Heroic Heroes

Submitted by Kimberly C on Sat, 06/04/2011 - 10:45am

superhero dogIn my last blog post, I wrote about the villains on the American Film Institute’s list of 100 Heroes & Villains. This week’s post focuses on the heroes. It is easy to imagine that all heroes in movies fly around in capes and tights, saving the world with superpowers and fancy equipment, but that isn’t always the case. Often, the hero is a regular person working against extraordinary odds to stand up for what they believe is right. Most heroes aren't perfect, but it is their flaws that make them interesting.

Do you agree with the 50 heroes AFI picked, or was your favorite left out?

Kimberly’s Movie Hero Picks from the AFI Heroes & Villains List:

To Kill a MockingbirdDr. NoCasablancaHigh NoonSchindler's ListLassie Come HomeBoys Town

Flickr CC: Linus Superhero Photo by: ittybittiesforyou

Comments

Submitted by Mer L. on Wed, 06/08/2011 - 4:33pm.

I can't believe the AFI

I can't believe the AFI didn't include John McClane from the Die Hard movies!  He's been called the "quintessential American hero" (and one of my personal favorites).  Curious that Hans Gruber (#46) is included on the villians list, but good ol' John doesn't make the hero side.

"You think your pains and heartbreaks are unprecendented in the history of the world, but then you read." - James Baldwin

Submitted by Kimberly C on Sat, 07/09/2011 - 11:35am.

I pulled up the nominees (all

I pulled up the nominees (all 400 of them!) the AFI members voted on and found John McClane listed there. I do wonder why he didn't make it into the top 50 heroes. Frankly, I have a number of issues with the heroes portion of this list. There are too many real people and not enough interesting characters.

Thanks for reading and commenting!