Eiza González is slowly but surely building an impressive resumé. The Mexican actress got her start in telenovelas before successfully transitioning to Hollywood with a major role in Edgar Wright‘s 2017 critically acclaimed action hit Baby Driver. From there, González has become a prominent player in the action genre, working with several prominent directors and delivering scene-stealing turns as both a lead and a supporting player.
Currently, González has two major projects in film and television, playing major roles in the ensembles of the Netflix hit show 3 Body Problem and Guy Ritchie‘s action comedy movie The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Thus, González adds two critically praised projects to an already strong resumé that includes several acclaimed movies. From psychological thrillers to action vehicles, these are Eiza González’s best movies thus far, proving she is one of Hollywood’s most promising young talents.
10 ‘Cut Throat City’ (2020)
Directed by RZA
RZA‘s 2020 heist film Cut Throat City stars an ensemble cast including Shameik Moore, Wesley Snipes, Ethan Hawke, and González. Set in New Orleans after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the plot centers on four desperate friends who plan to execute an ambitious heist and turn their lives around. González plays a key supporting role as Detective Lucinda Valencia, who’s in charge of investigating the heist.
To its benefit, Cut Throat City features an ambitious story that never once settles for the bare minimum. On the flip side, the film can sometimes seem aimless and trapped by its needlessly convoluted plot. González is a compelling presence as the detective pursuing every lead, leaving no stone unturned to reach the truth. However, she remains sympathetic thanks to her empathy towards the protagonists, making her the film’s unsung hero. While it doesn’t rank among the 21st century’s best heist movies, Cut Throat City remains enjoyable and thrilling thanks to RZA’s assured direction and the quality work of its cast.
Cut Throat City
- Release Date
- July 31, 2020
- Runtime
- 132
- Writers
- Paul Cuschieri
9 ‘Alita: Battle Angel’ (2019)
Directed by Robert Rodriguez
Cult director Robert Rodriguez embraced his B-movie sensibilities with the 2019 sci-fi action film Alita: Battle Angel. Based on the manga Gunnm, the plot follows the titular character, a cyborg with no recollection of her past. Awakening on a new body, Alita tries to find a purpose while navigating the treacherous Iron City. Rosa Salazar leads an ensemble cast, including Oscar winners Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, and Mahershala Ali.
González once again plays a supporting role as Nyssiana, a wanted cyborg assassin working as an underling to the crime cyborg boss Grewishka. Her intervention is all too brief, and the subpar visual effects distract from an otherwise effective performance, as González plays a cyborg femme fatale. Like other movies by Rodriguez, Alita is bold but uneven, biting more than it can chew and struggling under the weight of its own daring ideas. Still, Rodriguez’s flair and an interesting-enough story make Alita well worth the watch.
![Alita Battle Angel Poster](https://static1.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/alita-battle-angel-poster.jpg)
Alita: Battle Angel
- Release Date
- February 14, 2019
- Runtime
- 122 Minutes
- Writers
- Yukito Kishiro , James Cameron , Laeta Kalogridis
8 ‘Fast & Furious Presents. Hobbs & Shaw’ (2019)
Directed by David Leitch
A spin-off of the highly successful Fast & Furious series, the aptly named Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw centers on the characters of Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham). The unlikely pair team up with Shaw’s sister, Hattie (Vanessa Kirby), to stop the cybernetically enhanced terrorist Brixton Lore (Idris Elba). González plays another pivotal supporting role as Madame M, Deckard’s former lover and a key ally in their fight against Lore.
Hobbs & Shaw offers the most ludicrous plot in the Fast saga, veering away from the street-set action of the original movies and into full science fiction territory. Still, the change works thanks to a lively script and the fun performances of a game cast. González easily dominates her scenes in the film, clearly enjoying her role as the alluring and resourceful thief. If anything, Hobbs & Shaw would’ve greatly benefited from using her character more; her chemistry with Statham is great, and her banter with both Kirby and Johnson is a highlight of an already humorous movie.
