An ALMA-award winning actor, equally talented singer and beyond physical action star, Banderas maintains worldwide likability thanks to his endless charisma, multiple on-screen personas and edgy role taking. What are his arguably best entries in the genre outside of dramatically captivating us and making us chuckle? Let’s find out here today!
10. And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself
In 1914, a Hollywood film crew is tasked with covering the infamous outlaw who was best-known for having either a charming or threatening presence depending on who you asked. The film has some needless padding towards the end but it always engages thanks to the perfect casting of Banderas as the legendary outlaw, being intriguing historical fiction and providing the battles it promises.
9. Automata
An underrated Cyberpunk film thanks to the cast, visuals and drama it contains, it is also one of the better produced films by the Nu Image/Millennium Films library of the 2010s. Having once again more murderous corporations villains, appropriate cerebral man vs. machine discussions and giving plenty of Banderas to do in the heroic role, it’s also one of the better tributes to genre classics like Blade Runner and The Terminator without feeling like a dull homage.
8. Ballistic: Ecks Vs. Sever
Unfairly bashed, you’re more likely to find filmgoers who dug it as opposed to the hatred most film sites like to claim this film was worthy of. Despite a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it actually got some good reviews by other sites that mysteriously weren’t included, furthering the recurring argument that that site just needs to take a hike already. While it was produced by the infamous studio Franchise Pictures, poorly promoted and had its director fired mid-way, it’s a beyond exciting joyride once you forgive its unusual initial set-up.
Movie-wise, this complex spy film has a lot of the same shadowy government forces and mysterious assassin tropes that were previously found in films like Eraser, The Replacement Killers and The Art of War. As the titular framed FBI Agent Ecks, Banderas gets to more of the awesome tragic hero and gun-saddled moments we like to see him typically perform on-screen. He plays well off initial nemesis-turned-ally Sever (Lucy Liu) and they all get to perform plenty of well-choreographed Matrix-type fight scenes and Heat/Hard Boiled-like organized ambushes. The film doesn’t have the brilliance of Speed but it does have as awesome a bus chase-and-crash. It isn’t up to par with Die Hard or James Bond but it does have much of the same cool villains and explosions (which were stunt coordinated by Terminator 2’s Joel Kramer!). Not every movie can be listed as a Top 100 Action film of All Time but some of them can at least go down as a solid popcorn cult movie outing much akin to the likes of Gymkata and American Ninja. And that’s fine because both it and Banderas seriously own in this nifty spectacle!
7. The Mask of Zorro
As a Spanish-born Californian vigilante version of the often-Mexican portrayed swashbuckler, this slam-bang spectacle enthralls and Banderas really made this one of his best roles by putting more of his laid-back persona be intertwined with all the Errol Flynn type sword dueling and Jackie Chan type jaw-dropping stunts. Catherine-Zeta Jones makes for a cool romantic lead for Banderas instead of serving as a helpless damsel or cheesy eye-candy. Anthony Hopkins serves the film well as Banderas’ mentor and in Sean Connery-like fashion (who coincidentally was originally supposed to be in this film), manages to be really good in the role despite clearly not being the right ethnicity or proper accent. The films has all the sinister villainy and well-staged adventure you expect from this kind of film, whether it’s ‘40s big-screen serial short or a small-screen television film. Either way, it builds up the proper intrigue, stunning looks and non-stop thrills it promises while maintaining the appeal and adventure that this all merits to begin with.
6. Security
As a former military man quickly looking to make ends meet, Banderas takes the first security job he’s offered at a mall as his bills start stacking up. Before you can say “This is Die Hard set in a Mall,” the film delivers just that instantly! The film benefits from by keeping things plausible, using the character’s tactical skills to good use (a la The Equalizer) and having an unusual yet fascinating villain brought to life by Ben Kingsley. The film also incorporates its single location well by detailing the limited resources the heroes have for this surprise terrorist takeover while also making each part of the escalating violence stand out in its own surprising way to avoid repetition and any kind of formulaic nature. I also do mobile security for a living and after seeing this gem on Netflix, my co-workers all acknowledged that not only did they all see and enjoy it but also viewed it as one of Banderas’ best recent efforts. The council has spoken, everyone!
5. The Big Bang
¡Dispara!/Outrage is a great film but he’s not in it as the main action star so I went with another keeper. I went with a well-configured film that serves as a Neo-Noir tribute. It has everything: the femme fatale, abusive cops, sleazy scumbags and other deceptive characters involved in the overall conspiracy. It even has a scifi disaster type plot twist in the second half so for that alone makes it a dynamite film to seek out. But aside from that, Banderas adds the right kind of texture to the role that makes him relatable to the viewer and make us want to go on this chaotic yet deceit-filled journey with him.
4. The 33
Based on the traumatic explosion that impacted at the Chilean San Jose mine, this film skyrockets from the beginning to end frames. Destroyed by critics and far better received by audiences, Banderas is part of a great ensemble cast and the film is a perfect entry for the disaster-claustrophobic survival subgenre due to reminding viewers that it actually happened and never sinking to dull melodramatic levels. The well is quickly edited without leaving the protagonists undeveloped and does solid montages to cram in the other details without over-explaining or creating boredom. The survival itself materializes rather well thanks to making one feel the sweat-inducing tension in the trapped factory rooms and off-color humor to specify the harsh conditions. Much like Argo and Patriot’s Day, you might know the ending based on the news reports but you’re still enthralled by the build-up and wanting to see it all through!
3. Desperado
Assassins is great fun but it’s primarily a Stallone based outing despite his scene-stealing moments so I went with the OTHER bad-ass Action gem he was in from 1995! Easily the best installment in Robert Rodriguez’s El Mariachi trilogy, it’s a fun homage to Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy as well as a violent ‘80s style adventure. Bucho is still a great quotable villain, each kill by the hero stands out, the other colorful supporting characters amuse and Salma Hayek is still one of Banderas’ best leading ladies he ever played off of. The film’s still fascinatingly well-staged, promptly edited, perfectly scored and endlessly rewatchable to this day.
2. Acts of Vengeance
The overall film works great at taking these familiar revenge clichés and actually letting the visuals do the talking instead of dragging or taking its sweet time getting comfortable with its violent vision. Another winner from filmmaker Isaac Florentine, the twists in the second half make it all the more appropriately dark and exciting. The film can’t be summed up without giving it all away but it’s working well in every department, that you must know. Now see it, dammit!
1. The 13th Warrior
Expendables 3, Puzzle and Haywire are ensemble all-star pieces but I went with one where Banderas mainly leads the overall spectacle instead of being supporting. Bullet Head and Femme Fatale are also more Crime genre-oriented. No, instead let us settle for the criminally underrated adaptation of the excellent Michael Crichton best-seller. The film benefits by mixing the fantasy style of Beowulf (like the book) with the village-set adventure of The Seven Samurai. Director John McTiernan also stages many of the forest crawling and river treading in the same manner as his classic film Predator, which serves the atmosphere of the film truly well.
Whenever I asked my pals, let one classmates, what film they liked Banderas in the most, they often cited Zorro, Desperado, Philadelphia and 13th Warrior. It’s all a true story and Banderas also displays perfect range as the Arab traveler tasked with exploring perilous foreign land while finding the unlikeliest allies in a group of Viking warriors. The cannibalistic forestmen are effectively creepy in their nature, the freaky vibe is consistent throughout the runtime and the end gory battle is easily on par with other spectacles like Excalibur, Braveheart and Lord of the Rings!
