Antonio Banderas is back on the big screen this week as he is set to lead the cast in The 33, which is based on the mining disaster in 2010; where the world watched as 33 miners were trapped underground in Chile for over two months.
The 33
Banderas is set to take on the central role of Mario Sepúlveda as he teams up with filmmaker Patricia Riggen. Rodrigo Santoro, Juliette Binoche, and James Brolin are just some of the other names on the cast list.
We take a look back over Banderas' career and some of his finest film performances to date.
- Assassins (1995)
It was back in 1995 when Banderas starred alongside Sylvester Stallone for action/thriller Assassins, which saw Richard Donner in the director's chair.
When assassin Robert Rath (Stallone) is beaten to a target by younger hitman Miguel Bain (Banderas), he's determined to complete one last job before retiring. When he finds that Miguel is also on the trial of his next target, a ruthless race begins with both parties prepared to go to the edge to succeed.
Assassins was one of the early movies that showed of Banderas as a great action actor; over the next few years, Banderas would establish himself as a great big screen action hero.
Assassins was a story of cat and mouse and twists and turns with Banderas and Stallone delivering a pair of exciting performances. Julianne Moore and Anatoli Davydov completed the cast list.
Banderas would reunite with Stallone for Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over in 2003, and The Expendables 3 over a decade later in 2014.
- Desperado (1996)
When you think about Banderas movies and performances, his role as El Mariachi is one of his most iconic and memorable. Desperado was the sequel to the 1992 film El Mariachi and saw Banderas took on the central role for the first time.
The movie marked the return of Robert Rodriguez to the director's chair and he also penned the film's screenplay. Salma Hayek, Joaquim de Almeida, Steve Buscemi, Danny Trejo, and Cheech Marin joined Banderas on the cast list.
El Mariachi is plunged back into action as he seeks revenge on the drug lord Bucho, who killed his lover. On his road to revenge, he meets Carolina, who helps him on his quest to bring down Bucho... but it is revealed that Bucho could be more to El Mariachi than just a target.
Desperado is a high-octane movie that saw Banderas show off his action credentials once again - it remains of my favourite movies from the popular actor's back catalogue.
Desperado retains the flair of the original while developing the El Mariachi character further and an interesting central relationship that really helps to drive the story forward. Desperado really is a great watch with terrific gunfights and shootouts around every corner.
The final instalment of the trilogy came in 2003 with the release of Once Upon a Time in Mexico.
- Evita (1997)
Banderas turned his attention to the musical in 1997, when he teamed up with Madonna for Evita, which was based on the Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber musical of the same name and was directed by Alan Parker.
Evita saw Banderas surprise audiences with his impressive vocal skills playing narrator Ché. Following the news of the death of Argentinian First Lady Eva Perón (Madonna), Ché assumes multiple guises to showcase her rise from an illegitimate child of the lower classes to the Spiritual Leader of Argentina using both inspirational and much-criticised methods.
The role of Che in Evita really did show off Banderas' versatility as an actor as he delivered a terrific performance alongside Madonna, who is also great in the title role.
The movie received mixed review upon release but was a commercial success; going on to gross $141 million at the global box office.
Evita landed Banderas his first Golden Globe nomination as he picked up a nod in the Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical category. The film went on to be nominated for five Oscars; winning Best Original Song for You Must Love Me.
- The Mask of Zorro (1998)
Another great action movie for Banderas came in the form of The Mask of Zorro in 1998 as the actor took over the title role for the very first time.
The Mask of Zorro saw Banderas team up with filmmaker Martin Campbell for the first time, while Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Stuart Wilson were just some of the other names that made up the cast list.
When and aged Zorro (Hopkins) escapes from prison, his main aim is to seek revenge on a corrupt governor who killed his wife, stole his baby daughter and sent him to jail 20 years previously.
Running into Alejandro Murrieta (Banderas), who as a boy helped the masked swordsman in his younger days, Zorro sees this as fate and vows to train the thief as the next Zorro whilst enlisting him to help in his vendetta.
The Mask of Zorro was another movie that really helped to send Banderas' star rocketing during the nineties as it was a huge critical and commercial success for the actor. This is a film that blends some great action as well as some wonderful comedy... making it one of the best family friendly films of 1998.
Banderas would reprise the role of Zorro seven years later with The Legend of Zorro, which would see the actor reunite with Campbell.
- Shrek 2 (2004)
Banderas was one of the big new additions to the cast list when he lent his voice to the Shrek 2 cast list... the sequel introduced us to the character of Puss in Boots for the first time.
Hard to believe that it was over a decade ago when Shrek 2 hit the big screen and it was a worthy sequel to the popular first film. In fact, Shrek has gone on to become one of the biggest animation franchises and Puss in Boots is one of the series' most popular characters.
Princess Fiona's parents invite her and Shrek to dinner to celebrate her marriage. However, they are going to get a surprise when they discover that they are both ogres. Fiona's father takes matters into his own hands... which could tear Shrek and Fiona apart forever.
Assassin Puss in Boots may have originally been hired to take out Shrek, but he soon sides with the ogre and Donkey to help him, once again, win Fiona's heart and see off the meddling Fairy Godmother and her son Prince Charming.
Shrek 2 is a movie that is a lot of fun that is lively, entertaining, and very funny. It is not often that a sequel is as good as the original, but Shrek 2 is not far away. The animation film went on to enjoy huge box office success and grossed over $919 million at the global box office by the end of its theatrical run.
We went on to see Banderas lend his voice to Shrek the Third, Shrek Forever After before landing his own solo movie Puss in Boots in 2011.
- The 33 (2016)
Banderas is back on the big screen this week as he leads an all-star cast in drama 33 - I can't wait to see the film adaptation of the real-life story that gripped the world back in 2010.
In 2010, the eyes of the world turned to Chile, where 33 miners had been buried alive by the collapse of a gold and copper mine. Over the next 69 days, an international team worked tirelessly in a desperate attempt to rescue the trapped men as their families and friends, as well as millions of people they had never even met, waited anxiously for any sign of hope.
But 200 stories beneath the surface, provisions - and time - were quickly running out. A story of resilience, personal transformation and triumph of the human spirit, the film takes us to the Earth's darkest depths, exploring the private lives and psyches of the men trapped in the mine, and depicting the courage of those who refused to give up.
Other great Antonio Banderas movies include Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles, The 13th Warrior, and Once Upon a Time in Mexico.
The 33 is released January 29th.
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