Antonio Banderas is one of the more recognisable faces (and certainly one of the most recognisable voices) in Hollywood. His presence in front of the camera is tangible, and the variety of roles he enjoys now is testament to a versatility few could have expected of the man who came to Tinsel Town barely speaking a word of English.
He has been a masked legend (twice, one furry – the other not so), played with another kind of mask (horrifcally so – see the final note), appeared opposite the likes of Sir Anthony Hopkins, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie and Spongebob Squarepants. He’s done it all, and now a new film of his arrives on DVD this week.
Security sees the actor as an ex-Special Forces vet taking a job as a security guard. On his first night he rescues a young girl fleeing from a hijacked convey, taking her to testify in a criminal trial. Sir Ben Kingsley is the man after the girl, Banderas is the one to stop him, protect the girl and get an outstanding appraisal in his job probation hearing.
Banderas has skipped through the early stage of his Hollywood career, hoisted from the Almodovar pool by Madonna of all people, and now enjoys a varied career. We’ve looked back through his many films to pick out the different faces of the best Mr. Flags has to offer. Let’s start…
The Pedro Almodóvar years
Banderas was spotted by the filmmaker while performing theatre in Spain in the early 80s. Cast immediately, Banderas was thrown in the world of film with a small role (a gay Islamic terrorist, no less) in Almodovar’s delightfully unhinged melodrama Labyrinth of Passion. He would work with the director on Law of Desire, in which the passion Banderas brings to the screen unfurls in a remarkable physical performance. Not only is the encapsulating and translating life’s furious desire part of Almodovar’s directing genius, it unlocked a key aspect of Banderas’ cinematic persona.
This new calling found a perfect platform as the actor took the lead role in Almodovar’s 1986 film, Matador. One of Almodovar’s darkest films (which he would revisit with Banderas years down the line), the director pushed the boundaries of taste and identity as the country claimed its own ground in the liberality following the rule of Francisco Franco. Banderas embodied the bold, unrelenting, exploratory emerging identity to a tee.
There is anger and resistance in his work under Almodovar. His two roles in the director’s global breakout Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and Tie me Up! Tie me Down! showcased his versatility and fierce physical presence that made the jump to 90s Hollywood blockbusters an obvious step.
Hollywood Calling, and the Man Behind the Mask
Though cast well to type initially (The Mambo Kings debut is well forgotten), it was roles in Bille August‘s The House of the Spirits opposite Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons and Glenn Close that introduced him to a wider audience. A notable turn in the sadly late Jonathan Demme’s Philadelphia offered a different side to the Latin Lover stereotype Hollywood seemed eager to mould him into. It spoke to his past with Almodovar that a new actor in town would take a role which, at the time, could be considered a risky move.
It was his role as Martin Campbell’s Alejandro Murrieta (better known as the masked man – Zorro) which gave Banderas a viable foothold in American cinema. The films were the latest of many to take the heroic figure of a masked man fighting against oppression to the masses. Johnston McCulley’s enduring hero found a witty (sometimes a little silly), passionate standard bearer in Banderas.
The films are shacked by the late 90s insistence on pyrotechnic grandeur, but the pantomime playfulness was underscored by a solid foundation of dedication from the lead actor. The oft-forgotten sequel arrived seven years later and was a lesser work from all involved (director Campbell also returned, as did Catherine Zeta-Jones), but it proved that Banderas was still a draw.
He jumped into the lead role of Robert Rodriguez’s Hollywood remake of El Mariachi a few years prior to his debut as Zorro. Desperado rode the new wave of films which washed through Hollywood following the breakout success of Quentin Tarantino. He appeared with Salma Hayek in both this and the follow up Once Upon a Time in Mexico.
It was another dalliance with Rodriguez which allowed the actor to move into another sphere. The kid-friendly action films which played under the Spy Kids banner opened up a further avenue for both director and star. And these would lead to a feline reimagining of his first Hollywood star-making turn.
The Animated Adventures
With Game Over declared for the Spy Kids saga, Banderas’ next children’s film was a voice only role. That he managed to make such an impression in a film already crowded with over the top performances is testament to the man. Puss in Boots now has an animated series and a movie of his own, however when Shrek 2 rolled around little was expected of the smooth-talking rat catcher.
The furry flirt with the aww-factor only a moment away, Puss became the favourite fairy tale character of the series. He delighted from the moment he arrived on screen, and Banderas threw himself into the role. If you’re a Spongebob Squarepants fan you can see him likewise immersing himself into a very silly role in that film too.
With the likes of Automata, Haywire and now Security there is great range to Antonio Banderas. This light footfall through his work should give you an indication of that, and perhaps a few new titles to check out if you’re a fan.
A Final Note
In 2011 Banderas reunited with Pedro Almodovar for The Skin I Live In. It’s a phenomenal film, with the very blackest of dark intentions and stomach-churning revelations. It’s a film unlike their next work together (Almodovar’s very different I’m So Excited), and in fact it’s a film unlike almost anything else. If you haven’t seen it yet please do so – and read nothing about it.
Security is out on DVD right now.
