All things considered, . More specifically, these ten years were filled with terrific actors delivering equally terrific performances as villains. These villains aren't always the antagonists of the stories they're featured in, but what they always are is infinitely compelling.

From career-defining performances like 's as the horrifying Anton Chigurh in , to against-type masterworks of acting like 's portrayal of the protagonist's mother in , the 2000s' best villain performances add strength to the argument that a twistedly evil character is the kind of role that great actors often find most delectable.

The idea of making a biopic centered on , the personification of how evil human beings can become, sounds like a recipe for disaster. That just makes it all the more commendable that director was able to make a film as masterful as , which examines the Nazi dictator's final days in his Berlin bunker at the end of World War II.

The way the film humanizes Hitler doesn't feel disasteful in the slightest. On the contrary: It's a pressing reminder that these are the extents that hatred and evil are able to get to — and, indeed, have gone to. This humanization, however, wouldn't have worked even half as well as it does without the magnificent performance of German legend . His performance is as towering as it is vulnerable, as terrifying as it is intentionally pathetic. This is one of the best war movies ever made, and that label is largely owed to Ganz.

Many people miss its point completely, but is . It's the twisted tale of a wealthy NYC investment banking executive, Patrick Bateman, who tries to hide his alternate murderous ego from his peers as he dives deeper into his hedonistic fantasies.

All of the film's main messages and themes are embodied in the mythical figure of Patrick Bateman, who simultaneously functions as a slasher villain and as the film's protagonist. delivers one of the best and most challenging performances of his career as the character, full of little physical nuances that are hard to catch on a first watch and a uniquely idiosyncratic line delivery that really sells the film's satirical tone. It's the kind of performance that defined the 2000s.

is about a smart but sensible young graduate named Andy. She starts working as an assistant to the cynical Miranda Priestly, one of the city's biggest fashion magazine editors, played impeccably by . Quiet, yet strident; dominant, yet surprisingly human. She's by far one of the 2000s' most interesting villains.

Streep is a tour de force in this. Miranda is a unique kind of villain with relatable motivations and a tremendous amount of charm, . Her potent presence transcends the screen during every second that she's in it, and she plays no small part in the fact that Devil Wears Prada is one of the movies that defined the decade.

has spent his whole career proving that he's one of the most talented performers that have ever stepped foot in Hollywood, and . The film is a drama about a rookie cop spending his first day as a Los Angeles narcotics officer with Harris, a rogue detective who isn't what he seems to be.

One of Denzel's most flawless performances, his portrayal of Alonzo has often been said to be the role that it feels like he was born to play. The actor doesn't just command the screen: He hijacks it and keeps it all for himself, delivering a truly chilling piece of acting that's bound to go down in history as not just one of the best of the 2000s, but of the entire 21st century.

closed off his overall-exceptional 20th century work with , a historical epic like no other the 2000s ever saw. It's about Maximus Decimus Meridius, a former Roman General who sets out to exact vengeance against Commodus, the corrupt emperor who murdered his family and sent him into slavery. is the one who plays Commodus, and the star has never been better.

Gladiator almost starts feeling like a horror movie every time Commodus shows up in a scene. He's a magnificently written antagonist, but . With Gladiator turning 25 this year, it's as good a time as any to remember that Joaquin Phoenix delivers one of the most vibrant performances of the 21st century in it.

They have recently started working apart, but the will forever be remembered as the greatest directorial duo in Hollywood history. One of the best movies they've ever made is No Country for Old Men, a hybrid between a neo-Western and a neo-noir about a hunter who stumbles upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong. He takes two million dollars in cash and begins to be chased by Anton Chigurh, an assassin determined to complete his job: get the money back, no matter the cost.

Don't let the funny hairdo fool you: In No Country, Bardem gives one of the best performances of any thriller film in history. Chigurh is a force of nature, almost a personification of the Grim Reaper. He stops at nothing and doesn't seem to follow the rules that regular, mortal humans do. as the villain. Mystifying, terrifying, and every other kind of "-fying" that describes a performance guaranteed to give viewers nightmares, Bardem is unforgettable as the scariest movie villain that has ever sported a bowl cut.

has admitted that, if he hadn't found , would have probably never been made. , the main antagonist of Tarantino's WWII dramedy. Set in Nazi-occupied France at the height of the conflict, it sees a group of Jewish American soldiers' plan to assassinate Nazi leaders coincide with a theater owner's vengeful plans to do the same.

Waltz's pitch-perfect portrayal of Landa may just be the greatest villain performance of any war film, ever. The performance doesn't just generate fear in the characters: It generates true dread in everyone involved, especially the audience. Waltz is in flawless control of his mannerisms, his expressions, his tone of voice, and his line delivery, playing this traumatizing villain in a way that's impossible to look away from and yet awfully hard to watch.

Based on the novel by , Preciousis one of the most gut-wrenching dramas of the 2000s. It's a coming-of-age about an abused, illiterate teen living in Harlem in the late '80s. Pregnant with her second child, she's invited to enroll in an alternative school in the hopes that she can take her life in a better direction. She encounters many an obstacle along the way, though — the main one, sadly, being her abusive mother, Mary.

Precious has glimpses of hope that make it a must-see, but it's also one of the most depressing films of modern times. is out of this world in the titular role in a performance that should have gotten her an Oscar (controversially won it for instead), but it's comedian (who did win an Oscar), very much playing against type, that really steals the film. It's an absolutely devastating performance full of loud pain yet many subtle layers. Several of the best-acted scenes of the late 2000s come from Mo'Nique in Precious.

Hailed by many as one of the greatest American films of the 21st century — and, by some, even the greatest —, 's is one of the acclaimed filmmaker's best. It's a psychological drama about family, religion, hatred, oil, and madness, focusing on a turn-of-the-19th-century prospector in the early days of the oil-drilling industry.

, but it's harder to look at his actions and the way he treated his son and not think of him as villainous. But if the argument can be had in the first place, it's because of how delightfully labyrinthine, psychologically complex, and richly lived-in 's Oscar-winning performance as the character is. Without his powerhouse performance, it's possible that There Will Be Blood wouldn't be quite as praised.

21st century performances come and go, but to this day, 's The Dark Knight. Perhaps the most highly-regarded superhero film of all time, it's an action epic about the Clown Prince of Crime wreaking havoc on the people of Gotham. Batman, James Gordon, and Harvey Dent must then work together to put an end to the madness.

The Dark Knight is one of the highest-rated movies on IMDb for dozens upon dozens of reasons, but many would agree that it's pretty fair to say that Ledger's performance as the beloved villain is the main reason. Rarely in the history of modern cinema have there been villainous performances as transcendental as Ledger's Joker. The actor passed away shortly before the film's release, but his legacy will forever live on thanks to him having delivered the defining performance of the 2000s. Unpredictable, campy, and absolutely terrifying, his Joker is the definitive portrayal of the character, and will perhaps remain as such forever.

KEEP READING:The Most Important Movies of the 2000s, Ranked