Listed in random order:


David Dunn (Unbreakable) - The reluctant hero has always been an intruiguing concept to me... and nobody was able to show that better than Bruce Willis' 'unbreakable' Dunn. Thrown into an impossible situation, Dunn has to confront who he is and what he's capable of in order to realize his destiny. Brilliant.


Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark, et al.) - When it comes to Harrison Ford heroes, even Han Solo and Jack Ryan have to take a backseat to Indiana Jones. Not only does he have that typical Ford brashness and heroism, but he also has a certain intelligence (beyong street smarts) that Solo just doesn't have.


John McClane (Die Hard, et al.) - The ultimate action hero. Destruction and chaos just happen to arise whenever he comes around... and he always manages to come out on top. Whether he's battling Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber or Jeremy Irons' Simon Gruber, John McClane's wit and knack for walloping bad guys and creating unbridled chaos makes him one of the best.


Leonard Shelby (Memento) - Drive. Passion. Motivation. It makes a hero and hero and a villain a villain. Leonard Shelby's singular passion, combined with his lack of memory (and Christopher Nolan's unique style of storytelling) make Shelby one of the most memorable heroes in cinema.


Korben Dallas (The Fifth Element) - I guess no one does the hero bit better than Bruce Willis. A former commando-turned-New York-cabbie from the future tied up in a plot to stop the ultimate evil from corrupting and destroying the world... Dallas gets the job done.


Aragorn (Lord of the Rings) - I love haunted heroes and Aragorn is certainly one of those. Seemingly doomed to repeat the mistakes of his forefather, Isolder's Heir seems reluctant to take up his rightful mantle as the king of Gondor... but when he finally accepts his destiny, he kicks more ass than just about anyone I've ever seen on screen.


Connor and Murphy McManus (Boondock Saints) - Two more examples of passion and drive, the McManus brothers are so determined to clean up their neighborhood that they kill Italian gangsters, Russian gangsters, peep show visitors, and even take on their own father in a firefight. Can't get more determined than that...


Grammaton Cleric John Preston (Equilibrium) - Dystopia is one of my favorite concepts... as is the whole 'man-against-the-world' angle. Equilibrium combines both beautifully in John Preston, the ass-kicking, driven, and poised killing machine played oh-so-aptly by Christian Bale.


Ash Williams (Evil Dead, et al.) - Trilogies seem to breed good heroes, and the Evil Dead trilogy is no exception. The fast-talking, zombie-killing Ash keeps the hits coming, whether they be from his boom-stick, his chainsaw arm, or his big mouth... well, it's always entertaining, anyway.


Beatrix 'The Bride' Kiddo (Kill Bill) - The butt-kickin'est girl ever to grace the silver screen, the Bride does her fair share of bad guy beating - killing five fellow assassins and taking down an entire gang of kung fu fighting gangsters - all in the name of revenge. And, while vengeance may not be an heroic concept, Beatrix Kiddo makes it look all too good.

Honorable mentions (in random order) include:

Butch Coolidge (Pulp Fiction)
El Mariachi (El Mariachi, et al.)
Batman (Batman, et al.)
Tyler Durden (Fight Club)
Ellen Ripley (Alien, et al.)
Sarah Connor (Terminator, et al.)
Connor MacLeod (Highlander)
John Rambo (First Blood)