In the mid-90s Benecio 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 as the shady Columbian operative known only as Alejandro
in SICARIO (out on Blu-ray, DVD and digital platforms
NOW) is nominated for a Supporting Actor BAFTA, yet controversially
snubbed by the Academy this year amongst a number of non-white
omissions. Never mind the Academy, let’s take a look at some of Del
Toro’s most impressive performances to date...
Sicario (2015)
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.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Johnny Depp stars as the drug addled
journalist, Raoul Duke, in the big screen adaptation of Hunter S.
Thompson’s novel of the same name. Duke sets out on a quest in a
red convertible with his psychotic Samoan lawyer, played by Del Toro,
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. Directed by Monty Python’s
Terry Gilliam, this psychedelic film is a different, yet positive and
welcomed, addition to Benecio Del Toro’s roster of roles.
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.
SICARIO
is out now on Blu-ray, DVD and digital platforms, courtesy of
Lionsgate Home Entertainment