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.)
soimnotthecrazee1
Katy,
I agree about the extreme and them not showing a feeling. It is scary!!! He buried our dog that got killed by a car ( when I told him it was going to happen and he ignored me) and then we went off to the circus 30 minutes later…. WTF is wrong with that picutre? I had to clean up and out the dead dogs area in the house the next day and he watched me and had no pit in his stomach over it. This was our pet… our baby… and no remorse…. I stood there crying saying OMG…. what have I done to my life???? Oh how fooled I was!!!!
Notthecrzee1!
KatyDid
When Our family dogs died (within two weeks of each other) he threw them in the manure pit (the shit pond on our ranch where cow shit from barn was processed.)
Family pets litererally treated like shit. I was absolutely crushed.
lesson learned
Treating pets like that alive or dead completely nauseates me and is extremely triggering. I can’t imagine ……….I just can’t imagine…I’m a huge animal lover and my pets ARE part of our family……
soimnotthecrazee1
Katy and LL,
I was never so crushed before in my life!!! My family never just wrote off our pets like that. and to think he had the nerve to replace that dog 3 days later and when he brought home the adoption papers I threw them at him,,,,another to get killed by his ignorance. Living on a road with logging trucks rolling by at 70mph and no fenced in yard!! HELLOO!!!!!! Dog becomes road pizza eveytime. I remmeber having a fit over the fact that it is his responsibility to protect his pets from harm. YEAH RIGHT… he couldn’t protect our relationship from other women either!! ALL ABOUT HIM and his grandiosity!!!! living behind rose colored glasses!!
lesson learned
S1?
That just makes me totally sick.
KatyDid
It wasn’t until I came into my husband’s life that ANY pets died of old age. It was totally foreign to him.
For years now I have denied myself any companionship b/c I felt so horrified to realize he abused our dogs. But, I am getting a dog. Not that I deserve it but IT deserves the life I can give it, the life I USED to give all my pets before my marriage and can do so again now that I am D&D.
soimnotthecrazee1
Katy,
You get a dog! It will make you happy!!! I managed to hang on to my 2 cats through all this, it wasn’t easy but I have them with me. I told you my purring teddy bears during the winter. I am their servant!! LlOLOL
What is with these sickos not protecting their pets, spouses, god only knows children ( i don’t have any).
SICKOS!!!
KatyDid
Yeah S1,
I made lots of changes on the ranch. I fed the barn cats real cat food, not just milk and rats. And I trapped them and had them fixed and distemper shots. At first it was tolerated, then it was used as proof that I was wasteful and stupid. But HEALTHY barn cats kill way more rats than those heartbreakingly sick ones (had to put several of them down,and that was proof that I was cruel.).
soimnotthecrazee1
Katy,
That’s good “cat house” management!!! I bet they loved seeing you coming to the barn!!! and yes they catch more when they are healthy I would think. I’ve always been a city girl with pampered pets… don’t know much about all that barn stuff! Sorry! Family came from the south I have had the winters on the beach and the summers on the mountains… no farms though!
soimnotthecrazee1!
quest
Hi Folks .
The one movie that sticks in my mind is “Basic Instinct 2 ” .
Most people seem to have seen the first basic instinct movie with Sharon stone and Michael Douglas , however I think that the sequel Basic Instinct 2 was way better and is worth a watch . Sharon stone is in this second movie and I think she should have got an oscar for the performance . I have seen the movie maybe 10 times and every time I watched it there are subtle things that I missed in the previous viewings . Actually I am not sure who really deserves the oscar whether it be Sharon Stone or the director . Anyway she plays the part so well , that while I was watching the movie it occured to me a few times that someone on the set had to have known psychopaths intimately .