War movies often aim to narrate the harsh realities and human sacrifice of conflict in order to preserve the rich tales of individuals and how they shaped history. In the process, however, these movies manage to horrify the audiences even more by inventing memorable but monstrous fictional villains. These characters steal the show with their villainous acts as well as their unsettling psyche.
The scariest war movie villains seem to relish in the horrors of war in a way that sends a chill down your spine. Through not-so-subtle cues, we’re able to witness their cruelty, which stems not only from the occasion but also from some part of their being that is twisted beyond redemption. Whether issuing orders from a distance or acting with their own hands, these villains embed themselves in our imagination by being violent and fearsome.
While war itself is a tragedy, the inclusion of these invented villains takes a movie to another level. In this list, we count 10 war movies and peek into their nightmarish worlds, where certain villains and their icy demeanors both fascinate and terrify us.
10 Wafner – Overlord (2018)
Set on the eve of D-Day in 1944, Overlord is a war drama/alternate history horror flick that follows a group of American paratroopers who land behind enemy lines to destroy a German radio tower. But when they accidentally stumble upon a secret Nazi experimental village, they discover that the locals are under the control of a much sinister force. They come across dead bodies and disfigured village residents, and are forced to battle a vicious army of supernaturals.
A True Master of Manipulation
For a zombie thriller as suspenseful and gory as Overlord, having a villain that is just as scary and cruel is only appropriate. Pilou Asbæk, who is particularly known for playing Euron Greyjoy on Game of Thrones, appears as Hauptsturmführer Wafner in Overlord. Despite the former being ripe with menacing characters, it is Overlord that uses Asbæk’s talents most.
Wafner was effective because of his deceivingly gentle demeanor and his ability to never back down. That’s why, when one of the US soldiers shoots him in the face, he injects himself with two shots of the serum that was turning the townsfolk into zombies and himself becomes the harbinger of terror. Rent on Apple TV.
Overlord
- Release Date
- November 1, 2018
- Runtime
- 110
9 Colonel Walter E. Kurtz – Apocalypse Now (1979)
Apocalypse Now transports the audience to the Vietnam War, where Captain Benjamin L. Willard is assigned a secret mission – to terminate the rogue U.S. Special Forces Colonel Walter Kurtz. The man has established himself as a god among a local tribe in Cambodia, and through them, he carries out increasingly unhinged acts of violence. As Willard travels upriver and learns of Kurtz’s constant descent, he prepares himself for the worst.
One Man’s Descent into Savagery
Colonel Walter E. Kurtz is played brilliantly by Marlon Brando, who is known across the globe for starring in beloved classics like The Godfather, A Streetcar Named Desire, and On the Waterfront. Much like his other roles, Brando is utterly mesmerizing as Kurtz, a man whose greatness is shattered, and all humanity has left his soul.
His haunting portrayal of Kurtz makes it impossible for you to look away from the screen. Through shocking actions, he demonstrates the person war has turned him into. He now kills to validate himself as superior, and that’s one of the many things that make him scary. Rent on Apple TV.
8 Kuhn – The Great Escape (1963)
An outstanding wartime adventure directed by John Sturges, The Great Escape explores the inner workings of a German POW camp during World War 2. The story is told through the eyes of imprisoned Allied soldiers, who not only try to understand the meticulousness of the place, but also plot an escape route under the eyes of Luftwaffe Colonel von Luger, and Kuhn, a sadistic Gestapo officer and ardent Nazi.
Embodies Pure Ruthlessness
Played with chilling smugness by Hans Reiser, Kuhn only had a brief screen time in The Great Escape, and yet, he is remembered as the kind of antagonist that makes your skin crawl. He either committed casual acts of brutality for their own sake, or ordered them.
When bringing in Richard Attenborough’s Squadron Leader Bartlett ‘Big X’ to the POW camp, he specifically orders that the man be kept “under the strictest security confinement permanently.” Moreover, even among the Nazis, he stood out as an unfeeling enforcer who would demand violence in order to have control and supremacy. Stream on Prime Video.
7 Major Heinrich Strasser – Casablanca (1942)
Widely regarded as one of the greatest movies of all time, this beloved romantic drama features marvelous performances from Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid and a flawless screenplay adapted from Murray Burnett and Joan Alison’s stage play. It centers around Rick Blain, an American expatriate and nightclub owner in the corruption-ridden city of Casablanca. With World War II complicating real life, he is forced to choose between the woman he loves and helping her husband escape.
An Unforgettable Presence
Casablanca is remembered for a lot of things, and while a profound romance is the key to its enduring popularity, war is an inseparable narrative element as well, with the fight against Nazi Germany often sending the protagonists into a dilemma.
The faction is led by Major Heinrich Strasser, a sophisticated and narcissistic official who possesses a power so ruthless it could crush any resistance. He is brought to life by Conrad Veidt, who passed away shortly after the film’s release. His legacy, however, continues in Strasser, an educated war movie evil with a human face. Stream on Max.
Casablanca
- Release Date
- November 26, 1942
- Director
- Michael Curtiz
- Runtime
- 102
6 Jaapie Botha – The Power of One (1992)
The Power of One is set in South Africa during the Second World War and the years immediately after. It is a coming-of-age story about a young English boy named Peekay, who had a rough childhood, and growing up under increasing racial tensions at a conservative Afrikaans boarding school. It isn’t until PK matures that he finally finds mentorship in a lonely German musician, who also teaches him about revolution.
Frightening Symbol of Villainy
Jappie Botha was a chief nemesis that regularly terrorized PK as a boy. From extreme bullying to showcasing more sadistic behavior, the senior possessed a manic intensity. His cruelty was not bred from individual hate, but from the psychological damage of racism itself – a culture carefully incepted in his psyche by the cruel world. Even as an older man, Botha would harm villagers for fun.
