Without a great villain, most noir stories would be boring. It's that simple. Here are a few of my favorite villains from classic noir film.

Sydney Greenstreet's portrayal of Kaspar Gutman, the wealthy villain obsessed with obtaining the famous Maltese Falcon, was as memorable a performance as the one delivered by Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade. Gutman's obsession with the famed jeweled bird drives him to abandon his trusted henchman Wilmer, murder numerous people who were also in pursuit of the Falcon, all while threatening murder and torture to obtain what he wants. In spite of his evil ways, Gutman's eerie laugh, polite manners, and curious manner of speech, all make for a charming and interesting character. Gutman is my favorite noir villain and with little wonder, he's a central character in my favorite noir film, The Maltese Falcon.

Richard Widmark’s portrayal murderous psycho-for-hire, Tommy Udo in Kiss of Death, is one of the most disturbing performances in the genre. Widmark's Udo sets the standard for all future murderous villains with a psychopathic bent.

Raymond Chandler's hard boiled detective, Phillip Marlowe, described Eddie Mars as follows, “You think he’s just a gambler. I think he’s a pornographer, a blackmailer, a hot car broker…He’s whatever looks good to him…he never killed anybody, he just hires it done.”

In a story line that at best can be confusing, the one character, Mars played by John Ridgely, always knew what was happening as the crimes and twists of Chandler's The Big Sleep played out on screen.

It took me a long time to warm up to Alonzo Harris as played by Denzel Washington in Training Day.  Not because Harris isn't a great villain, he is a despicable, corrupt cop of the first order. No, my dislike of the character I came to realize is I have a hard time with Denzel Washington portraying such a character. That Washington pulls it off so convincingly makes it even harder to swallow. Let's face it, Denzel plays good guys, or at least an anti-hero who delivers justice, not a corrupt piece of scum and that is what makes this role so hard to take. Still, being Denzel, he delivered the goods, creating one of the best corrupt noir cops to make it to the screen.

Judith Anderson's portrayal of the obsessed psychopath Mrs. Danvers is chilling. Her need to control, intimidate, and mentally destroy Joan Fontaine's character the second Mrs. de Winter in Hitchcock's adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca. The cruel, disdainful way in which Mrs. Danvers first undermined, then belittled, and finally attempted to destroy her master's new bride is chilling. The obsession Danvers displays regarding the first wife, Rebecca, is wonderfully twisted, implying all sorts of psychological issues and evil.