There have been countless depictions of sociopaths and other predatory personalities in film. Most are pretty bad, incomplete and/or inaccurate. But some have been dead-on.
And so I’ve canvassed my memory for what I regard as several notably excellent portraits of sociopaths in film. I’d be curious what you think of these performances (if you’ve seen them), and eager to discover, through you, new film/television portraits of sociopaths that ring disturbingly true.
In no special order, I’ll start with the original foreign film, The Vanishing, 1986 (not the subsequent and lame Hollywood remake). The Vanishing delivers-up one of the most sinister depictions of a sociopath I’ve ever seen. The fright derives less from graphic violence (there is none) than from the movie’s success at immersing you into the compartmentalized world of its principal character, who is seamlessly managing the presentation of a normal, well-adjusted family man, as he simultaneously and covertly pursues his secret life and morbid agenda.
Next is Unlawful Entry, 1992, a movie starring Ray Liotta as a local cop who smoothly enters the life of a young neighborhood couple (actors Kurt Russell and Anne Archer). Although somewhat formulaic plot-wise, the movie’s performances are impressive. Liotta’s sociopath—glib, charming and seductive—will make the hair on your skin rise. And both Archer and Russell vividly express the tension and alarm arising from their slow awareness that Liotta isn’t who he appeared so convincingly to be.
Richard Gere, in a somewhat unheralded role, nails-down a sociopathic cop in Internal Affairs, 1990. Gere gives a riveting presentation of the sociopathic mentality. Andy Garcia (actor), an Internal Affairs cop in Gere’s department, finds himself in the unenviable position of having to confront the slowly unfolding breadth (and horror) of Gere’s sociopathy. Garcia is also incredible. As in Unlawful Entry, the movie accurately shows how sociopaths can invade, lodge themselves in, and violate innocent, dignified lives.
One of the greatest performances of a sociopath I’ve ever seen can be found in Episode#44 of the former HBO series Six Feet Under. The episode is called, “That’s My Dog.” In it, David (actor Michael C. Hall) extends a random act of help to a road-stranded stranger, Jake (actor Michael Weston). David then finds himself overpowered by Jake, who, in the course of the episode’s hour, manages to embody virtually every relevant, sinister quality for which the sociopath is notorious. Weston’s demonic performance is astonishing. Hall’s as the traumatized victim of a sadistic sociopath is equally amazing.
Great performance, yes. Sociopath? Maybe not.
Dexter
Speaking of actor Michael C. Hall, I wonder what your take is on Dexter, the great Showtime Series in which Hall plays a sociopathic serial killer working, by day, as a Miami crime-scene forensics analyst?
I love this series, which is coming into its third season. But as disturbing a character as Dexter is, I would not characterize him as a sociopath. This is just a fun diagnostic quibble. Ostensibly, Dexter grows up a budding, violent sociopath. His father (or father-figure) recognizes the dark, evil side over which, as a boy and adolescent, Dexter seems to have little, and diminishing, control. The father sees that Dexter is compulsively, inexorably inclined to sadistic violence.
His solution is to somehow train Dexter to direct his sociopathic, homicidal proclivities towards cruel, menacing, destructive individuals. Best, if someone’s got to be snuffed-out by Dexter, it be someone the world will be better without!
And so Dexter becomes skilled, over time, at identifying individuals the world won’t miss; individuals as dangerous and creepy as he.
Why, then, is Dexter not really a sociopath—and indeed, diagnostically speaking, not even necessarily plausible? Because, despite his violent, murderous compulsions, Dexter is, first of all, a fundamentally sincere person. He is also loyal–for instance to his sister and a girlfriend. And while Dexter struggles to “feel” warm feelings, indeed anything—a struggle, incidentally, that he embraces—he knows how to have the backs of others, even where his self-interest may be at risk.
In a word, Dexter strives, against his darkest, most sordid inclinations, for growth. This is precisely what makes him and the series so fascinating, and precisely what rules him out as sociopath.
What do you think?
(This article is copyrighted (c) 2008 by Steve Becker, LCSW.)
In the movie “There Will be Blood” in which Daniel Day-Lewis plays a character named “Daniel” who is a scheming early 20th century oil man who adopts a baby to make it appear he is a widower raising his son alone, in order to appear respectable so he can con people.
The movie never SAYS that the Daniel character is a psychopath but to anyone who knows what a P is, it is apparent that he is.
There is also another psychopath in the movie, a country rube turned “preacher” who is at odds with the Daniel character. A pretty good example of many “phony preachers” who are simply after the money and the glory! “Turn on your TV folks, and send in your donations!”
The acting and the portrayals are excellent on both parts.
I tried watching There Will Be Blood but it was so blood thirsty and scary I didn’t finish it. I haven’t seen any of the other films as I don’t get access to many here in Asia. I would recommend the book ‘We Need To Talk About Kevin’ by Lionel Shriver. It is about a woman struggling to bring up a child psychopath and raises the question of nature versus nurture. It is a chilling novel and must have been written by someone who knows a psychopathic mind.
Swallow
Holywatersalt, yes! Matchpoint is a movie with a great depiction of sociopathic character. And In The Company of Men was quite chilling, another great call. I must see There Will Be Blood, thanks OxDrover for the reference. WP, i can understand your reaction to Dexter–I wasn’t impressed after the first couple episodes but then it drew me in. It seemed really implausible initially, but it hooked me soon after my dubiousness had reached a high. Jen2008, I don’t think sociopaths show much genuine loyalty to anyone. Yes, a sociopath may find it expedient to show loyalty, but loyalty out of expediency isn’t very genuine or deep.
