some Shawshank!! Please tell me you guys fee acted the end scene in Mexico.
So. Fraking. Jealous!
Also, bad boys rock! Give me a bearded, tattooed, motorcycle riding roughian any day! Although, to the other extreme, I have a thing for nerds too. Which is a bit weird…. Now that I think about it. Good thing my husband is both!! HUZZAH!!
Hugs!
Valerie
Valerie: We TOTALLY pretended to act out the last scene in Mexico. But the beach children who followed us everywhere, begging for change — not pictured in the film — got to be a bit much, so we went back to our hotel in Ixtapa. Also, it smelled like fish guts. Not our hotel, just all of Zihuatanejo. True story.
And like you, I married a nerdy guy who thinks he’s a bad boy. So win-win, yes?
Nerdy guys who think they are bad boys are THE best kind, IMHO. You scored, Renée!
I agree Patricia! My hubby is totally a good guy, but I’ll never convince him of that.
Great list. Love ALL of those movies. The Green Mile? Shawshank? I think what you’re really trying to say here is you have a huge crush on Stephen King. I can give you his number if you’d like, he lives close by….
Maybe if you can give him my manuscript and just have him finish it? That would be awesome, Dar. 🙂
Maybe you wanted Clint Eastwood to get off the island because, you know, it was Clint Eastwood. The typical REAL criminal is not quite so handsome and charismatic. One of my secret pleasures is that show, Lockup. Let me tell you, most of those bad boys don’t get the juices going, AT all.
A guy who “does” sheep???
I know, right? That was a terrible, terrible mistake.
Shawshank Redemption is so good. So good. My favorite bad boy? Hmmm, I remember being drawn to Joaquin Phoenix as Caesar in Gladiator. He was insane, and maybe attracted to his own sister. Ew, but still strangely hot. Also, Johnny Cash, who was kind of a bad boy and also played music in prisons, so I think that’s a twofer. Or a fourfer, since Phoenix played Cash in that movie that I didn’t see.
http://youtu.be/WOHPuY88Ry4
So, I don’t really have a thing for bad boys (well, except for that whole Keifer Sutherland thing I told you about a little earlier), but I wanted to say thanks for featuring my friend – in real life – Dyanne’s blog this month. She is such an amazing writer – and an even more amazing woman. Everyone should read her stuff because she’s hilarious. And she has important stuff to say 🙂
I’ve been stalking her for a little while. She is pretty amazing! I didn’t realize she had been battling with breast cancer! I really like her as a writer AND I feel like I’d really like her as a person. Did you see her comment from last month? Soooooo funny! Look for it on Tuesday! I slipped it in a little early! 🙂
This was a really great analysis, Renee. I love all of those movies. I feel so out of touch with movies now. My favorite bad boy??? Probably Michael Douglas though I can’t think of a specific role. I just like him!
Great post Renee as well as some extraordinary movies! I’m always a little nervous where Inion’s heart will take her as she is fond of the bad boys as well. But then how can I complain. Her father and my soul mate was the drummer in a rock band. I can still remember the first time I took him home to meet my father. His hair longer than mine, so wild! There’s just something so dangerously intoxicating about a “Bad-Boy”
I had Inion a t-shirt made for her twenty-first birthday. It read: Behind every bad boy, is a good-girl. She loved it of course. Like you we get our fix from our books and movies, and I could easily add to the list of baddies you gave: Sonny from the Godfather, Ray Liotta in “Goodfella’s.” Inion loves Lestat de Lioncourt “Interview with a Vampire. Gary Oldman in “State of Grace” and who doesn’t love Denzel Washington in “Training Day”. So, bring on the bad-boys for us good girls to dream of!
Ya know, I never had a thing for bad boys. Probably because of my sister, LOL There weren’t any left for me!
But movie bad boys – everyone knows I’m a sucker for vampires. That’s gotta count, right?
So many great choices. I loved Keifer Sutherland in Lost Boys…remember that one?
I’m seeing a lot of characters in the comments that I totally crushed on! Keifer Sutherland like Angela up there, and in Stand By Me, too – makes me lick my lips! I’ve always loved the bad boys, too, but I never wanted to date one. Ok, well date one, but not keep one, if you know what I mean ;). I was just thinking about this yesterday actually, and wondering what that’s about. I think it’s about power – I’m definitely drawn to that, to a man who is not afraid. That’s kinda sexy. But I don’t want to end up with someone on a permanent basis who is volatile, and those things all seem to go together.