Jonathan Banks makes tough men convincing by letting us see how calmly they work. We rate him most highly when he lets some hurt show through, as he does in his work as Mike Ehrmantraut.
Fi1m perspective
In Breaking Bad (2008), Jonathan Banks makes Mike Ehrmantraut's quiet competence a reason to worry. The gravelly voice helps, but so does the sense that this man would rather get on with the job than explain himself. We found him unsettling because his restraint makes the threat credible without asking us to enjoy a display of toughness. Banks is particularly good at letting vulnerability into these hard men without suddenly making them harmless. That gives a supporting character something to do beyond supplying the next obstacle.
The earlier parts show how readily that manner could find employment: Zack in Beverly Hills Cop (1984), then FBI agent Frank McPike in Wiseguy (1987–1990). McPike brought him recognition, but a long stretch of guest appearances and supporting parts followed. Casting as Mike in 2009 gave those familiar qualities a more sustained use. The danger is repetition: tough, taciturn men can become much the same man if the writing asks nothing further of them.
Breaking Bad does ask more, and it is our strongest recommendation among the work we have reviewed. Bryan Cranston makes Walter White's excuses frightening and funny; Banks's restraint gives that performance a useful contrast. With Mike, we can believe in the man's competence without having to confuse it with goodness. Creator and showrunner Vince Gilligan and director Michelle MacLaren are among Banks's collaborators, and his work rewards allowing space for understatement. There is a risk that such reserve becomes a mannerism, but the vulnerability in Mike keeps it from being merely an impressive voice.
Better Call Saul (2015) subsequently gave Mike a lead role, extending a part Banks had already made worth following. Banks's presence is not, however, a guarantee that a programme will keep finding things worth doing. He plays Martin Jarvis in The Beast in Me (2025), where Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys supply considerable tension but the eight-part thriller keeps its central pair circling for too long. We found enough there for the interested, rather than an unqualified recommendation. For Banks at his most persuasive, start with Breaking Bad.
Biography
Jonathan Banks is an American character actor born on 31 January 1947 in Washington, D.C. He has worked extensively in film and television since the 1970s.
Banks is best known for playing Mike Ehrmantraut in the series Breaking Bad (2008–2013) and its spin-off Better Call Saul (2015–2022). Other notable film roles include appearances in Airplane! (1980), Beverly Hills Cop (1984) and Gremlins (1984). He received an Emmy nomination for his performance as Frank McPike in the series Wiseguy (1987–1990).
More recent credits include voice work in Incredibles 2 (2018) and Invincible (2021–), and the role of Martin Jarvis in the 2025 Netflix series The Beast in Me.
