The Best of Benicio Del Toro

by Helen Earnshaw | 6 February 2016

Benicio Del Toro is one of the best actors around and his latest film Sicario has just been released on DVD and Blu-ray.

Benicio Del Toro in Sicario

We are big fans of Del Toro here at FemaleFirst and we take a look back over his career and pick out some of our favourite movies and performances as we celebrate the release of the crime/thriller.

- Sicario (2015)

Sicario sees Del Toro return to the crime/thriller genre as he teamed up with director Denis Villeneuve - who has brought us Prisoners and Incendies - for the first time.

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.

It is a captivating performance from Del Toro as you know from the moment that you meet him that there is something more to him that we - and Kate - are not being told about. On the one hand, he is supportive of Kate as she is plunged into a different world but there is something quite sinister underneath the mask that he wears.

We come to understand what drives him to do the work that he does and his final scene with Kate see him reveal his true colours - it really is tense and chilling stuff where Del Toro just shines.

Sicario was one of the best thrillers to hit the big screen last year and it is an intense watch that leaves the audience pondering some big moral questions that will stay with you long after the credits have rolled.

For his performance, Del Toro has picked up a Best Supporting Actor Bafta nomination and will go head to head with Christian Bale (The Big Short), Idris Elba Beasts of No Nation), Mark Ruffalo(Spotlight), and Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies) this weekend.

- The Usual Suspects (1995)

Hard to believe that it was twenty years ago when The Usual Suspects hit the big screen... and it remains a movie with one of the best twists of all time. No matter how many times I watch the ending of this film, it never gets boring.

Del Toro took on the role of Fred Fenster in the Bryan Singer-directed movie and it proved to be his big breakout role that sent his star rocketing.

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.

The Usual Suspects is a movie that is packed with great twists and turns as the director piles on the levels of deceit until you don't know who is telling the truth.

Del Toro stars alongside Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Spacey, Stephen Baldwin, Kevin Pollack, Chazz Palminteri, and Pete Postlethwaite and they all deliver terrific performances as part of this wonderful ensemble cast.

The Usual Suspects went on to win two Oscars - Best Supporting Actor for Spacey and best original screenplay for Christopher McQuarrie - and it has gone on to gain cult status over the years. It is one of the movies that del Toro and co will forever be known for.

- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas hit the big screen in 1998 and saw Del Toro team up with actor Johnny Depp and filmmaker Terry Gilliam. The movie was an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Hunter S. Thompson and followed drug-fuelled journalist Raoul Duke and his lawyer Dr. Gonzo, played by Del Toro.

Duke sets out on a quest in a red convertible with his psychotic Samoan lawyer to discover the 'American Dream'. Funded by a magazine to cover a sporting event and accompanied by a trunk full of drugs, the two travel to Las Vegas. On their journey, they encounter hitchhikers, girls, gamblers, policemen, giant lizards, and a whole lot of bats in an attempt to find the elusive ideology.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a movie that polarised critics and audiences upon release but it was unlike any other movie that year. While it may not have been to everyone's taste, both Depp and Del Toro turned in great performances and proved that they were a terrific film duo.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas did go on to struggle at the box office - failing to make back its $18 budget - but it has become a cult classic thanks to home release.

- Traffic (2001)

Del Toro joined another ensemble movie in 2001 when he starred in the critically acclaimed Traffic, which saw him team up with filmmaker Steven Soderbergh.

Traffic was the first film for Soderbergh since Erin Brockovich and saw Del Toro star alongside Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Don Cheadle, and Dennis Quaid.

The movie explored the war on drugs and followed four separate stories that are all 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 Benicio 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.

Traffic was one of the most acclaimed movies of 2001 and praised for being a powerful and thought-provoking film. It is a complex and complicated movie but the director keeps all of the plates spinning and tells a truly engaging story.

Del Toro may have delivered all of his lines in Spanish, but it was a truly powerful performance from the actor and, for me, he really steals the show. He dominates ever scene that he is in - it remains one of his best big screen performances.

The movie saw Del Toro nominated for his first Oscar and he went on to win the Best Supporting Actor gong; seeing off competition from Jeff Bridges (The Contender), Willem Dafoe (Shadow of the Vampire), Albert Finney (Erin Brockovich), and Joaquin Phoenix (Gladiator).

Fifteen years on, Traffic remains one of the best 'war on drugs' movies and is still one of Soderbergh's greatest achievements as a filmmaker.

- 21 Grams (2004)

21 Grams may not be the most uplifting movie that you will ever see, but it is a film that you should watch for the central performances of Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, and Del Toro.

Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, 21 Grams follows a critically ill mathematician, a grieving mother, and a born-again ex-con who are brought together after a freak and devastating accident.

21 Grams is a devastatingly powerful movie about love and loss as the director and writer expertly weave the stories of these three very different people together so beautifully. It is a thought-provoking, emotional, and bleak film that will stay with you long after the credits have rolled.

Del Toro, Watts, and Penn shine from start to finish as three troubled individuals who are struggling to cope with events that have transpired. Del Toro plays Jack, a former convict who has found faith and recovered from alcohol and drug addiction. But he returns to his old ways when he is behind the wheel during a fatal car accident.

21 Grams is told in a non-linear manner but is beautifully crafted together and driven by the central performances from Del Toro, Watts, and Penn.

Del Toro and Watts went on to pick up Best Supporting Actor and Best Actress Oscar nominations for their performances.

- Che: Part One (The Argentine) and Che: Part Two (Guerrilla) (2008)

Del Toro reunited with director Steven Soderbergh in 2008 for biopic film Che, which was about Che Guevara and was split into two movies. The first followed the Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro and the second followed Che's attempts to bring revolution to Bolivia.

Del Toro took on the role of Guevara in the two films and was joined on the cast list by Demián Bichir, Rodrigo Santoro, Santiago Cabrera, and Franke Potente.

Che is an interesting exploration of this iconic figure at two very different times in his life and is a truly epic movie. Soderbergh is not interesting in the myth and the romanticised tales that we have heard about Guevara over the years, instead, he has told an intense tale that almost has a documentary style feel to it.

But this film would be nothing without the central performance from Del Toro and it really is a truly towering turn from the actor - he was just the perfect choice!!!

Part Two is a much darker movie as it explores the impact that trying to force revolution has on a person. Del Toro gets under the skin of Guevara as he struggles to bring about the change that he wants. When watched together, the biopic is a tad long but Del Toro is terrific from start to finish.

The movie was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008, where del Toro went on win the Best Actor award for his work.