15 Best Mexican Films of All-Time (according to Trash-Mex)
- Armando Hernandez
- 5m
- 7 min read
Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. Why of all people is making a list like this?
“What are the best Mexican films of all-time?” is one of those questions I get asked often and while I’ve mentioned a variety of titles here & there, I’ve never exactly made a list of what I felt were the best Mexican films of all-time and alas, here we are. I chose “15” instead of the usual “10” because I didn’t really want to add in a “runner-up” list or anything of that nature.
How did I choose these films? I simply went with what I felt were very much Mexican films & films that clearly have a high-rating everywhere else online and seeing a lot of the receptions they get.
I also wanted to compile a different kind of list because seeing films like “Los Olvidados”, “Amores Perros”, “Y Tu Mama Tambien”, “Simon Del Desierto”, and the rest of the same ol’ titles constantly being listed & talked about is so fucking boring and so damn repetitive.
There’s so much more great Mexican cinema than what is always talked about. How can we expect Mexican cinema to grow in popularity on a global scale when we’re so limited with the choices that are constantly picked? Why do we need to reduce to only what was beloved in the past? Can we also just stop picking titles to be “fancy” & “artsy” and just be for real? Aren’t all great films also supposed to be entertaining & cutting edge in the realest & ridiculous ways?
Anywho, here is what I chose and I did clearly pick what I felt were great. And when I say “great”, I mean great in storytelling, entertaining value, and its portrayals of the country itself during its time-setting.
Imperio De Los Malditos (1992)
He was known as the “King of Videohome” and rightfully so, but filmmaker Christian Gonzalez was also the king of sleaze in the early 1990’s. Imperio De Los Malditos is his most perfect film ever made and it was so well-received when it came out that renowned Mexican film critic/hater of Mexican cinema Jorge Ayala Blanco praised it highly and so much that it ended up in a popular book he wrote.
This audacious neo-noir goes beyond its limits & while our lead is one mean motherfucker, you will root for him. He’s just that damn admiring. Imperio De Los Malditos deserves to be on top and it’s time for Christian Gonzalez to once & for all receive the high praise he rightfully deserves.
Check out my archival review here: Imperio De Los Malditos review
Chin Chin El Teporocho (1976)
Director Gabriel Retes made many epics through out his career, but one that stands out is Chin Chin El Teporocho since its portrayal of deep 1970's urban life in Mexico is accurate and the film doesn’t fall under the surrealist, life lesson bullshit category either. We see the story of a troubled young man unfold before our eyes and that’s it. It’s tragic, beautiful & relatable even to this day.
Vidas Errantes (1985)
Director Juan Antonio De La Riva is an avid film lover and what better way to show that love by making a film about a film lover longing to build his own theater & all the while projecting films from town to town. A feel-good film that deserves to be appreciated much more than it is already. Fans of "Cinema Paradiso" will surely admire Vidas Errantes.
Santo y Blue Demon Vs. Dracula y El Hombre Lobo (1973)
I've always wondered why El Santo films don’t ever go beyond the “cult classic” status or are seen as actual great films because truthfully many of them were made with a lot of thought & fairly-budgeted. The one I found the most receptive & favored is Santo y Blue Demon Vs. Dracula y El Hombre Lobo. This monster/Lucha Libre mash-up exceeds the expectations, has a lengthy story of the occult, and the greatest lucha team-up ever.
Can't a great film just be fun and not always have to be about "emotions"?
Watch the full film on VIX
La Fuerza Del Deseo (1955)
It’s a well-known film & admired, but it doesn’t reach out much further than that. La Fuerza Del Deseo is known for featuring the first nude scene in a Mexican film and it’s done tastefully because the subject matter involves a female model being painted. The rest of the film goes deep in the toxicities of romance & lust. Also done tastefully.
Watch the full film on VIX
Bellas De Noche: Las Ficheras (1975)
The precursor of all ficheras films.
Bellas De Noche started the trend that would last well into the 1990’s. Bellas De Noche is classy, sexy, and funny. Producer Guillermo Calderon had the balls to get the Mexican government to fund this film at a time when the government wanted “real” cinema made in their country. Bellas De Noche is a “real” Mexican film and it got everyone excited over it then and to this day still.
Watch the full film on TUBI
El Dia De Los Albañiles (1984)
A sex comedy from the 1980’s? Really? Yes.
