Summary

• Movies that exclusively feature unethical and unprincipled characters add complexity and intrigue to the narrative.
• These films often provide humor or explore moral and ethical issues through the lens of unscrupulous characters.
• Crafting stories around unlikable characters defies traditional storytelling norms and creates compelling examinations of misdeeds.

In many movies, there's typically at least one character whom viewers naturally . However, there are films where every character is an awful person. While this unconventional approach may not follow traditional storytelling, it adds intriguing complexity to the narrative. Most movies include a protagonist that the audience can root for - someone who displays courage, comion, or other irable qualities. However, some films diverge from convention by exclusively featuring unethical, unprincipled, and unlikable characters. Rather than providing viewers with a heroic lead to identify with, these movies populate their worlds with "bad guys."

Often, this narrative choice brings humor to the story, allowing the audience to be entertained by the dysfunction. Other times, lacking virtuous characters creates space to grapple with issues of morality and ethics. While some all-villain movies depict criminals, others simply include deeply flawed people who treat each other callously. Whether for comedic effect or philosophical exploration, these films stand out for defying the expected storytelling norm of featuring irable lead characters. Crafting narratives exclusively around unscrupulous figures brings unconventional complexity and compelling examinations of misdeeds.

10 The Hateful Eight (2015)

Directed by Quentin Tarantino

In Quentin Tarantino's thriller The Hateful Eight, the characters find themselves trapped together in a lodge during a blizzard, each displaying their own brand of despicableness. Samuel L. Jackson portrays a ruthless bounty hunter, Kurt Russell embodies another tough-as-nails one, and Jennifer Jason Leigh embodies an untrustworthy fugitive. They're ed by a cast of other unscrupulous characters, including a racist ex-Confederate general. Tensions quickly escalate as lies, threats, and violence permeate the group. Throughout The Hateful Eight’s timeline, Tarantino crafts a tense plot that dives into the darkest aspects of human nature when societal norms disintegrate.

9 A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Directed by Stanley Kubrick

A Clockwork Orange presents a cast of characters who engage in reprehensible behavior without remorse. The young protagonist, Alex, takes pleasure in violence and crime, frequently assaulting and robbing innocent individuals for his own amusement. His memorable henchman "the droogs" similarly revels in cruelty, brutally attacking vulnerable individuals such as the homeless. Even those in positions of authority, such as law enforcement and government officials, resort to underhanded tactics such as police brutality and unethical psychological conditioning. Portraying a world devoid of virtuous individuals offers a scathing commentary on the depths of human depravity.

8 I Care A Lot (2020)

Directed by J Blakeson

I Care A Lot features Rosamund Pike as Marla Grayson, a character that manipulates legal guardianship laws to rob elderly people of their savings without remorse.Even meant-to-be upstanding characters like doctors and judges enable Marla’s unethical schemes. When her latest victim turns out to have criminal connections as well, levels of greed-fueled cruelty are unleashed to combat threats to her livelihood. One of Rosamund Pike’s best movies, populating the movie solely with selfish and corrupt characters crafts a sobering view of a world where ethics and comion have rotted away.

7 Trainspotting (1996)

Directed by Danny Boyle

Trainspotting revolves around a group of heroin addicts who display little ethics or ambition. Mark Renton makes failed attempts to get clean while continuing to lie, manipulate, and steal to fund his addiction. The other characters of Trainspotting spend their days scoping out increasingly risky cons to score more drugs, uncaring about who gets hurt in the process. Even the film’s most “likable” characters exhibit incredible selfishness and irresponsibility. Centering the story around such an unprincipled crew crafts a raw portrait of human indecency. As the characters’ drug use escalates, so does their loosening grip on any redemptive qualities.

6 Nightcrawler (2014)

Directed by Dan Gilroy

In the unsettling thriller Nightcrawler, Jake Gyllenhaal's character, Louis Bloom, portrays an unethical individual who is into filming graphic footage of crimes and accidents, which he then sells to sensationalist news stations. Bloom's actions extend beyond exploitation as he manipulates crime scenes to obtain more imagery, showing a complete lack of comion for the victims involved. Similarly, the news producer played by Rene Russo disregards moral obligations in her pursuit of outdoing competitors and increasing ratings. The film serves as a critique of the contemporary media landscape, where empathy is sacrificed for profits and ethical boundaries are ignored.

5 Hard Candy (2005)

Directed by David Slade

The psychological drama Hard Candy features two deeply unsettling lead characters. Jeff, a predator who targets young girls he meets online, arranges a meeting with 14-year-old Hayley. However, the dynamic shifts dramatically as Hayley takes him captive and subjects him to merciless torment. Hayley's mind games position her not as a heroine, but as a burgeoning sociopath who derives pleasure from manipulatively breaking Jeff down through humiliation and violence. Meanwhile, Jeff's predatory tendencies reveal a disturbing personality beneath his facade of normalcy. With both characters exhibiting profoundly disturbing behavior, it’s difficult to sympathize with either participant.

4 Gone Girl (2014)

Directed by David Fincher

Gone Girl tells the story of Amy and Nick, who both exhibit levels of toxicity and cruelty towards one another. When Amy stages her own disappearance to frame Nick for murder, she demonstrates sociopathy and lack of empathy. Meanwhile, Nick’s affair and apathetic reaction to his wife’s supposed demise highlight his own emotional abuse and dishonesty. With the characters remaining horrible until Gone Girl’s twist ending, centering the story around such an unethical couple paints an ugly portrait of rage and pain that erodes human goodness over time.

3 The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)

Directed by Martin Scorsese

The Wolf of Wall Street delves into the realm of financial fraud and excess by recounting the true story of Jordan Belfort. Portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio, Belfort leads a corrupt firm that swindles ordinary investors out of millions, fostering an atmosphere of hedonism fueled by drug abuse and extravagant parties. Surrounding Belfort are a cast of greedy and duplicitous associates who shamelessly exploit working-class individuals without hesitation. With not a single morally upright character to anchor onto, audiences are confronted with a nihilistic portrayal of reckless behavior and indulgence, set against the backdrop of financial lives ruined by unrepentant opportunists.

2 The Social Network (2010)

Directed by David Fincher

The acclaimed drama The Social Network exposes the ethical ambiguities surrounding the inception of Facebook. Jesse Eisenberg portrays founder Mark Zuckerberg as a ruthless tech genius who sacrifices friendships and manipulates situations to assert control over the platform. Conversely, the Winklevoss twins are depicted as privileged individuals driven by a desire for recognition and wealth from the site's success. The Social Network implies that noble intentions were corrupted amid the frantic pursuit of dominance in the high-stakes digital arena, leading viewers to question the presence of moral integrity in such endeavors.

1 The Bling Ring (2013)

Directed by Sofia Coppola

The Bling Ring centers around a group of fame-obsessed teens who rob the homes of celebrities. Motivated by entitlement and jealousy, the teens steal luxury items from the likes of Paris Hilton, documenting their hauls on social media without a trace of guilt. Even when their crime spree culminates in arrest, the characters remain largely unrepentant, instead reveling in the notoriety. Devoid of a single moral center, The Bling Ring offers a collection of duplicitous characters whose social media-fueled desire for attention and affluence comes at the expense of integrity and positive values.