Dr Steve, That is why I said they show what “appears” to be loyalty. The point I was trying to get across is that they may “have your back”, but only if there is something in it for them like your utility, or the gamemanship for them in winning over whomever they are protecting you from. In other words, I think it is part of the game they happen to be playing at that particular time. Sorry, I didn’t get the point across very well. But yes, I completely agree that any loyalty they appear to be showing is not because they actually ARE loyal or have any feelings of true loyalty for you because as soon as the other person is not useful to them they’ll turn on a dime and be the one to stab the person in the back. Or at least that has been my experience in watching my ex P’s behavior, not only with me, but with other “firends” of his, and even his family.
Although this is not a movie, on the tv show House MD, he is supposed to be a sociopathic Doctor.
Dear Swallow
I read “We Need to Talk About Kevin”. It was an amazing book, heartbreaking and tough going at times but always compelling.
Not sure if this one counts based on the fact it is more a documentary more or less. The book and movie is called Small Sacrifices by Ann Ruth
[Ann Rule’s shocking and powerful account of the destructive forces that drove Diane Downs, a beautiful young mother, to shoot her three young children in cold blood.]
This book and movie chilled me to the bone!!!
Steve Becker: I think “Dexter” – it hooked you because you “fell for him” so to speak. (I don’t mean to say you have a romantic attraction – but I think there’s a nearly equally powerful platonic version of that draw) That’s what we’ve all done, isn’t it? We’ve ignored our unsettled feelings to start with, until we got used to it, and then started to think the person was actually a good friend, a choice lover, etc… 😉 We started rationalizing, fitting in the inconsistencies to fit what we want to believe…
Think about it. 😉
I’ve never seen it, and I refuse to watch HOUSE MD. Just thinking of it gives me chills, & makes me sick to my stomach.
The reason is, that a few years back I used to visit this one forum about toxic relationships. Unfortunately, most of the women were still invested in their relationships, thought “labeling” their husband/boyfriend/lover was “judgemental”, and refused to do it. So most didn’t know about personality disorders, or what it really means when someone’s a sociopath.
And several of the women on this forum were absolutely IN LOVE with House MD. And they defended the type. It was like they were determined to hang onto their unrealistic fantasy about men like that. It was painful to watch. Even when they’d say they knew it was a fantasy with one – they’d go after the same fantasy again, and then wonder.
I guess I should just be glad that I’ve found a point in my life where the seemingly positive narcissistic qualities I used to think were charming & compelling – well, they now make me nauseated. Even in a movie, if a character is just a tad too charming, or a tad too aggressive… I’m put off. So-called “Alpha Males” were never attractive to me… But now I actually have a bone-deep aversion to even being around them. I’ve noticed that the men I choose to be around now, even as friends & acquaintances, in work, social, and community stuff, all seem to be rather humble, kind, sorts. Same with the women. Gone are the emotionally striking friends of bravado that I now realize were so toxic to me. And the few jerks I have to put up with here & there, I steer clear of as much as possible – AND I have friends involved in the same things, that ALSO don’t like those jerks, and have no problem seeing them for what they are.
It’s like I can’t go back to before I knew about sociopaths & narcissists & such. The acceptance of the truth of it has SO sunk in completely, that I can’t even enjoy a fictional movie if the so-called protagonist of the story has sociopathic traits or is supposed to be a sociopath.
My friend last night told me her ex (who we both agree matches ALL the criteria of a sociopath) did something again, that on the surface can be seen as an oversight, but it shows how little he cares for her feelings regarding their child. She said to him something like, “You know how much that means to me, it’s really upsetting for me…” etc etc.
I told her that obviously the whole sociopath implications haven’t SUNK IN completely yet.
She asked me why.
I said, “Because if the full realization had sunk in, you wouldn’t dream of talking to him about your FEELINGS. Because you might as well just be handing him a gun and a box of ammo.”
She agreed. She has times where she shifts back into… feeding into his insanity.
Thus the benefits of NO CONTACT.
At this point, she still lets him come to her house to hang with their daughter & her son, when she’s not home, stuff like that.
Frankly, I think if it had really sunk in what it means that he’s a sociopath… She wouldn’t let that man anywhere near her kids, even his own kid. I know I wouldn’t want that man anywhere near any kids I care about.
Although watching programs with sociopaths in them may be “triggers” for some people, that really isn’t the case with me. I tend to watch the movie/tv program for the overall plot or storyline, although I do sometimes find myself analyzing the behavior and comparing it to my P and things he did if there happens to be a soiopathic type person in the movie or tv show. I like a wide variety of subject matter in shows, whether it would be something I would be interested in having in my “real life” or not.
On House MD I used to watch the program, but only saw it a few times this season. I liked the medical aspect/unusual medical cases the team of Doctors tried to solve, in spite of the fact one of the Doc’s just happened to be a sociopath.
I’m afraid if I tried to limit myself to only watching programs with characters in them that I thought was “good” I would be reduced to watching Barney. Well, maybe not, that big purple fella bouncing around singing gets on my nerves sometimes too. 🙂
The reason I don’t like sociopath movies is because they always take off their own masks at the end, which is really not the case with most people, I think. In real life it wouldn’t be as thrilling, probably, the aftermath of the “impossible” happening of some “nice quiet guy” doing unspeakable things would just be a bunch of neighbors standing around shaking their heads in disbelief.
My first husband used to constantly read and identify with spy thrillers. We used to tease him about this a lot, as he was quite paranoid and would often verbalize fears that “people” were out to get him, or that his co-workers were plotting against him. We even jokingly called him “the chameleon”, because of his way of trying to fit into whatever company he was keeping at the moment. Before we had children my friends and I often jokingly referred to him as “the narcissistic bastard”, which he thought was quite funny. Why was I so blind to what even I saw?
“The Hoax” Great movie about a sociopath