The Evolution Of Eva Mendes

'Miami'/ER (1998)

Eva Mendes began her acting career, in a not unusual way, by bagging a couple of small background roles. She managed to secure support spots in some high-profile outlets, including an episode of ER and Will Smith's 'Miami' music video.

The latter saw her cruising with a friend in a drop top, welcoming Big Willie to the titular Florida city (which just so happens to be Mendes' birthplace).

Screen Sizzle? It is "the city that keeps the roof blazing" after all.

Children Of The Corn V: Fields Of Terror (1998)

Mendes' first foray into the movie world was distinctly less auspicious, as she scored a part in the franchise's fourth sequel. She plays one of four stranded teens whose car breaks down by the side of a harmless-looking cornfield.

Unfortunately for them, they have to contend with a cult of malevolent children doing the bidding of leader Luke Enright (David Carradine). This was distributed by Dimension Films, but don't expect it to have any of Scream 's smarts.

Screen Sizzle? Only in an all-too-literal sense when she plummets to a fiery death after being taken in by the cult.

A Night At The Roxbury (1998)

Teaming up with Will Ferrell on the first of many occasions, Mendes wasn't about to let her smoking hot looks prevent her from having a laugh in comedies.

This SNL spin-off is as broad as you'll find in the genre, with dorky brothers Steve (Ferrell) and Doug (Chris Kattan) putting all their earthly efforts into getting into ultra-exclusive club, the Roxbury. Mendes appears briefly at the aborted wedding of the movie's climax.

Screen Sizzle? She doesn't get much chance to shine in a dodgy bridesmaid's dress.

My Brother The Pig (1999)

A small role in dreadful TV series Mortal Kombat: Conquest followed, before this family adventure with a startlingly young Scarlett Johansson (Mendes' future co-star in The Spirit ).

A young boy is accidentally transformed into a pig (by magic, y'see), and his sister (Johansson) and their housekeeper (Mendes) head to Mexico to hunt out a cure before their dad (Judge Reinhold) returns from holiday.

Screen Sizzle? Not here, as she contends with a comedy accent for the role.

V.I.P. (1999)/The Disciples (2000)

Next up for Mendes was more TV work. Firstly, she appeared in a couple of episodes of V.I.P., Pamela Anderson's comedy TV series. The erstwhile Baywatch flotation aid plays a vacuous blonde who inadvertently becomes a top bodyguard. The show ran for an inexplicable four seasons.

After that Mendes joined Ice-T in TV action movie The Disciples , which has since vanished without trace in an ignominious silence.

Screen Sizzle? These TV efforts never got close to simmering point...

Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000)

The first movie was just about watchable, but this sequel took slashers to a new level of dire. Heavily inspired by a certain postmodern franchise, it wouldn't have been a bad idea to watch Scream 2 for some ideas on how to make a decent horror sequel.

Without wit, scares or originality, there's very little to recommend here. Mendes is mercifully far down the cast-list, receiving a mysterious love letter before she's offed.

Screen Sizzle? There's nothing in this film that'll set your pulse racing.

Exit Wounds (2001)

Steven Seagal was running out of steam when it came to this one, though it's not a complete waste of time as a perfunctory action flick. Here his renegade cop (could he play any other type?) teams up with dotcom billionaire Latrell Walker (rapper DMX).

It turns out that Latrell's brother is rotting in jail after being framed as a drug dealer by some corrupt cops. Mendes is on hand as Trish, a friend of Latrell's who helps to gather evidence to clear the innocent bro's name.

Screen Sizzle? As a researcher she doesn't exactly get stuck into the action.

Training Day (2001)

Mendes leapt a few rungs up the quality ladder with Antoine Fuqua's corrupt cop thriller. Denzel Washington won an Oscar for his role as LAPD Detective Alonzo Harris, a decorated narc who has become a key player in the crimes he's supposed to be monitoring.

Ethan Hawke is the well-intentioned rookie who does what he can within his limited power to bring down his crooked superior, while Mendes is the sidelined girlfriend with whom Alonzo has a young child.

Screen Sizzle? She sits timid in the shadow of her tyrannical other half.

All About The Benjamins (2002)

While Mendes' next movie effort wasn't nearly as hard hitting as Training Day , it was arguably more harrowing. Back on her home turf, Miami, she plays Gina, the girlfriend of hapless hustler Reggie (Mike Epps).

When a gang of diamond thieves takes his winning lottery ticket, Reggie has to team up with his former adversary Bucum (Ice Cube) for a sub- Midnight Run bounty-hunter adventure.

Screen Sizzle? Nah, she's still searching for a comedy to effectively play to her funny side.

2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)

Paul Walker returned without Vin Diesel for the second part in the now five-strong franchise. After being kicked off the force, Brian O'Connor is making ends meet as a street racer, before the feds offer him the chance to do some undercover spying on drug lord Carter Verone (Cole Hauser).

Mendes is on hand to help as Monica Fuentes, an FBI agent posing as Verone's girlfriend. 2 Fast… notices the lack of Diesel in its engine, but it remains a guilty pleasure. Mendes reprised her role for the briefest of cameos in Fast & Furious 5 .