Rent on Universal
7 ‘Paradise Hills’ (2021)
Directed by Alice Waddington
The sci-fi fantasy thriller Paradise Hills is among the most underrated efforts from the 2020s. Emma Roberts stars as Uma, a young woman sent to a behavioral modification center for women run by The Dutchess (a wickedly delicious Milla Jovovich). There, she meets other women who have seemingly displeased their families, including González’s Amarna, a famous singer sent to the center after displeasing her management company.
González plays a major role in the first act, exciting with a eerie message that hints not everything is at it seems; once again, the actress is tasked with delivering vital information, and the film would simply wouldn’t work without her. Paradise Hills features a classic feminist story about womanhood, rage, and liberation, told with enough style to stand out. The cast, which also includes Awkwafina and Danielle Macdonald, is brilliant and easily the film’s strongest asset. The plot follows a familiar beat, even when it tries to be daring, but Paradise Hills remains intriguing enough to justify its twist.
Watch on Paramount+
6 ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ (2021)
Directed by Adam Wingard
Godzilla vs. Kong might just be the most rewatchable movie in the MonsterVerse. The plot finds the two titular titans clashing in a grand battle royale that utterly decimates several parts of the world, culminating in a major showdown against Mechagodzilla in a neon-colored Hong Kong.
Although the film’s real stars are two titular monsters, the human characters are interesting enough to warrant a mention. However, no film in González’s filmography is more frustrating than Godzilla vs. Kong. Per González’s own words, the film changed significantly during reshoots, reducing her role and eliminating many of her scenes. Still, what’s there is great fun, with González playing a high-powered mean girl with all the potential to be a scene-stealing antagonist. No one will ever know what could’ve been, but what’s on-screen is enough proof that González would absolutely shine as a villain when given the proper chance.
![Godzilla vs. Kong Film Poster](https://static1.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/godzilla-vs-kong-film-poster.jpg)
Godzilla vs. Kong
- Release Date
- March 31, 2021
- Runtime
- 113 minutes
- Writers
- Eric Pearson , Max Borenstein , Terry Rossio , Michael Dougherty , Zach Shields
5 ‘She’s Missing’ (2019)
Directed by Alexandra McGuinness
The 2019 dramatic thriller She’s Missing follows Heidi, whose best friend is Jane, a rodeo queen and military wife with dreams of stardom. When Jane goes missing, Heidi goes on a frantic search across the desert, finding multiple dubious characters and experiencing the dangers of life on the road.
As Jane, González is a fascinating and mercurial presence in the film. Her performance is vague, seductive, vulnerable, slightly aggressive, and utterly commanding. Although She’s Missing follows many of the classic tropes typical of a missing person’s thriller, the film soars on the strength of González and co-star Lucy Fry‘s performances. The duo is magnetic on-screen, keeping the narrative afloat even when it threatens to become stale. Minimalist to the point of being austere, She’s Missing might not offer much other than what’s on-screen, but what’s there is more than enough to make it compelling and intriguing.
Watch on Tubi
4 ‘Ambulance’ (2022)
Directed by Michael Bay
Michael Bay is at his Michael Bay-est in the 2022 action thriller Ambulance. Academy Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal joins Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in the story of the Sharp brothers, who rob a bank and take and hijack an ambulance, inadvertently taking young Paramedic Cam Thompson as a hostage.
González effortlessly keeps up with Gyllenhaal and Abdul-Mateen II, which is no easy task, considering the Oscar nominee is doing entirely too much in the role. However, all three match Bay’s energy behind the camera; Ambulance is Bay’s most humane story, and the three actors at its center rise to the challenge, producing a unique dynamic that keeps the narrative going despite the loudness surrounding them. Adhering to Bay’s now-well-known formula, Ambulance is a tightly paced and anxiety-inducing thriller that is as bombastic as it’s satisfying.
