Smug Snake/Film: Difference between revisions

* Eve Harrington from ''[[All About Eve]]'' is a prime example of the Smug Snake. A [[Manipulative Bitch|master manipulator]] who fancies herself a [[Magnificent Bitch]], she [[Villainous Breakdown|crumbles]] when faced with a real [[Magnificent Bastard]] in the form of Addison DeWitt. "[[Badass Boast|Take a good look at me Eve, it's about time you did. I am Addison DeWitt and I am nobody's fool, least of all yours]]."

* The criminal Waingro in ''[[Heat]]'' displays a smug expression whenever committing an low act like killing a guard during a heist for staring at him and enjoying a pie afterwards, murdering a underage prostitute or betraying his former colleagues to a common enemy.

* The Chamberlain in ''[[The Dark Crystal]]'' infuriates his rivals with a simpering croon, like a mother trying to soothe a child. Though he's stripped of his rank and banished, his guile and persuasion are still impressive, and get downright creepy when he meets the Gelflings.

* ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean]]'' features Lord Cutler Beckett, a [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]] played deliberately and with slimy relish. Who'd have thought that a series whose villains thus far were [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot|cursed, immortal undead pirates]] would have a stereotypical [[Aristocrats Are Evil|evil English aristocrat]] as its [[Big Bad]]? He's so repulsive that he made many viewers ''[[Draco in Leather Pants|sympathise with Davy Jones]]'' when the latter was forced into [[The Dragon|servitude]]. Evidently the writers felt the same, as {{spoiler|Jones' death is an anticlimactic drop-off-the-deck while Beckett gets a huge, epic slow motion [[Strolling Through the Chaos|walk through his exploding ship]] complete with [[Ominous Latin Chanting]].}}

* Any of the villains who aren't Hans (and maybe Simon) from the ''[[Die Hard (Film)|Die Hard]]'' movies. But since [[The Villain Makes the Plot]], their presence doesn't deter from most fans' enjoyment of the films.

** The first ''Die Hard'' is actually a good case study in the difference between the Smug Snake and the [[Magnificent Bastard]]. [[Asshole Victim|Ellis]] is a Smug Snake, [[Big Bad|Hans Gruber]] is a [[Magnificent Bastard]].

* Colonel Sato from ''[[Ip Man]]'', who makes leering grins liberally, crosses the [[Moral Event Horizon]] not long after his first appearance, dishes out [[No Holds Barred Beatdown|No Holds Barred Beatdowns]] liberally and [[Stating the Simple Solution|keeps asking to (and getting denied from) just shoot our hero]]. His [[Karmic Death]] is much-welcomed.

* Although at first he appears to be on the hero's side, {{spoiler|the gameshow host}} in ''[[Slumdog Millionaire]]'' is as smug as can be, and seems absolutely insulted by Jamal's success throughout the movie.

{{quote| '''Chechen''': Who's stupid enough to steal from us?<br />

'''Maroni''': [[The Joker|Two-bit whackjob, wears a cheap purple suit and makeup.]] [[Tempting Fate|He's not the problem, he's a nobody.]] }}

* Colonel Zaysen from ''[[Rambo III]]''. The Agony Booth [http://www.agonybooth.com/agonizer/Rambo_III.aspx?Page=2 recap] gives an absolutely perfect distillation of this trope:

{{quote| Zaysen will not go down in history as one of cinema's greatest villains, sad to say. He has all the tools: A decent sneer, a nasty sadistic streak, and a taste for chess to give him a cultured [[James Bond (Film)|James Bond]] villain aura. But he never really becomes a character. Instead, the script has him simply go through the motions and expects that to be good enough.}}

* Grima Wormtongue as portrayed by Brad Dourif in ''[[The Lord of the Rings (Film)|The Lord of the Rings]]''. He's slimy to the core, talks to everyone with an annoying sneer in his voice, and didn't prepare even nearly large enough a guard to ward off a small band of heroes who happen to be good fighters, and apparently not remembering to tell his guards ''why'' they needed to take Gandalf's staff. (The book, in contrast, makes clear that the doorwarden doesn't trust Grima further than he could throw him -- he lets Gandalf get away with bringing his staff because he believes that Gandalf means well for the Rohirrim, but that Grima does not.)

* Gaff in [[Blade Runner]]. Everything he says is some kind of sarcastic remark, and it's clear that he knows much more about Deckard's situation than he's letting on. Unusual in that he's technically on the side of the 'good' guys, though in a film that deals mostly in [[Gray and Gray Morality]] it's often hard to tell.

* ''[[Star Wars]]''

** Jabba the Hutt in Episode VI: [[Return of the Jedi]]. Han offered money instead of his captivity and Jabba wouldn't listen; when Leia and Luke warned Jabba they could defeat him, Jabba and his minions didn't take them seriously at all. Even when being led to the Sarlacc Pit Luke said "this is your last chance; free us, or die." Jabba and his minions STILL didn't take them seriously. Jabba had so many warnings, and so many chances for alternatives, that for him to still keep ignoring them made his [[Karmic Death]] all the more satisfying. In his defense (and who ever thought they'd hear ''that'') he'd heard it ''all'' before. He'd had dozens, maybe hundreds of others in exactly the same place that the heroes were in, and clearly he had come off the better of it each time. In various EU works, he actually is more of a [[Magnificent Bastard]] than Smug Snake. But as far as the movies themselves go, no context is given for this dismissive approach. Also, "free us, or die" comes AFTER Luke manages to defeat the Rancor; this should give Jabba some indication that Luke could be a potential threat. Even if he was a [[Magnificent Bastard]] before this, that doesn't rule out the possibility that he has turned into a Smug Snake since. (Even Palpatine, who was clearly a [[Magnificent Bastard]] in the prequel trilogy, showed signs of turning into a Smug Snake in [[Return of the Jedi]].)

** [[A New Hope|Admiral Motti]]'s ''"this station is now the ultimate power in the universe"'' remark comes across as fairly arrogant in any context, {{spoiler|but especially in light of what happened near the end of the movie}}.

* Chad in ''[[In the Loop]]'' likes to think he's negotiating his way up the career ladder in the U.S State Department and effortlessly out-manoevreing those opposed to in. In reality, he a [[Professional Butt Kisser|toadying little worm]] who is completely ignored by Linton Barwick, who's ass he tries desperately to kiss (Linton doesn't even remember his name), and is regarded by everyone else as a slimy little creep.