Some criminals are born criminals, while others are led to the gangster lifestyles. Through the years, one of the most entertaining character arcs to watch on film is when a good guy goes bad. Not just bad, but bada**! They're pushed to such extremes that they can't help but do bad, from stealing loads of money to murdering other people for it. Some such flicks even starred the best actors of them all. Here are a few of them.Â
Scarface
Granted Tony Montana already seemed sketchy in the first scene alone, he was relatively clean when the movie began. He worked an honest job and actually dreamed of living it big one day. Little did he know, however, that achieving such a lifestyle entailed using machine guns to murder people and snorting mountains of cocaine. From that confident immigrant to that smug and crazy gangster we all know and love, Tony Montana is a classic case of when people go extreme for what they want. And the pièce de résistance? His "little friend!" Al Pacino's 'Tony Montana' is an icon of 'good boy gone bad.'
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Taxi Driver
"You talkin' to me? Are you talkin' to me!?" No other line has ever inspired such fright in the streets of New York City quite like that one. And it's not just how Robert De Niro masterfully uttered them in "Taxi Driver" too, it's the psychological transformation his character goes through during this sequence. From a quiet and depressed taxi driver to violent antihero, his was one of the most complexes yet rich character arcs in movie history. He became so bad, he was good, no matter what you think of the guy. And while he redeemed himself in the end, there's still that tinge of sinister in him.Â
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The Usual Suspects
If you're suspected of being a criminal all the time, why not just become one? This was the logic of five extraordinary characters of the 1995 hit film. "The Usual Suspects". This neo-noir thriller expertly showed how unfair police treatment can actually do more harm than good. Also, it portrayed how even some of the normal people in society are capable of pulling off unbelievable crimes. Out of all the films on this list, this is perhaps the most quintessential of the topic at hand. They may not be part of the mob, but you wouldn't want this gang coming after you!Â
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True Romance
Now here's something unique: a mob-related film that's also a love story. But what's even more unique? Elvis Presley himself pushes you to do the crime. Such is the twisted and f**ked up premise of "True Romance". Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette star as a runaway couple being chased by the mob, holding with them a bag full of cocaine and raging hormones. It's a classic caper that almost never ends, with every twist and turns possible happening all at once. And so what does Slater's 'Clarence' do at the end, he names their son Elvis. Yep, it's truly f**cked up!Â
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Don’t be a wise guy, be a nice guy and watch these movies to understand why staying good is probably a good idea. Still, good guys going bad makes for a great movie!Â