Ambulance
- Release Date
- February 17, 2022
- Cast
- Jake Gyllenhaal , Eiza González , Devan Chandler Long
- Runtime
- 136
- Writers
- Chris Fedak , Laurits Munch-Petersen , Lars Andreas Pedersen
Watch on Starz
3 ‘Baby Driver’ (2017)
Directed by Edgar Wright
Edgar Wright’s critically acclaimed, Oscar-nominated action thriller Baby Driver follows Miles, AKA Baby, a young getaway driver working for the master thief Doc. His life changes upon meeting the beautiful waitress Debora, and Baby begins to doubt his criminal life. González delivers a scene-stealing supporting role as Darling, the sole female member of Doc’s crew and wife to the passionate yet violent Buddy.
Baby Driver provided González with her breakthrough performance, and she made the most out of the opportunity. The actress delivers a great performance, perfectly embodying Darling’s vapid and sultry yet detached and ruthless behavior. Coupled with an equally great Jon Hamm, González creates a modern-day Bonnie, with Hamm as her Clyde. Baby Driver is a near-perfect mix of black humor, thrilling action, and surprisingly compelling romance, resulting in a unique film that rightly earned acclaim from critics and fans alike.
![Baby Driver movie poster](https://static1.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/baby-driver-movie-poster.jpg)
Baby Driver
- Release Date
- June 28, 2017
- Runtime
- 115
- Writers
- Edgar Wright
2 ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ (2024)
Directed by Guy Ritchie
González is no stranger to being the only woman in a mostly male cast; her most recent cinematic effort is proof of that. The actress stars as Marjorie Stewart in Guy Ritchie’s spy action comedy The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, opposite an ensemble cast including Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, and Henry Golding. A heavily fictionalized version of Operation Postmaster, the film follows a crew of skilled individuals to strike German forces behind enemy lines during World War II.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is Guy Ritchie’s Inglourious Basterds. Irreverent, violent, darkly humorous, and endlessly entertaining, the film is among the director’s best recent outings, largely thanks to the stellar ensemble he assembled. In a cast of standouts, González shines the brightest; she has the film’s most interesting and emotionally resonant story and rises to the challenge, delivering what is arguably her strongest outing yet. It’s also a testament to her talent that, despite having half the kill count of her co-stars, González is much more effective at it. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is among Ritchie’s most purely enjoyable movies, a thrilling ride made all the better thanks to a collection of delightful maniacs ripping Nazis apart.
![ministry of ungentlemanly warfare poster](https://static1.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/ministry-of-ungentlemanly-warfare-poster.jpg)
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
- Release Date
- April 19, 2024
- Runtime
- 120 minutes
- Writers
- Guy Ritchie , Paul Tamasy , Eric Johnson , Arash Amel
Watch in Theaters
1 ‘I Care a Lot’ (2021)
Directed by J Blakeson
Rosamund Pike delivers one of her most devious performances in J Blakeson‘s pitch-black comedy thriller I Care a Lot. The Oscar nominee stars as Marla Grayson, a con woman and legal guardian who makes her living seizing the assets of her vulnerable and elderly charges. Things turn ugly when her latest target turns out to be the mother of a prominent criminal. González co-leads the film as Grayson’s partner, Fran.
I Care a Lot is among the most relentlessly bleak films in recent memory. It’s a comedy, for sure, but it’s so committed to the ugliness of its characters that it might actually become too much for certain audience members. However, Pike, González, and a menacing Peter Dinklage keep this train going, resulting in a wicked and morbid comedy that satirizes the uglies aspects of the human condition. Dastardly yet engaging, I Care a Lot is a riveting thriller and the ultimate proof that González excels at playing morally dubious characters with more layers than meets the eye.
![I Care a Lot Film Poster](https://static1.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/i-care-a-lot-film-poster.jpg)
I Care A Lot
- Release Date
- February 19, 2021
- Runtime
- 118 minutes