Is there a better character actor right now than Benicio del Toro?

No. There isn't, and maybe I should remove the qualifier “character.”

This message has been edited. Last edited by: TMats, December 01, 2024 04:35 PM

I think one of his best roles was in the Usual Suspects.

I also liked him in the Hunted with Tommy Lee Jones.

I still have not seen the movie, The way of the Gun from 2000.

He has done some fine work in the last decade.

This is my favorite scene in Sicario 2:



This is the breakdown of that same scene with narration from the director. It was BDT's idea to do it that way. Good instinct on his part.

Rawny, the director’s narrative of the scene was great. Thanks.

Good in Snatch, too

He was also good in "Reptile." And "The Wolfman" with Anthony Hopkins. "The Pledge" with Jack Nickleson. As well as the above.

He is excellent in 'Traffic'. A good movie with twists.

I liked him a lot in Way of the Gun as well.

Usual Suspects, Fear and Loathing and Way of the Gun are probably my favorites of his.

He was excellent in 21 grams as well.

Been watching him since 1989. My first I remember seeing him in was License to Kill. 007 Film, but with Timothy Dalton. The Sicario films are my favorite of his.

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:
Been watching him since 1989. My first I remember seeing him in was License to Kill. 007 Film, but with Timothy Dalton. The Sicario films are my favorite of his.

He was malevolence personified in Sicario, which is why the clip that Rawny posted that showed a more benevolent side was so striking. When he was in a scene in Sicario you could sense a chill.

My favorite scene is him in Traffic in how they portray how Mexico operates which is probably 100% spot on:

Tourist Woman: Don't you wanna know what kind of car it is?
Tourist Man: Yeah, it's a brown Ford Explorer...
Tourist Woman: - Look, it was right here, it's been stolen, I wanna file a report.
Manolo Sanchez: A report, will not help you find your car.
Javier Rodriguez: Eh; the police won't find your car.
Tourist Woman: You ARE the police!
Javier Rodriguez: [he writes down a number and hands it to her] You gonna call this man... and he'll find your car for you.
Tourist Man: I don't-I don't get it.
Tourist Woman: How is this guy gonna know who has our car?
Javier Rodriguez: ...the police will tell him.
Tourist Man: Why-why will they tell him and they won't tell us?
Tourist Woman: Because we pay him, stupid. Right? Then he pays the police and suddenly our car appears.
Javier Rodriguez: Es, es, es correct, es correct.
Tourist Woman: [quietly] Just give it to him, alright?
Tourist Man: I know.
Tourist Woman: Give him the money!
Javier Rodriguez: Let's start moving to the sidewalk.
Tourist Man: [offering the money] Take it.
Javier Rodriguez: Nononono.
Tourist Woman: No, please, take it!
Javier Rodriguez: Nononono, nono, let's start moving to the sidewalk, to the sidewalk, let's go to the sidewalk.
[disgusted, the couple start to walk off]
Javier Rodriguez: Call the man! Have a nice day.

Pretty good Bond villain too!

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
Pretty good Bond villain too!

Is there a film in which ne wasn’t good? I haven’t seen it

quote:

Originally posted by Tn226:

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
Pretty good Bond villain too!

Is there a film in which ne wasn’t good? I haven’t seen it

That would be my point, I guess.

His speech impedement (or whatever it was) in Usual Suspects was also his idea.

quote:

Originally posted by nukeandpave:
His speech impedement (or whatever it was) in Usual Suspects was also his idea.

Yep, I'd call it mumbling. He knew Fenster was really only in the story as comic relief and to be the first to die so nothing he said really mattered, so he asked the director if he could just mumble everything.

"Can you hear me in the back?"

He also did an excellent job of acting in the Netflix series “Escape at Dannemora”. He played Richard Matt.