El Dia De Los Albañiles was the directorial debut of Adolfo Martinez Solares and while he hesitated in doing so, his father Gilberto Martinez Solares believed in him and thus the film was made and was a success. Rightfully so.
El Dia De Los Albañiles came out at a time when sex comedies were dominating in theaters, but Dia De Los Albañiles stood out from the rest because it took it far away from the usual cabaret settings & high-class living situations to the dingy construction sites & low-class neighborhoods.
The film is also actually funny without having to resort to cheap laughs & its sexual content making sense to be featured on screen rather than just having it on randomly. Actor Alfonso Zayas was already making a name for himself in these types of films and this one boosted up his career & became an important part of the Solares’ production company “Frontera Films”.
Watch the full film on Picardia Nacional
Victimas Del Pecado (1951)
It’s so good that it made it into the Criterion Collection.
There are many rumbera films like this (and mostly produced by the Calderon family) and Vicitimas Del Pecado is the standout for its many dramatic twists & turns and heart wrenching scenes. True cinema like Victimas Del Pecado pulls in our emotions & spits them the fuck out.
Watch the full film on Criterion Channel
Ay Amor Como Me Has Puesto (1951)
Legendary comedic actor German Valdes "Tin Tan" & legendary filmmaker Gilberto Martinez Solares made many films together over the years and often favored by many. Ay Amor Como Me Has Puesto deserves to be on top because it is actually funny without all the common gimmicks & it is also a good love story as well.
A feel-good film all the way through.
Ratas De La Ciudad (1986)
Ratas De La Ciudad is everything basically. It’s a drama, it’s funny sometimes, it’s brutal, it’s gritty, and it’s all so very sad as well. A true portrayal of poverty & the struggle of fatherhood in a world that’s changing to the worst. Ratas is a film you will enjoy in whatever way you think it is. This isn’t just another crime-action film of that era—that’s for sure.
El Infierno (2010)
El Infierno couldn’t come at a much more “perfect” time. El Infierno may seem like a funny narco-themed drama, but it goes beyond that. It also pokes fun at the political ties in drug trafficking and its portrayal is all real. No exaggerations, no sugar-coating. The best Mexican film of the 2010’s.
Watch the full film on TUBI
La Viuda Negra (1977)
A controversial film when first made & released. A film about hypocrisy & “sin” that became defining for actress Isela Vega & a “stain” for actor Mario Almada. La Viuda Negra is a film that sucks you in and makes you question what is wrong & what is “right”. Who really are the “sinners” here? And who are we to judge? Everyone is fucked one way or another.
3. Perro Callejero (1980)
Perro Callejero has always been a favorite for many people and it goes beyond with just being a “cult classic”. Perro Callejero is an excellent portrayal of a young vagabond whose life is probably not going to get any better, but he at least lives it & tries to be a decent person.
Perro was played by Valentin Trujillo and by this time he had proven what an excellent actor he can be and here he proves it farther up. A lot of the comments online regarding this film have always been positive and to the point where it’s become much more big than being a “cult” favorite.
Danzón (1991)
Danzón has been admired globally since it first came out, but often it gets over-looked with other titles from the same decade. Danzón is a film about a woman who searches for love, but also finds herself along the way. Her days of just working can also go beyond in having time to herself and figuring out what love truly is and what fun can be as well.
Danzón is positive all the way through and we root for our main character to find what she wants because she deserves it. Alongside its wonderful story, the film was shot very beautifully to where you just never want to stop looking at the screen. The cinematography is just so damn excellent and just as much as the music featured in the film. The use of “Como Fue” by Beny Moré is done so well here.
Watch the full film on VIX
Nosotros Los Pobres (1948)
Nosotros Los Pobres is a defining Mexican film without all the glamour & artsy/surreal bullshit that certain people often think is what is supposed to make a great film. Director Ismael Rodriguez & legendary Mexican singer/actor Pedro Infante simply made an intriguing film about common working-class people juggling every day life issues, but all while keeping a positive mindset through it all. The film also doesn’t shy away from having violence and this is proven with a brutal prison fight scene.
Whatever “class” in society you belong to, Nosotros Los Pobres is a film you can relate to one way or another. Be it the struggles of work, romance, family. Pedro Infante’s performance of “Amorcito Corazon” here is truly amazing. I find myself rewinding back to it just to feel the mushiness from it all over again.
