Every woman claims to want a gentle, sensitive Prince Charming to open doors, buy her flowers and whisper sweet nothings. Yet, so many women continually fall for careless, misbehaving bad boys.
This conceived flaw in attraction has been a consistent storyline throughout the history of Hollywood and modern cinema.
And over the years we have seen some of cinema's most famous faces play the biggest movie bad boys... we take a look at some of the best.
1. Grease (1978) - Danny and Sandy
The ‘good’ bad boy...
One of the earliest and most notorious examples of bad-boy seduction evolved from this innocent teen movie musical that has managed to transcend time and remain a favorite amongst most film audiences.
The film is a classic tale of the good, smart and well behaved 'Sandy' falling for the bad boy under-achiever 'Danny'.
They share a whirl-wind summer romance that changes when
they end up attending the same high school and their reputations are put on the line.
Sandy and Danny have to struggle to overcome the obstacles and accept each others differences, to ultimately be together.
2. Desperate Hours (1990) - Michael and Nancy
The psychotic bad boy...
Mickey Rouke plays the sociopath criminal 'Michael Boswoth' in Michael Cimino’s Desperate
Hours. He seduces his naïve lawyer 'Nancy' played by Kelly Lynch, into aiding his escape from court.
'Nancy' falls completely in love with Rouke’s character despite knowing his criminal history and his manic tendencies. Their fatal attraction is put to the test, when 'Nancy' is suspected by the FBI of helping Michael escape and is asked to aid their search to preserve her innocence.
3. Robin Hood: Prince of Theives (1991) - Robin and Marian
The bad boy with good intentions...
This classic tale of Robin Hood - the man whose steals from the rich to give to the poor - like most bad boy men in films, manages to capture the heart of the innocent 'Lady Marian'.
The childhood friends at first do not see how their romance could work, with 'Robin' being a wanted man, and 'Marian' a respected lady of the English Court. Their fatal attraction puts both characters’ safety in jeopardy, yet they find a way to be together.
4. Heat (1995) - Neil and Eady
The reformed bad boy...
Al Pacino and Robert De Niro are known for their bad boy characters, and Heat shows both
actors off to their best in a classic- cops and robbers scenario.
De Niro and his gang of heist men love the thrill of big scale robberies, but as a result are being chased closely behind by the police led by Pacino. Despite all the mania surrounding their criminal lives, De Niro’s character 'Neil' falls totally in love with 'Eady.'
The two become smitten with one another, but life as a criminal makes relationships difficult, and so the fatal attraction begins to play out.
5. The Devil’s Own (1997) - Frankie and Megan
The deceiving bad boy...
Undercover IRA member 'Frankie' (Brad Pitt) goes on a mission to America to ship missiles back to Northern Ireland. Whilst in America an IRA sympathiser finds him a place to stay- with a retired NYPD cop (Harrison Ford).
The film watches 'Frankie' struggle with the reality of the mission he embarked on, which gets all the more complicated when he falls in love with 'Megan' (Natascha McElhone).
As the two are friends from back in Northern Ireland, 'Megan' knows exactly who 'Frankie' is despite his false identity. She decides to help and watch out for him, which puts her safety and their romance in the firing line
6. Out of Sight (1997) - Jack and Karen
The charming bad boy...
A professional bank robber breaks out of jail (George Clooney) with the help of his buddy (Ving Rhames). In the process of his escape he kidnaps a US Marshal (Jennifer Lopez).
When the two cons head for Detroit to pull off their final big scam, the Marshal is put on their case but when she finds she is attracted to 'Jack' - played by Clooney, their fatal attraction gives her second thoughts about bringing them in.
7. Mask of Zorro (1998) - Zorro and Elena
The heroic bad boy...
Outlaw 'Zorro' played by Antonio Banderas becomes the talk of Spanish controlled California, when he takes over from the old Zorro, and tries to over throw the landowner.
'Zorro' continually causes chaos across the state to try and rally up support for his cause and even wins the heart of the land owners’ daughter 'Elena' - Catherine Zeta Jones.
Their romance is forbidden by her father, which only makes their feelings more intense. The betrayal, fear and crime associated with their affair makes their relationship one of extreme passion and danger.
8. Oceans Eleven (2001) - Danny and Tess
The slick bad boy...
Danny Ocean (George Clooney) puts together a group of eleven specialised criminals, in the
attempt to rob one of the biggest Las Vegas casinos.
He has just been released from prison for robbery, which broke the heart of his girlfriend 'Tess' played by Julia Roberts.
Despite his imprisonment, 'Tess' loves Danny and for better or worse she decides to stay with him. Yet the idea for him to rob another casino might just be too much for their relationship to stand.
9. Public Enemies (2009) - John and Billie
The die hard bad boy...
This film follows the final years of bank robber 'John Dillinger' (Johnny Depp) who lived to rob banks. In 1930s Chicago, he was living the mobster dream of doing what he wanted without fear of the law.
His outrageous gangster lifestyle introduced him to 'Billie' and they fall fatally in love. The very early stages of the FBI begin a crusade to capture 'John' testing 'Billie’s' love and commitment to him.
She knows his background, but remains loyal to him even at the cost of being savagely beaten by an interrogator as to her partner’s whereabouts, putting her in jail for his crimes.
10. Skyfall (2012) - James and Eve
The ultimate bad boy...
Bond is the ultimate bad boy that all women fantasise about being with. He is essentially good, but his ruthless, cut throat missions make him seem devilish and dangerous.
Throughout the 50 years of Bond movies, audiences have watched this serial bad boy win over the hearts of multiple attractive ladies.
Skyfall is no different. Naomie Harris plays the Bond Girl 'Eve,' who as much as she tries not to, fatally falls in love with Mr Bond.
You can catch The Devil’s Own on Saturday 24th November at 22:00, Dead Man Walking on Saturday 1st December at 9pm and Mindhunters on Saturday 8th December at 9pm on Sony Movie Channel (Sky Channel 323/ +1 324).
Tagged in James Bond Grease