In the mid-90s Benicio Del Toro emerged as one of the most charismatic actors on the big screen. After stealing scenes from the likes of Kevin Spacey and Stephen Baldwin in 1994’s The Usual Suspects, Del Toro’s memorable and unique performance made him a big name on the lips of casting agents all over Hollywood and secured him roles alongside world-renowned directors such as Guy Ritchie, Steven Soderbergh, Terry Gilliam and Denis Villeneuve. The 48 year-old Puerto Rican has picked up a number of awards along the way, including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award for his portrayal of Javier Rodríguez in the film Traffic (2000). His latest performance is as the shady Columbian operative known only as Alejandro in Sicario. We take a look at some of Del Toro’s most impressive performances to date.
Sicario
SICARIO is a searing, unflinching journey into the deadly, volatile and morally murky world of Mexican drug cartels from visionary director Denis Villeneuve (Incendies, Prisoners). When FBI agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) uncovers a Mexican cartel’s house of death, her shocking find causes shockwaves on a personal and global level. Kate is recruited to join a covert black ops mission headed by a mysterious Colombian operative known only as Alejandro (Del Toro) along with shadowy agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin). Even as Kate tries to convince herself she’s on a hunt for justice, she is thrust into the dark heart of a secret battleground that has swept up ruthless cartels, kill-crazy assassins, clandestine American spies and thousands of innocents. Del Toro’s captivating and eerie turn as the morally ambiguous Alejandro is a perfect representation of what happens when the pressing issues of drugs, terror, illegal immigration, corruption and an escalating swathe of violence are concentrated around one geographical border.
Snatch
Guy Ritchie’s British gangster flick, Snatch, follows a number of criminals in an intertwined web of conflict spurred on by a stolen diamond. Del Toro’s character, Frankie Four Fingers, is at the heart of a jewel heist and finds himself in a spot of bother whilst trying to distribute the rock to an American buyer. Another plotline follows Turkish and Tommy, played by Jason Statham and Stephen Graham respectively, as they are sucked into the underground world of fixed boxing at the hands of Brick Top, a mobster played by Alan Ford. The array of amusing characters all cross paths and the separate stories merge into one in classic Guy Ritchie fashion that is very reminiscent of his debut feature Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
Usual Suspects
Following the explosion of a cargo ship that killed several people, the police investigate one of the only survivors, Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey). Kint reluctantly caves in and gives information on how the incident on the waterfront came about. He begins his story six weeks earlier when he and 4 other con-men, including Del Toro’s slurring character Fenster, are brought in on suspicion of committing a crime none of them were actually responsible for. To get back at the police the five men successfully plan and execute an operation to steal a valuable jewel. Following the heist, the men are contacted by a lawyer representing a highly feared criminal, Keyser Soze, who wants them for a job. The result of the job is the catastrophe at the shipyard and an uncertain feeling of who is really in charge.
Traffic
Soderbergh’s take on the war on drugs follows four separate stories that are all somehow connected. A conservative judge who was just appointed the new drug czar discovers his teenage daughter is a cocaine addict, a wife takes over her wealthy husband’s drug business after his arrest, and two DEA agents look after an informant with crucial knowledge on the spouse’s illegal commerce. The last story is Benecio Del Toro’s who plays Javier Rodriguez, a slightly corrupt cop whose biggest battle is with his own conscious after realising his new boss isn’t exactly who he thought he was.
Escobar: Paradise Lost
Nick (Josh Hutcherson) and his brother Dylan (Brady Corbet) leave their hometown in Canada to find a simpler life on the beaches of Colombia in actor Andrea Di Stefano’s first stab at directing. Nick’s easy surfer lifestyle takes a turn when he falls in love with the niece of the drug kingpin Pablo Escobar (Benecio Del Toro). Whilst pursuing his newfound love, Nick gets sucked into her uncle’s business and all the dangers that come with it. He quickly realises the power Escobar posses and begins to re-evaluate the decisions he has made and his place in the family.
Che: Part One (The Argentine) and Che: Part Two (Guerilla) (2008)
This 4 hour biopic, directed by Steven Soderbergh, sees Benicio Del Toro star as Marxist revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara. The film is actually a merged version of two films by Soderbergh: The Argentine and Guerrilla. The first part focuses on the Cuban revolution, from the moment Fidel Castro (Demián Bichir), Guevara and other revolutionaries landed on the Caribbean island, until they toppled the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista two years later. The second part focuses on Che’s attempted revolution and eventual demise in Bolivia. Che was screened on May 21 at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, where Del Toro won the Best Actor Award for his uncanny portrayal of Guevara in the film.
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One of my favourites has to be – The Things We Lost in the Fire, a truly underated gem which should have gotten oscars. Directed by Susanne Bier whom for me is one of the finest female directors there is, brings a film full of humanity and emotion. Halle Berry, David Duchovny and Benicio Del Torro with a fantastic supporting cast It’s a slow moving family drama about loss, grief and redemption although slow the characters are meated out during the film until in the end you have a complete person made of skin, bone, sinew, muscle and heart.
It was given pitiful publicity before it’s screening which has led to it becoming a class movie which has been by passed by so many,. similar to The Shawshank Redemption which was also passed by but later became a classic in it’s own right. It was also responsible for re-igniting my interest in Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground, which Benicio Del Torro is listening to on his walkman during the film, the soundtrack is excellent too, with well chosen and timed to perfection pieces which fit like a glove to the entire movie. Find the time to sit down and watch this. You won’t be disappointed.