Ricardo Darínis Argentina’s most iconic actor. His performances have a sort of Nicolas Cage quality, in the sense that no matter how regular or plain terrible a movie is, if Ricardo Darín is in it, you know you are in for an interesting experience.
As happens with many iconic actors, such as Will Smith, Tom Cruise, Adam Sandler, or Harrison Ford, Ricardo Darín is not a character actor, but he seems to just play himself in every movie. That may sound limiting, but, if your movie has a Ricardo Darín kind of character in it, there is no one else you want playing that role but him. That’s why you can find him in so many outstanding films.
10’Thesis on a Homicide' (2013)
IMDb rating: 6.3
Ricardo Darín plays a former lawyer, now college professor, who obsesses over an investigation of a murder that occurred on campus. His will to solve the case himself intensifies when evidence starts to point in the direction of one of his students.
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Thesis on a Homicideevokes the same feeling as theSouth Korean movie Memories of Murder, the frustration of having bits and pieces of evidence pointing to a suspect, but nothing concrete enough to actually convict him. Darín perfectly incarnates the conflict between knowing someone is guilty and actually being able to prove it.
9’Everybody Knows' (2018)
IMDb rating: 6.9
Everybody Knowsexplores the complex web of secrets lying at the core of a Spanish family. Laura, the protagonist, travels to Spain from Argentina to attend her sister’s wedding; very soon the wholesome trip devolves into a kidnapping story, as her teenage daughter goes missing.
Ricardo Darín was a great choice to play Laura’s husband. He delivers a strong performance as he bursts into the scene, demanding to know where his daughter is, only to find out that the situation is more mysterious than it appeared at first, as family members start suspecting each other.
8’Heroic Losers' (2019)
IMDb rating: 7.2
Heroic Losers, its superior original title being “The Odyssey of the Idiots”, is a movie about a group of people affected by a massive government con, ending up with nothing after investing their collective life savings in a supposedly promising venture. Soon enough they get a chance for revenge.
This is a comedy about how you can keep fighting and find hope, even when everything seems to be lost. Ricardo Darín’s character leads the group towards sweet vengeance, feeling obligated to because he was the one who convinced everybody to invest. As always, the truthfulness of his performance is the main factor that makes the film enjoyable and exciting.
7’Truman' (2015)
IMDb rating: 7.3
Trumantells the story of Julián, a man who was fighting cancer, but now thinks that there is no point anymore, the disease has spread to other organs; he just wants to relax and enjoy the rest of his life without having to endure chemotherapy. However, Tomás, his lifelong friend is set on convincing him to continue the treatment.
Julián spends his last moments preparing for death in a rather cold fashion. He seems detached, but he also wants to say goodbye to the people he cares for. Ricardo Darín’s performance is perfect for this character because he had to convey both love of life and acceptance of death at the same time, obviously he succeeded.
6’Chinese Take-Out' (2011)
InChinese Take-Out, Ricardo Darín plays a man named Roberto who has been beaten up by life. After suffering many personal tragedies, he relishes in the absurdity of life, collecting newspaper stories that make no sense from around the world. By chance, he meets Jun, a Chinese man who seems to be looking for someone in Argentina, but the language barrier makes things very hard for him.
In the beginning, we saw that Jun was having dinner with his girlfriend when suddenly a cow fell from the sky and crushed her. Fueled by the absurd tragedies that both Roberto and Jun have experienced, they will learn to trust each other and therefore grow as people. Once again, Ricardo Darín plays a miserable guy looking for a purpose, and he does it masterfully.
5’Argentina 1985' (2022)
IMDb rating: 7.6
Argentina 1985isbased on the real-life storyof Julio César Strassera, the Argentinian prosecutor who led the trial against the military leaders who ruled Argentina with an iron fist for years. At first afraid and full of doubt, the protagonist risks his life and the well-being of his family to bring the men who terrorized his country to justice.
The historic trial was the real-life equivalent of the time when Harvey Dent wanted to prosecute all mafia bosses and their minions at the same time. As the lead prosecutor, Strassera’s life was threatened many times, but he bravely carried on and did what he had to do. Ricardo Darín plays a very defying and pragmatic character, but also pessimistic and careful; there lies its brilliance.
4’Son of the Bride' (2001)
IMDB rating: 7.8
InSon of the BrideDarin plays the classic character of the stressed businessman who, by focusing exclusively on business, completely neglects his family. Forced by circumstances, he shuffles his priorities and transforms his life.
It is quite moving how the protagonist leaves his cynicism behind bit by bit. Darín’s characters are almost always witty know-it-alls, and this is no exception, but this time his attitude is sweetened by his family. For once, he thinks about other people and helps his parents fulfill their last remaining wish before death; through this effort, he finds what he was looking for.
3’Nine Queens' (2000)
IMDB rating: 7.9
Luis (Darín) has perfected conning people into an art form. By chance, he meets Juan, an amateur con man who clearly needs some tutoring. He decides to bring him along for a day of crime, and as he schools him they come across a con big enough for them to retire.
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Nine Queensis considered a major classic in Argentinian cinema and in Latin American cinema in general. It inspired two film adaptations (one in the US and another one in India), and a major part of its allure comes from Darín’s masterful performance as the know-it-all, witty, and easily angered master conman.
2’Wild Tales' (2014)
IMDb rating: 8.1
Wild Talesis an anthology film about people who are just one small step away from snapping and destroying whatever or whoever is in front of them. It portrays viscerally extreme emotions, which makes the experience of watching the movie quite engaging.
Ricardo Darín stars in the most memorable of the tales, playing a man so frustrated about how the city government treats him after towing his car (giving him expensive tickets and refusing to elaborate why), that he decides to bomb his own car while it is sitting on the towing center. That way he becomes a hero to the disgruntled masses. Darin’s repressed rage makes the character charming, as it is easy to identify with his suffering.
1’The Secret in Their Eyes' (2009)
IMDb rating: 8.2.
Bejamín is a retired legal counselor who’s writing a novel about the most baffling case he ever encountered in his career. While reminiscing about all the twists and turns of that unresolved investigation, he begins to find the answers he had been missing for so long.
The Secret in Their Eyesis a masterpiece, beating Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon for Best Foreign Film in the 2010 Academy Awards. Its mysterious script has to be one of the best of all time because it leads you one way while taking you in another direction, as every great thriller does.
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