8 Excellent Movies Featuring Inept Heroes

      These inept and clumsy movie heroes certainly have a tough journey ahead of them...

      Typically, the main character in a film has a specific objective to accomplish, and for the most part, even if they start out in over their heads, by the end of the film they manage to resolve all issues and close the case using their cleverness and abilities to navigate obstacles.

      However, this isn’t always the scenario. Occasionally, a hapless hero might fumble through the story, and even if they come out on top, it’s often due to sheer luck or significant assistance from more capable friends. Take Harry Potter as an example. Honestly, that kid was practically useless for several films, and despite learning a few life-saving spells and finding himself at the forefront of a rebellion, he still had to lean on his close companions to rectify his blunders.

      Nevertheless, since Potter (best said with Malfoy’s intense emphasis on the ‘P’) did show some growth in competence, he won’t be included in this list. These incompetent leads remained flawed, ranging from comedies where one might expect a hapless hero, to serious dramas. Here’s our selection…

      One Battle After Another

      An unskilled hero, you say? There’s one currently shining on the big screen in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another. Anderson has long explored complicated and flawed protagonists. Some are detestable, while others are hindered by their own incompetence, much like the character Leonardo DiCaprio portrays here. Once an explosives expert for a group of revolutionaries, he escapes to seek a peaceful life with his daughter, only to spend 16 years degrading his mind with drugs.

      When the past reemerges (in the intense form of Sean Penn), Willa is taken, and Bob (Leo) must prevent his own capture and find her. It’s not a simple task when old passwords necessary for accessing vital information have evaporated from his confused mind. In many ways, Anderson refines and perfects elements that didn't quite succeed in Inherent Vice, blending them with the screwball humor reminiscent of The Big Lebowski. The outcome is wildly entertaining and timely, with DiCaprio thoroughly enjoying his role.

      The Big Lebowski

      Speaking of Lebowski, the Coen brothers love to subject their protagonists to misfortune and incompetence. This theme has never been better exemplified than in The Big Lebowski, where a stolen rug (which truly tied the room together) launches ‘The Dude’ (Jeff Bridges) into a series of accidental detective escapades with his friend Walter (John Goodman).

      The Dude clumsily stumbles from one revelation to another, often receiving the next clue fortuitously or diverting towards another misleading lead. Ultimately, everything ties together with little credit to the Dude (El Duderino) or Walter. However, the journey is irreverent, silly and incredibly entertaining.

      Dog Day Afternoon

      Now for a more serious film, Sidney Lumet’s tense and sweaty bank heist gone awry, based on real events. Al Pacino and John Cazale target a bank, but everything that could go wrong does, leading to police, journalists, and hundreds of spectators surrounding the bank as the incompetent robbers hold hostages inside.

      Sonny and Saul unexpectedly become stars, sticking it to the establishment, but their desperate attempts to adapt to the shifting circumstances only worsen their situation, culminating in the inevitable failure of their heist. Pacino delivers a remarkable performance, Chris Sarandon shines in his supporting role, and John Cazale was unfairly overlooked for an Oscar nomination here. Lumet excelled at creating tension in confined settings.

      Memories of Murder

      Korean cinema in the 21st century has not hesitated to incorporate social or class commentary into its films, despite facing strict censorship. Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning Parasite was filled with subtext and featured a hapless set of protagonists whose cleverness was not as infallible as they thought.

      Yet, Joon-ho also directed an outstanding serial killer thriller back in 2003. Loosely inspired by a real-life (then unresolved) case, it’s a police procedural illuminating institutional corruption and incompetence as the two officers assigned to the case often hinder progress rather than facilitate it. They adhere to the cultural norms of their department, bending rules as necessary to secure a conviction (even if it means implicating the wrong person). It’s thrilling yet filled with dry humor; like the best in Asian cinema, Joon-ho highlights the flaws in human nature while still managing to portray cops who resort to unethical means to manipulate the investigation. The characters are inherently flawed, and it’s an extraordinary film from a modern cinema master.

      Naked Gun

      We recently saw a reboot of Naked Gun in theaters over the summer, with Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson brilliantly capturing the comedic cluelessness. However,