His death occurs at the hands of Stephen Dorff’s PK. Botha was played by a young Daniel Craig, who has perhaps never returned to playing a villain since. Instead, Craig has established himself as a suave action hero. Stream on Plex.
Co-written, directed, and produced by Stanley Kubrick, Full Metal Jacket is another epic war drama. The movie follows a platoon of U.S. Marine recruits from their brutal boot camp training to their deployment on the Vietnam battlefield in the cities of Da Nang and Huế. In the first half of the movie, we’re familiarized with privates J.T. Davis and Leonard Lawrence, who struggle with the relentless psychological torment of the tyrannical Gunnery Sergeant Hartman.
Corrupts His Power in a Terrifying Manner
Hartman’s job was to create a drill so dehumanizing that it would either break his men down or turn them into obedient killing machines. R. Lee Ermey, a former Marine himself, who is known for playing an array of characters in movies ranging from Toy Story to Leaving Las Vegas, brings a terrifying intensity to the role of Hartman.
He infuses every interaction with the kind of brutality that you constantly anticipate a detonation. Few movie antagonists have the ability to cement themselves in the minds of the viewers for years on end, and Hartman is one of them. Stream on Max.
4 Hans Landa – Inglourious Basterds (2009)
This list, like almost any other, would be incomplete without mentioning Quentin Tarantino at least once. His 2009 war drama, Inglourious Basterds, takes place in a Nazi-occupied France during World War II. It follows First Lieutenant Aldo Raine, who leads a team of Jewish American soldiers on an undercover mission to end Nazi Germany’s leadership. Meanwhile, they are tracked by Colonel Hans Landa, a cunning SS officer known for his brilliance in ferreting out hiding Jews.
Instills Fear and Stress in Victims
Inglourious Basterds is one of the few war movies that allows the full extent of its villain’s horrifying acts and talents for manipulation to surface. Colonel Hans Landa, also nicknamed “Jew Hunter,” is played by Christoph Waltz, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, as well as a BAFTA and Golden Globes for his unforgettable turn.
As for why Landa was the worst enemy, his unspeakable cruelty towards Jews subjected them to unbearable fear and stress. From ordering to slaughter a family with a glance or to using his own bare hands to strangle Bridget Von Hammersmark, Landa was as fascinating as he was dark. Rent on Apple TV.
3 Sergeant Barnes – Platoon (1986)
Platoon is written and directed by Oliver Stone, and it is the first in a series of Vietnam War movies made by him. The story unfolds through the eyes of a young American U.S. Army volunteer, Chris Taylor, and his subordinates as they experience a harrowing war. While one is more compassionate, the other, Staff Sergeant Robert Barnes, is a cynical, battle-hardened veteran whose broken mental state threatens the entire platoon’s stability.
Leaves a Haunting Mark
He dominated the 1980s by making major or minor appearances in movies like Major League and Born on the Fourth of July, and is universally recognized for playing Thomas Beckett in the Sniper series. But Tom Berenger left a haunting and indelible mark on our minds with his portrayal of Barnes.
Having fought a war that consumed his soul, Barnes was no longer human. He would gun down civilians, raze entire villages to ground, and demean recruits. With his erratic behavior and unhinged dialogue, Barnes proved how the trauma of war can turn even otherwise normal men into monsters. Stream on Fubo TV.
Platoon
- Release Date
- December 19, 1986
- Runtime
- 120
2 Colonel Tavington – The Patriot (2000)
Loosely adapted from the experiences of several real-life historical figures, The Patriot is a genuinely moving film. It is set against the backdrop of the American Revolutionary War, and it follows Benjamin Martin, a war veteran whose quiet life is disrupted after the death of his wife. Still haunted by his violent past and opposed to war, he tries to raise his seven sons. But when one of his sons is brutally murdered by British troops, Martin becomes a reluctant but rebellious fighter.
True Cinematic War Villain
With The Patriot, director Roland Emmerich takes a significant portion of history and transforms it into a fictional masterpiece. That said, The Patriot is an entertaining historical war film despite its inaccuracies. An interesting presence is felt with the inclusion of Colonel William Tavington, a character that is also dubbed as “The Butcher.”
He is played by Jason Isaacs, who exudes chilling menace and showcases a capacity to draw pleasure in others’ suffering. He is seen killing an innocent child and gathering a bunch of people in a church and setting it on fire. His vicious acts definitely make him a true cinematic villain. Stream on AMC+.
The Patriot
- Release Date
- June 28, 2000
- Runtime
- 165 Minutes
1 Captain Vidal – Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
A dark fantasy war drama written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, Pan’s Labyrinth is set in the summer of 1944, five years after the Spanish Civil War. The protagonist is a ten-year-old Ofelia who moves with her pregnant mother to her new stepfather’s house. A stern military man, Captain Vidal is cruel to Ofelia from the very beginning, and in order to avoid him, she often escapes into an eerie fantasy world where she meets magical creatures that inform her that she’s a princess.
A Mascot of Inhumanity
The movie is a fantasy through and through, its elements ripe with but not limited to spellbinding fables and an extraordinary story. Ofelia, however, often becomes embroiled in the horrors of real-life conflicts because of Captain Vidal, played in a bone-chilling manner by Sergi López. Even though his task was to root out resistance, Vidal was known to deliver casual torture.
From killing his father to smashing an innocent man’s face with a bottle, there were several scenes that displayed the banality of his evil. In a way, Vidal was a reflection of what totalitarianism looks like. Rent on Apple TV.
