Jul 14, 20202 min read

Bad-Boy Movie Heroes

Updated: Jul 17, 2020

Courtesy of Alison D. Gilbert

Alison D. Gilbert is a native New Yorker writing about a variety of non-fiction topics. Many of them have required in-depth research and primary source interviews.

INTRODUCTION

Bad-boy movie heroes have been a major attraction for celluloid audiences in the US and abroad for about 100 years. In fact, I was reminded of some of my historical favorites by my latest, Turkish actor Engin Akyurek. I have chosen four other bad-boys for this writing. In addition to my total list of these five are the reasons I have given them the name, bad-boy movie heroes. As a matter of fact, I suspect that this may be the ‘Hollywood’ formula that works as well today in 2020, as it did when it was invented. The bad-boys included here range from films made in 1944 to 2015.

THE BAD-BOY PERSONALITY FORMULA

A. They don’t follow the rules.

B. They are handsome, sexy, and magnetic.

C. Their behavior tends to range from rage to romance.

D. For the most part, the women they attract are ‘nice-girls’

E. These bad-boy movie heroes almost always get the ‘nice-girl’

F. In spite of their unorthodox procedures, they often become heroes.

THE BAD-BOYS

Bad-boy movie heroes, images from Google. Left to right, Dana Andrews, William Holden, Paul Newman, Bradley Cooper, Engin Akyurek

Fashions may have changed. Hairstyles may have altered as well. But one thing remains the same. That is the bad-boy movie heroes formula. Each of the following trailers illustrates the constants that make each bad-boy a movie hero.