"Actor's Watch" focuses on watches worn by actors in movies, television, etc.
This time, for the 56th installment, we will be introducing " Benicio del Toro 's watch."
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I first learned of this actor in "The Usual Suspects" (1995) directed by Bryan Singer . He was in the center of the poster as if he was the main character, but I remember being shocked when he left the story so early. I think I saw it at the now defunct Ginza Theater Cinema in Ginza 1-chome. It's a fond memory.
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He later played a Mexican investigator investigating corruption involving drug cartels in "Traffic" (2000), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, joining the ranks of great actors. However, his appearance was completely different from the skinny thug role he played in "The Usual Suspects," and many people who have watched both films probably don't realize that he is the same actor (this is me a few years ago).
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In the recently released "The French Dispatch" (2022), he played a psychopathic prisoner painter who catches the eye of an art dealer, adding just the right amount of tension to the film.
So let's take a closer look at Benicio del Toro 's wrist.
F*ck Las Vegas
FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS (1998)
In the early 1970s, Raoul Duke ( Johnny Depp ), a journalist known for his style of writing subjective, emotional, memoir-like articles, and his legal adviser Dr. Gonzo ( Benicio Del Toro ) pack drugs into their car and head to Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race, but they soon become addicted to drugs on the way there and can no longer distinguish between reality and hallucinations. Even after arriving, they make no progress on their article, and spend all their time trashing hotel rooms and picking up girls. Even after they run out of money and are left penniless, the two continue their selfish behavior...
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Hunter S. Thompson is a legendary journalist who interviewed the Hell's Angels and the Rolling Stones and established a style of writing his own memoirs that are full of subjectivity and emotion. This film is based on his free-spirited and destructive memoir, "Las Vegas 71," and is a fantastical hippie film that depicts the wild 70s. Johnny Depp shaved his head to look like Thompson, and Benicio Del Toro gained 20kg to play a dissolute lawyer who is always picking up women.
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In this film, Benicio del Toro wears a vintage Timex from the 1970s. Since there were a ton of similar models on the market at the time, it's difficult to identify the model from an image, but the story takes place in 1971, which was the transitional period between mechanical and quartz watches, so it's possible that the watch is an "electromagnetic balance" (a battery-powered mechanical watch), which only existed for a short time during that period.
Choi: 28-year-old revolution / 39-year-old farewell letter
C.E. (2008)
In 1940, Fulgencio Batista became president of Cuba through a coup d'état, and after establishing a dictatorial regime, he teamed up with the US government and corporations to enrich himself and continue to oppress the people. In response to this situation, former lawyer Fidel Castro stepped up, organized an armed group, and began guerrilla warfare in the mid-1950s. Around that time, one of the anti-government guerrillas , Che Guevara (Benicio Del Toro), volunteered for the dangerous mission of transporting injured comrades. Having earned the trust of his comrades through this mission, Guevara was also seen by Castro as "someone necessary for post-revolutionary Cuba," and was entrusted with important missions...
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This two-part film, spanning four and a half hours, depicts the life of Ernesto Che Guevara, the revolutionary who led the guerrilla warfare unit during the 1958 Cuban Revolution. Benicio del Toro, who plays the lead role of Guevara and is also a co-producer, spent seven years interviewing Guevara's family and fellow guerrillas. Having thoroughly researched Guevara's true face and personality before taking on the role, he won the Best Actor Award at the 61st Cannes Film Festival for this work.
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In the film, he is wearing a Rolex GMT-Master (Ref. 1675) with a Pepsi bezel. Che Guevara actually wore the same model of watch. Around the time of the Cuban Revolution, Guevara traveled frequently to allied communist countries, and he had more opportunities to check multiple time zones, such as keeping track of the time in Cuba and Moscow at the same time, so he made good use of the GMT function.
Sicario: Soldier's Day
SICARIO: DAY OF THE SOLDADO (2018)
A suicide bombing by an illegal immigrant occurs near the border between the United States and Mexico. The Department of Homeland Security suspects that it is the work of a Mexican drug cartel and orders CIA Special Agent Matt Graver ( Josh Brolin ) to eliminate the cartel. As Matt begins the operation to eliminate the cartel, he asks Alejandro ( Benicio Del Toro ), a Colombian hitman with whom he once worked, for help in the investigation. Matt and Alejandro embark on a plan to induce internal conflict and fighting among themselves among multiple drug cartels.
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The second film in the Sicario series, in which a CIA agent and a hitman team up to fight drug cartels. Benicio del Toro continues to play Alejandro, the cold-hearted hitman whose wife and child were killed in a drug war and who lives only for revenge.
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In this movie, he wears a Casio G-SHOCK (Ref. DW9052-1B). Its uneven shape gives it a tough look. Come to think of it, in the much talked about co-starring of Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in "Heat" (1995), De Niro's character, the leader of a gang of robbers, wears a tough Timex digital watch. This choice of watch reflects a trend in Hollywood movie props, where what professional criminals look for in a watch is not status or beauty, but "accuracy and durability."
summary
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In a past interview, he said, "No matter who the person is, give them a background." Benicio del Toro has said that "getting into character starts with the shoes," and he is particular about every aspect of his watch choices, such as matching them to the historical background and his character. I'm sure he will continue to choose watches that reflect the character, background, and even life of the characters he plays, so if you're a watch lover, be sure to check out his wrist. I'll try to go see the movies in theaters as much as possible!
see you!