Cinema has a long and illustrious history of providing us with some of the most hip, grooviest, coolest and most sophisticated guys in all of art.
They’ve got wit aplenty, charm in spades, a luxury wardrobe, a quick-fire retort for all occasions, and enough class and style to fell a rhinoceros. In short, they’re the kind of men women want to be with and guys just want to be.
From quaffing shaken-not-stirred Martinis to battling the Dark Side of the Force, here are some movie characters so cool you could keep a side of meat in them for a month...
Vincent Vega
John Travolta’s career went stratospheric after his unforgettable, mesmerising and very, very cool portrayal of hitman Vincent Vega. Dressed in a sharp, black suit and hair tied up in a ponytail, he goes about his business with a stoner-style air of nonchalance and detachment alongside his partner Jules. Not just a cold blooded killer, Vega is also suffused with some humanity and loyalty for those closest to him.
Han Solo
Undoubtedly one of cinema’s most revered and worshipped characters, his teaming up with the Rebel Alliance to fight the Empire ensured his status as one of the most laid back, laconic and cool heroes ever.
Scarface
Al Pacino’s portrayal of ruthless Cuban immigrant Tony Montana killing his way to the top of Miami’s cocaine-fuelled underworld is a tour-de-force of acting and character, and one that has gained cult status since its first release in 1983. Tough talking and brutal, he is also charming and dangerously cool.
James Bond
Top secret agent for the British Secret Service, Bond is the epitome of calm, calculating and icy English cool. Martinis shaken, gorgeous women aplenty, bound for exotic locations and gadgets always close to hand, Bond is the personification of the kind of hero every man wishes he could be.
Indiana Jones
Everyone’s favourite fedora-wearing, whip-cracking archaeologist, Indy’s relentless quests for the Ark of the Covenant, Sankara Stones, Holy Grail and Crystal Skull have left an indelible mark in the celluloid and cinema going psyche. Sure, he may hate snakes and be named after the dog, but he really is the hero to end all heroes. How does he do it? Well, by his own admission: “I don’t know, I’m making it up as I go.”
Jeffrey ‘Dude’ Lebowski
The ultimate in stoner cool, The Dude likes nothing more than bowling with his friends, smoking and sipping a White Russian. Such is his impact that fans have set up the Dudeism ‘religion’ which aims to spread his philosophy and lifestyle across the globe.
Dirty Harry
Clint Eastwood’s most iconic San Francisco cop first blasted on to movie screens in 1971 and immediately earned his place as one of filmdom’s king of cool. Tough talking, tough acting, dry, cynical, with a healthy disrespect for authority yet always determined to get the job done and bring the bad guy down, Harry Callahan is streetwise cool at its best. So, do you feel lucky, punk?
Peter Venkman
One part of the “professional paranormal investigators and eliminators” quartet, Peter Venkman seems to be in a perpetual sate of coolness – cocky, sarcastic, unflappable, deceptively smart, winningly deprecating and strangely charming, he’s a winning and unpredictably brilliant blend of cocky and cool. Switch on the bathroom lights and check for green slime – who ya gonna call?
What other movie characters do you think define the epitome of cool?
Estelle Page is an interior designer, classic film collector and enthusiastic blogger who regularly writes for Luma Lighting.
