Andy Garcia

1) The Godfather Part III (1990)

Andy Garcia landed a well-deserved Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Oscars for playing Vincent Mancini, the son of Sonny Corleone. It’s already been documented how well Garcia fuses the traits of his fictional ancestors (the temper of Sonny, the calculation of Michael, and the aloofness of Fredo) but he brings an edge to the character that makes the unnecessary third installment spark whenever he’s on screen. While Michael’s story of regret and hope for redemption provide a strong backbone for this uneven entry, Garcia goes for the gusto with this great performance, capping off a notable murder by simply saying “Zasa!”

2) Ocean's Eleven (2001)

“He’ll kill you, and then he’ll go to work on you” is how one supporting character describes Terry Benedict, Garcia’s incarnation of a casino owner that plays by the rules of Las Vegas. Benedict is the target of smooth talking thief Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and his fellow culprits when Benedict is now the significant other of Ocean’s ex-wife (Julia Roberts.) An elaborate heist unravels but characters are rarely sacrificed for the sake of fast-paced entertainment, perfectly illustrated in the brilliantly acted confrontation scene at dinner between Clooney, Roberts, and Garcia.

3) Internal Affairs (1990)

Internal Affairs is the kind of crooked cop thriller that found a great place in the nostalgia of the 1990’s. As Raymond Avilla, Garcia is the protagonist in the LAPD’s Internal Affairs department who has the tough assignment of bringing down corrupt sleaze ball Dennis Peck (Richard Gere, in one of his best roles.) Though he ends up being Peck’s human piñata for the bulk of the picture, he ends up doing proper justice to a character that manages to hold his own against the scenery chewing skills of Gere at the top of his game. No small feat, mind you.

4) Black Rain (1989)

Ridley Scott’s really, really dark post modern-esque police drama provided Garcia with a nice supporting role opposite hard-boiled Michael Douglas. There’s not too much to speak of on this one except to say there is a memorable scene in a parking garage with a motorcycle, a samurai sword, and, well, Garcia’s head.

5) The Untouchables (1987)

Like much of Garcia’s early work he played a cop, supporting Caucasian leading men in solid films. He is very understated, but deadly, as George Stone, a Latino that meets the acquaintance of Elliot Ness (Kevin Costner) and Jim Malone (Oscar-winning Sean Connery) as they battle with wits and Tommy Guns against the legendary Chicago gangster Al Capone (Robert De Niro.) Though his performance is relatively quiet and subdued, Garcia is excellent in one of the roles that got his career on the fast track 20 years ago.

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