A Mistake, Surely?

Okay, so decided to buy the Total Film 100 Greatest Film Characters Of All Time special, only available in WH Smiths, which is always the case for these things - why, I dunno - and eagerly flipped forward to the number one spot. It has to be Bond, I thought to myself. Or maybe it's Indiana Jones. Or maybe, just maybe, it's someone like Atticus Finch, played by Gregory Peck in To Kill A Mocking Bird (1962). But no. Number one, the greatest film character of all times, as voted for by the readers of Total Film - a group of which I am a member so no funny ideas please - the top dog in the list was...



Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates Of The Carribean trilogy.



Ooooooookay.



One question springs to mind, really, erm, WHY? Look, unlike famous film critic Mark Kermode (what, you've never heard of him?) I like Captain Jack. Johnny Depp is one of the greatest, most versatile actors in the world today and the character is a very funny, at times quite mysterious, but always mischevous work of fiction. But the number one film character of all time? Surely not!



As a Bond fan (and the Bond Fanatic on the IMDB) of course I'm rooting for Bond, but there are so many, many other better film characters in the cellulouid world that deserve that top spot. What about Finch and his continuing struggle for justice for all? What about Batman? What about Hannibal Lecter, Veto Corleone, Oskar Schindler, Rick Blaine? What about Mia Wallace, Nurse Ratched, Princess Leia? What about nearly every role played by Daniel Day-Lewis? Or okay, go for Depp, but what about Edward Scissorhands or Ed Wood or Donnie Brasco?



I guess my pleas are in vain, though, especially since the bloody things been printed already. Roll on next year, I say, roll on the next list. Captain Jack's all very well and good but unless he's not looking for some rum he's just not Hollywood Walk of Stars if you know what I mean.



Laters.