Film characters (part 4)

The Anti-hero:

The Anti hero is a less common character type that fulfils the same role as the hero, but will also exhibit some traits of the villain. While this character may defeat the villain and save the day, this by no means that they are a ‘good guy’. To some extent films that star anti-heroes as the leading role tend to have a story that depicts a lesser evil pitted against a greater evil. Looking at the French thriller film Mesrine the main character (Mesrine) was the flamboyant anti hero, a rebel with charisma, intelligence, humour and a broad streak of sadism. As a character he broke into banks, out of prisons, killed in cold blood. Furthermore he seduced numerous women and abused them if they asked too many questions. Not the actions of your average ‘knight in shining armour’ parental guidance hero. No. Mesrine was a dark and vicious character that certainly belonged in the darker side of the moral alignment chart, and yet in his story he was the hero. Mesrine is a perfect example of the Anti-hero, a corrupted person with a moral compass who is pressed into fighting the ‘bad guys’ due to unforeseen circumstances. He would have no problem walking away if he was allowed.

The recent film Deadpool also stars an Anti-hero (Deadpool) who is a hired mercenary – or merc – who follows his own path hiring himself out to do jobs for money. A path of violence and collateral damage follows our ‘hero’ as he pursues his own vendetta hunting down the man that wronged him. Deadpool displays the common traits of the Anti-hero role; a morally grey character, uncaring about other lives he takes or the collateral damage he leaves in his wake. Deadpool also displays the destructive and careless attitude of the Anti-hero, however unlike Mesrine, Deadpool has a stronger moral compass. While he refuses the mantle of a hero, we still see him look out for normal civilians at the start of the film. This tells us that while Deadpool is violent, destructive and fairly damaged as a character; he is not a cruel villainous person.

Therefore the Anti-hero character subtype can be defined as a character who will fight the villains, however they show little to no care for the extra damage they inflict upon other people or objects while completing their quest. Moreover they may also be cruel or violent in their own time to innocent people around them. They do not fit the stereotype of angelic hero who loves and cherishes the normal people while protecting them from the evils of the world. Instead they tend to exhibit a darker sadistic side of human nature that revels in the fight. The Anti hero is a darker reflection of the typical hero type character. A flawed person, with issues, intelligence and great skill (like the villain) but is either fighting the villain because they were pulled into the fight, or because (like Deadpool) they were personally wronged, and defeating the villain happens to cast them onto the side of good for the time being.