Terrible bosses in movies have been around since, well, forever.
They're lazy, they're corrupt, they don't give a crap about their workforce, and they're usually getting away with it for years. So it goes in Gringo, the new action comedy starring Joel Edgerton and Charlize Theron as two awful bosses who send a hapless David Oyelowo down to Mexico to oversee production of a medicinal marijuana pill, but when he's kidnapped by cartel, they do... well, not a lot.
Gringo hits Irish cinemas on March 9th and is rated 15A. With this in mind, we've run down some of the worst movie bosses in movie history, starting with the aforementioned...
8. RICHARD RUSK & ELAINE MARKINSON - Gringo
Everyone's had a boss - let alone TWO bosses – who see your existence as an inconvenience and it’s no different with Richard and Elaine in Gringo. Corrupt and money motivated, the deceitful duo send Harold (David Oyelowo) to Mexico to oversee production of their marijuana pill, but when he's kidnapped, sh*t goes south and they’re left to pick up (ignore) the pieces. Which, y’know, would be frowned upon by HR.
7. DR. JULIA HARRIS - Horrible Bosses
In fairness to Jennifer Anniston, she's on the record as saying some of the scenes in Horrible Bosses were somewhat uncomfortable, but it's a testament to her comedic timing and abilities that she was able to pull it all off and make it as hilarious as it was.
6. KATHARINE PARKER - Working Girl
Sure, everyone remembers Melanie Griffith, Carly Simon's song and Joan Cusack's whole Desperately Seeking Susan outfit thing, but Sigourney Weaver as ice-queen Katharine Parker - who tries to pass Griffith's ideas off as her own - was a pretty terrible boss to work for because everyone's had at least one boss like her in their lives.
5. AL CAPONE - The Untouchables
Robert DeNiro's portrayal of mobster kingpin Al Capone goes down as both one of the best gangster performances and one of the most memorable death scenes in history. DeNiro's Capone was tough and brazen, barking orders at everyone underneath him and not using a baseball bat correctly. How does he not use a baseball bat correctly, you're asking? Like this.
4. GORDON GEKKO - Wall Street
Michael Douglas' Oscar-winning performance as corporate raider Gordon Gekko may have become a poster-boy for stockbrokers, but he really wasn't all that nice a guy. He basically threw Charlie Sheen under the bus to save his own hide AND he had '80s Hair. EIGHTIES HAIR. That's the real crime here.
3. ROBOCOP - Dick Jones
When you're the boss of multinational conglomerate that makes everything from weapons to robots to TVs, you're going to need to protect your own interests, right? So what does Dick Jones do? He comes up with ED-209, a gigantic-ass robot that's fond of countdowns and shoulder-mounted machine guns. Because every horrible boss needs a talking war machine to sort out their day-to-day stuff while they're out strategising some face time and touching bases. It's like having a PA - except the PA is a homicidal maniac.
2. BILL LUMBERGH - Office Space
Yeah, if you could just go ahead and read this in my voice, that would be great. OK? Thanks a bunch.
1. DARTH VADER - The Empire Strikes Back
When you're an intergalactic warlord with health issues like breathing and having your legs replaced with cybernetic implants, politeness and general niceties aren't exactly high on your priorities. After all, you're the boss. You don't have to explain yourself to anyone and if somebody messes up, you're able to choke them with your mind powers. Done, dusted. Promote the next guy and kill him when he messes up too.
