21 Movies With Protagonists Who Aren’t Dumbasses

‘No Country for Old Men’ has a competent protagonist and villain

According to some filthy apologists, characters in movies simply have to be dumb to advance the plot. We just have to suspend our disbelief that a human with a functioning brain could behave so illogically, because otherwise, the movie would be over in five minutes. 

Well, we’re putting our feet down and taking a stand (because it’s really hard to do that with your feet up). Protagonists can be smart, and interesting things can still happen to them. If you can’t figure out how to pull it off, you’re a bad writer.

Redditor dangerousmeercat is likewise fed up. “I’ve watched a little too many movies of protagonists who are slow and not very smart, unable to handle situations effectively,” they told r/Movies. “Lately, I’ve been looking for films with intelligent protagonists who are adept at handling situations,” they continued, citing titles like LimitlessCatch Me If You CanThe Accountant and Sherlock Holmes as examples. 

They then asked for more “movies with intelligent protagonists,” and their fellow Redditors brought all the big brains they could carry.

The Thing

Tenet

Red Sparrow

The Last of Sheila

The Night Eats the World

The Edge

Bad Company

No Country For Old Men

The Mist

Doctor Sleep

Contact

The Hunt for Red October

Oculus

Watchmen

The Martian

Law Abiding Citizen

Godzilla Minus One

Jackie Brown

Apollo 13

Big Trouble in Little China

Zorro, the Gay Blade

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