Let's face it, heroes are one of the key essentials to making a movie great. You root for them throughout the film and are either happy to see them suceed, or saddened to see them fall. And so, in honor of the heart and soul of cinema, I give you the Top 10 Greatest Movie Heroes.

#10:

Rocky Balboa (Rocky)

Everyone loves an underdog. And the most memorable one is either the cartoon superhero Underdog, or Rocky Balboa. Rocky is that big lovable, dimwitted, andbadass boxer that we all know and love. Well, at least for the first two movies.

#9:

John Shaft (Shaft)

He's that black private- who's a sex machine to all the chicks. Shaft is just one of those characters who just love from the start. You're always pulling for him and are just blown away by his coolness. Any questions?

#8:

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Star Wars)

Obi-Wan is that one Star Wars protagonist who everyone loves. Now granted, Yoda and Luke Skywalker are both big heroes in the Star Wars saga, but Yoda doesn't do as much as Obi-Wan and there's just something about Luke that seems kind of annoying. Obi-Wan is the main hero of the prequels, and he's really that guiding voice in the original trilogy. Because if it weren't for Obi-Wan, LUKE NEVER WOULD'VE SAVED THE GALAXY. Obi-Wan's the real hero of the saga, not Luke.

#7:

Tom Doniphon (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance)

This is probably the least known hero on the list, probably because he's from the least known movie. The reason why he's such a great hero is because he sacrifices everything he loves for people of his hometown and for the election of his friend to become a senator. He saves dozens of people, but loses everything in the process.

#6:

Terry Malloy (On the Waterfront)

Terry Malloy is almost exactly like Tom Doniphon when it comes to his heroic deeds and how it turns out in the end. The difference is that Malloy gets recognized for what he does and Doniphon lets someone else have the credit. Malloy is a guy who's fighting for all the Average Joes out there living a hard working life. And the way he does it is tear jerking.

#5:

Jefferson Smith (Mr. Smith Goes To Washington)

Man is this guy dedicated. He's an innocent guy who goes to Washington to become a senator, ends up getting framed by his fellow senators, and he has to get out of it. Any guy who can go up against the American government is pretty heroic.

#4:

J.J. Gittes (Chinatown)

I consider this to be the greatest movie ever made. So of course the protagonistis gonna be on this list. J.J. Gittes is a hardcore, hard boiled,Los Angeles detective who has to deal with a small case of a man cheating on his wife, which then unfolds into an intense and heated murder mystery. And he has some of the coolest detective techniques I've ever seen.

#3:

Virgil Tibbs (In the Heat of the Night)

Virgil Tibbs is one of the few African-American movie characters that I've actually seen take verbal abuse and not fight back, but also respond to it. He's willing to actually fight for his rights. That's the main thing that I really like about him, but also because he's able to solve a murder mystery while being chased by dozens of people who want to kill him just because he's an African-American.

#2:

Will Kane (High Noon)

This is one tough dude. An old enemy of his is coming to town on his day of retirement, and he's the only one who's willing to stand up to him. He has to stand up to extreme odds and single handedly save an entire town.

#1:

Indiana Jones (Indiana Jones Series)

How anyone be more heroic than this guy? He's battled Nazis, the occult, and Soviet troops. Everyone knows and loves Indiana Jones, and how can you not? He's the very definition of adventure.