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There is a long and honorable tradition of memorably amusing movie psychopaths, going all the way back to Richard Widmark in “Kiss of Death” (1947) and continuing through David Patrick Kelly 30 years later (if you saw Kelly in the 1979 cult classic “The Warriors” you can probably still hear his taunt, “Warriors…come out and plaaaayyyyy!!!”).
Villains who enjoy their own villainy are always fun to watch. A few nights ago, I saw an early press screening of a March release, “Never Back Down,” in which a young actor named Cam Gigandet has a blast chewing up the scenery as the evil rich kid who rules his Orlando, Fla., high school.
Ryan is the reigning champion of an underground no holds barred fight club who terrifies the other boys in the school while turning on many of the girls.
In classic Widmark and Kelly style, Ryan doesn’t waste any time trying to sweet talk his gorgeous girlfriend Baja (Amber Heard) when she suggests that he stop terrorizing the new boy (Sean Faris) in her English class.
“When you moved here you were nothing! You walked the halls like a ghost!,” he says of Baja’s time before Ryan picked her to be his main squeeze.
Gigandet makes Ryan’s narcissism and hair trigger temper so funny that his scenes play like a teenage version of “Road House.”
The actor is new to me but already has an internet fan following from the TV series “The O.C.” and “Jack & Bobby.”
Gigandet has leading man looks but plays against them to great effect in “Never Back Down” — it would be a shame if the actor took conventional movie hero roles after this hilariously crazy performance.

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