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'The Talented Mr. Ripley' (1999) -

Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) takes over Dickie Greenleaf's (Jude Law) life after killing him. Indeed, a very talented psychopath.

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'Fight Club' (1999) -

The Narrator, played by Edward Norton, kills off his alter ego Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) in the end, meaning that he killed the "bad guy." Except he's the bad guy. Bravo, David Fincher, bravo!

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'Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith' (2005) -

All of those rooting for the Force couldn't believe it when Anakin Skywalker succumbed to the dark side. That is, except for those who already knew he would become Darth Vader.

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'The Omen' (1976) -

This horror classic scores another win for Satan and evil. Guess that's what you get for adopting the Antichrist himself.

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'The Usual Suspects' (1995) -

The bad guy is Turkish criminal Keyser Söze, right? Wrong. It's actually Roger "Verbal" Kint (Kevin Spacey), but we don't find that out until the end of the movie. Verbal Kint manages to trick everyone, audience included.

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'Basic Instinct' (1992) -

Sharon Stone plays femme fatale author Catherine Tramell, who gets away with murder. In the end, Detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas) doesn't quite succeed in his investigation.

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'Life Is Beautiful' (1997) -

Guido Orefice (Roberto Benignia) is a Jewish bookshop owner in Italy who is sent to a concentration camp with his son and wife. He uses his imagination and humor to make the whole experience more pleasant for his son, but Guido is eventually killed by Nazis in the end.

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'Chinatown' (1974) -

Roman Polanski's famous neo-noir film has the villain Noah Cross (John Huston) winning. Private investigator Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) fails to protect Mrs. Mulwray (Faye Dunaway), who dies in the end.

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'Seven' (1995) -

Kevin Spacey plays serial killer John Doe. He ends up dying in the end, but not until after he committed another one of his "deadly sins."  Detective David Mills (Brad Pitt) shoots Doe in the head, who becomes the final victim of the sin "wrath." Messed up, right?

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'Gone Girl' (2014) -

This David Fincher movie has Amy (Rosamund Pike) going missing (she staged her death as part of a revenge plot) and her husband, Nick (Ben Affleck), looking for her and nearly ending up in prison accused of murdering her. Amy literally gets away with murder, gets a baby, and her husband in the end. That's a win in our book.

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'Valkyrie' (2008) -

Tom Cruise plays Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg in this movie about the attempted assassination of Adolf Hitler. Yes, Hitler did survive in the end (of this particular incident).

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'No Country for Old Men' (2007) -

This Coen brothers' movie shows us that sometimes people do bad things and get away with it. Psychopath killer Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) is a great example.

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'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' (1975) -

Randall McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) pleads insanity to avoid doing hard time in prison and is placed in a mental institution that is ruled by the tyrannical Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher). McMurphy, who tries to rebel, eventually dies, and Nurse Ratched continues to rule the institution with an iron fist.

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'Memento' (2000) -

Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) suffers memory loss every few minutes, and uses tattoos and polaroid pictures to keep track of events. He's quite relatable, until the end, when we find out that he's indeed a murderer who has been able to erase any traces of guilt.

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'Rosemary's Baby' (1968) -

Another movie where evil wins. But we guess that's what happens when you give birth to Satan's child!

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'Ex Machina' (2014) -

AI Ava (Alicia Vikander) ends up killing her owner, trapping computer programmer Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) in her place, and escaping.

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'Saw' (2004) -

Villain Jigsaw triumphs against Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes), who basically loses his mind.

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'The Dark Knight' (2008) -

Christopher Nolan's 'The Dark Knight' has the late Heath Ledger playing the iconic Joker. While one can argue he doesn't win, Joker did manage to prove that anyone can become a monster just like him, even Batman.

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'Fallen' (1998) -

Denzel Washington never disappoints when he plays cops, and this is certainly the case for playing Detective John Hobbes. Though this time, he doesn't win—the bad guy does. But this is not your average bad guy—it's a demon!

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'The Cabin in the Woods' (2011) -

A group of friends must die, otherwise humankind will be doomed. It begs the question: does anyone actually win in this movie? Well, maybe we can say that the bad guys lose to other bad guys, and evil prevails.

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'X-Men: First Class' (2011) -

In this movie, we see the rise of Marvel villain Magneto, aka Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender).

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'Alien: Covenant' (2017) -

Android David (Michael Fassbender) is actually the xenomorph's creator, and ultimately the villain. He manages to escape the planet where he was stranded, meaning more evil aliens will terrorize the universe in the future.

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'The Neon Demon' (2016)x -

This movie follows Jesse (Elle Fanning), an aspiring model who moves to Los Angeles. While the ending is more graphic, one can metaphorically say that she was "consumed" by the industry.

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'Inside Man' (2006) -

Another movie where a cop played by Denzel Washington falls victim to the antagonist. Clive Owen plays Dalton Russell, a criminal who manages to rob a bank and escape justice.

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'The Wicker Man' (1973) -

Sergeant Neil Howie (Edward Woodward) had the best intentions during his investigations, but ends up being burned alive as part of a pagan sacrifice.

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'The Crucible' (1996) -

This movie is set in 17th-century Salem in Massachusetts, inspired by the infamous witch trials that took place in the town. After failing to confess to the practice of witchcraft, John Proctor (Daniel Day-Lewis) and other characters are killed.

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'Arlington Road' (1999) -

Unlikely terrorist neighbors? Check. The protagonist being dragged into their plot to blow up an FBI building? Check. The terrorist neighbors getting away with it? Check!

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'1984' (1984) -

The movie, based on George Orwell's classic novel, has the "system" winning against humankind.

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'Watchmen' (2009) -

Villain Ozymandias (Matthew Goode) ends up carrying out his plot of mass destruction and getting away with it.

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'Unbreakable' (2000) -

Samuel L. Jackson plays Mr. Glass, the villain opposed by hero David Dunn (Bruce Willis). The whole narrative plays around the hero versus villain dynamic. In this case, the villain wins.

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'Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back' (1980) -

Is it safe to say that Darth Vader takes this one? What do you think?

Sources: (Looper) (Vulture)

See also: Musicians who played villains in movies

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