#308. One-eyed Villains

What is it about one-eyed villains that make them so intimidating? Maybe it has to do with their connection to the brutal and merciless pirates who often wore eyepatches (although not necessarily because their eye was damaged). While there have been many protagonists who have also sported the one-eye motif, it merely enforces the fierce and unstoppable stereotype. Even if most of these characters wear eye patches to cover their damaged eye, the antagonists who go without them end up being that much more intimidating. It’s almost like they wear their defective vision as a badge of honor, showing that it will take much more than a simple flesh wound to stop them from whatever they put their mind to. Perhaps these villains are a metaphor for the singular vision they hold, staying focused on one thing and one thing only. This week’s two films feature one-eyed villains.

Casino Royale
Year: 2006
Rating: PG-13
Length: 144 minutes / 2.4 hours

I would be amiss if I did not mention one of the most iconic one-eyed villains ever: Ernst Stavro Blofeld. This villain was not only a key antagonist of the James Bond series, but he has created several tropes as well, the most notable parody of him being Dr. Evil (Michael Myers) from the Austin Powers series. Despite his damaged eye only appearing in a few films, Blofeld as a villain appeared in From Russia with Love (1963), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), For Your Eyes Only (1981), and Spectre (2015). The latter of these films actually shows the incident where he loses his eye, mainly because Daniel Craig James Bond films are seen as a prequel series. Of course, before they got to Blofeld, there was Le Chiffre in Casino Royale (2006).

Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) earned his considerable wealth through several underhanded dealings in the underworld. From funding terrorism to insider trading, eventually, the leadership of MI6 takes notice. After unknowingly foiling a short-sell strategy Le Chiffre was using to fund a Ugandan warlord, James Bond (Daniel Craig) is sent to Montenegro to participate in a high-stakes Texas hold ‘em tournament that Le Chiffre decided to put on to recoup his losses. In terms of poker faces, Le Chiffre has one of the better ones, even despite having haemolacria in his left eye, which causes him to cry blood. After losing a significant amount of money to Bond, Le Chiffre eventually captures the British secret agent and tries to torture the bank account numbers out of him, but to no avail. When the rescue party comes to get Bond, Le Chiffre is killed in the process. However, his influences within MI6 start to show well after his death.

Gangs of New York
Year: 2002
Rating: R
Length: 167 minutes / 2.78 hours

While wearing an eyepatch can give an intimidation factor to a character, I’ve found the most interesting characters are the ones who are hiding something underneath that small piece of fabric. From the protagonist of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to the antagonist of King Bradley from Fullmetal Alchemist, their patches covered up the secrets emblazoned on their eyes. I almost wish there were more characters like this. When it comes to replacing a damaged eye, filling it with a symbol creates a character with a lot more depth than just someone who happens to be wearing an eyepatch. In fact, the best example of a character like this is none other than “Bill the Butcher” from Gangs of New York (2002). He has nothing to hide except his almost insane devotion to his country, and he wears it with pride on his left eye.

William “Bill the Butcher” Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis) leads a group of Americans who call themselves “The Natives” in a gang war against a recent influx of Irish immigrants in the area of Lower Manhattan known as “Five Points.” He is fiercely nationalistic, even to the point of having a glass eye emblazoned with an American eagle set in his left eye socket. Despite having killed Priest Vallon (Liam Neeson), the leader of the “Dead Rabbits,” 16 years ago, Bill finds that some of the Irish immigrants start to get out of line again when a man merely known as Amsterdam (Leonardo DiCaprio) arrives in New York. Eventually, Bill learns Amsterdam is the son of Priest Vallon, and the cycle of gang wars reaches its climax once again, but this time with a much different outcome for Bill than the one that happened years ago.

2 sum it up: 2 films, 2 vision-impaired villains

#196. Pirates!

It has been said time heals all wounds. Perhaps the best example of this idiom would be that of pirates. Unfortunately, pirates (like the ones in Captain Phillips (2013)) still exist today, but the swashbuckling sailors of yesteryear have become romanticized over time. There’s no mention of the nasty diseases and nastier morals that plagued the seas in the “golden era” of piracy. Instead, we have a cleaned-up version that idealizes swordfights, maritime battles, and the freedom to do whatever you wanted. Perhaps this nostalgia around pirates is partly due to these vagabonds ultimately being pitted against the British empire, which was a similar struggle Americans could relate to in the early years of the original colonies. Needless to say, this week’s two films highlight the idealized pirates we see today.

                                                    The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Year: 2012
Rating: PG
Length: 88 minutes / 1.46 hours

The interesting thing about pirates is that they have essentially “switched sides” and have now become the protagonists of many forms of media. From the anime, One Piece to LEGO sets; pirates have been cleaned up and marketed toward children, especially young boys. Instead of focusing on the themes of theft (which is what piracy is inherently all about), these childish pirates are mostly concerned with the freedom to do whatever they want. That being said, nobody really likes thinking about scurvy, gangrene, and the other gruesome deaths most pirates (and other sailors) suffered while on the high seas. If we want entertaining pirates, they need to be cleaned up. Some of the most entertaining pirates have been animated. From the aforementioned One Piece to the “Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything” from VeggieTales, these pirates are actually quite humorous.

We all want to be the best at what we do, and Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) is no different. To prove his skill, of which he has none, Pirate Captain enters the “Pirate of the Year” competition with his crew. After a series of failures, they finally manage to capture Charles Darwin (David Tennant), who himself is trying to prove his skill by entering the “Scientist of the Year” competition. Darwin feels he can win if he uses Pirate Captain’s pet bird, Polly, the last dodo in existence. Unfortunately, the crew’s involvement with Darwin brings them smack-dab in the middle of the court of Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton). However, Pirate Captain is offered a pardon and a large amount of plunder if he lets the Queen have Polly. This trade will inevitably end with Polly’s death, as Victoria’s hobby is eating rare and exotic animals. Will Pirate Captain do anything to be the “Pirate of the Year”?

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Year: 2011
Rating: PG-13
Length: 136 minutes / 2.26 hours

What’s nice about creating stories around pirates, is that there is a rich and detailed history from which to draw inspiration. In addition to the lore associated with the sea, a lot of creative connections can be made to craft a plot around pirates. With all the tropes of peg legs, parrots, and eye patches, a pirate movie can easily be made to include any number of new ideas, as long as it has the trappings of a swashbuckling adventure. As such, a lot of supernatural material has been covered in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, which was based on the amusement park ride of the same name at Disneyland (thus linking to the “child-friendly” pirates again). The first three films in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise focused mostly on mutiny and the legend of Davy Jones, while the fourth film in the series tackled such topics as the Fountain of Youth, mermaids, and Blackbeard himself.

Much like Pirate Captain in The Pirates! (2012), Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is offered a job by King George II (Richard Griffiths) to find the “Fountain of Youth” before the Spanish do. He refuses and escapes, only to find that someone is impersonating him. This imposter is none other than Angelica (Penélope Cruz), the daughter of Blackbeard (Ian McShane). On board the Queen Anne’s Revenge, Jack leads Blackbeard to the Fountain and the two silver cups needed to extract the Fountain’s power. The other piece to the Fountain’s puzzle is the tears of a mermaid, one of which is captured by Blackbeard and falls in love with another captive: missionary Philip Swift (Sam Claflin). With all the pieces in place, the ritual can begin. Unfortunately, the ritual requires one person’s life to be drained in order to provide the other with eternal youth. Who will sacrifice their life for Blackbeard’s immortality?

2 sum it up: 2 films, 2 perfunctory pirates