Screen Sizzle? Oh yeah... The franchise doesn't seem to go in for plain, bookish types.

Once Upon A Time In Mexico (2003)

Her profile was on the rise and she landed a notable role in the third installment of Robert Rodriguez' Mariachi trilogy. The plot was too convoluted for its own good, but there's still plenty of room for the series' trademark inventive action.

Mendes is duplicitous agent Ajedrez, sent by CIA man Sheldon Sands (Johnny Depp) to follow Willem Dafoe's Mexican drug baron. Most of her scenes are with Depp, and the pair share a sparky chemistry.

Screen Sizzle? There's not much in this movie that doesn't crackle with Latin American fire.

Out Of Time (2003)

Denzel Washington sports some rather flashy Hawaiian shirts as a wrongly-accused police officer. His gravitas-soaked presence brings weight to a familiar premise, and his character flaws (he's a cheater, and very fond of a drink) enrich the proceedings.

Mendes' character is much gutsier than her Training Day sap, allowing her to confidently go toe-to-toe with Washington as his ex-wife and investigating officer, proving she can do steely determination convincingly.

Screen Sizzle? She's more than a token lust object here, oozing confidence and charm as the classy ex.

Stuck On You (2003)

Next up for Mendes was this gross-out comedy from the Farrelly brothers. Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear star as conjoined twins Bob and Walt, struggling to fuse their differing lifestyles.

Mendes is given little to do besides slipping into a bikini as the friend who sets the boys on the road to stardom. Damon and Kinnear give a conjoined performance that deserves a much better movie than this.

Screen Sizzle? She's relegated to window dressing here.

Hitch (2005)

Mendes, who has something of a habit of reteaming with actors, gets back with her 'Miami' co-star Will Smith, although by this point in her career she gets to do more than just drive-by flirting with him.

Smith utilises his natural screen appeal as professional ladies' man, or date doctor if you will, Hitch. He teaches guys how to be successful with women, but he's powerless when he meets feisty columnist Sara (Mendes), who's desperate to unmask the seduction instructor.

Screen Sizzle? Smith and Mendes make a potent screen coupling, as they have charisma and humour to match their prettiness.

The Wendell Baker Story (2005)

Mendes shared a cast-list with Will Ferrell again in this little-seen comedy. Something of a family outing for the Wilson clan, Luke stars and writes, and co-directs with brother Andrew, while Owen also takes a role.

Luke plays the title character, an ex-con looking to redeem himself by uncovering corruption in a retirement home and winning back his sweet girlfriend Doreen.

Screen Sizzle? She tones down the sexiness and ups the natural charm to play the type of girl you could see yourself giving up the spoils of a life of crime for…

Trust The Man (2005)

This romantic dramedy dissects the relationship of a quartet of NYC friends: Tom (David Duchovny) and Rebecca's (Julianne Moore) marriage is struggling to accommodate their incompatible sexual desires, while Tobey (Billy Crudup) and Elaine (Maggie Gyllenhaal) are reaching a critical point in their relationship.

Mendes' Faith turns up at the right moment to be a beacon of lust for Tom, in a gently enjoyable movie from Bart Freundlich (Moore's real-life husband).

Screen Sizzle? She's there to represent extra-relationship excitement. Which she does well, to be fair.

Guilty Hearts (2006)

A collection of six shorts rather than a single feature, Guilty Hearts has barely been seen outside a limited run in the US. Which is surprising, considering the intriguing cast on board: Mendes, Charlie Sheen, Kathy Bates, Julie Delpy, Imelda Staunton, Anna Faris, Stellan Skarsgård…

It has never been released in the UK, and, much to the dismay of Eva-completists everywhere, that doesn't look set to change anytime soon.

Screen Sizzle? We may never know...

Ghost Rider (2007)

Mendes joined Nic Cage in this ill-fated comic-book adaptation, which comprehensively fails to capitalise on the on the cool potential of the source material. She's saddled with weak writing as she struggles to reconnect with childhood sweetheart Johnny Blaze (now demonically possessed).

Crank directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor are set to all but reboot the property in the sequel, but Mendes won't be joining them for the ride.

Screen Sizzle? Cage's unconvincing CGI skull is the only thing here that's aflame...

Live! (2007)

Oscar-winning documentary-maker Bill Guttentag stuck closely to the format he knew for his feature debut. This mockumentary sees TV producer Katy (Mendes) devise a hit show on which contestants play Russian roulette for big cash prizes.

She employs a young doc-maker to help capture the contestants' backgrounds, as she gradually starts to succumb to the moral issues sidelined by her yearning for ratings. Disappointingly, Guttentag isn't able to draw the kind of authentic performances from the cast that Live! really needs.

Screen Sizzle? This is Mendes in stern, driven businesswoman mode.

We Own The Night (2007)

Director James Gray ( The Yards ) is on familiar turf with this 80s-set crime thriller. Bobby (Joaquin Phoenix) distances himself from his law-enforcing family so that he can enjoy his lifestyle of choice: running a crime-hotbed nigthclub and having fun with good-time girl Amada (Mendes).

Some top performances, from Phoenix, Mendes, Mark Wahlberg and Robert Duvall, ensure that the familiar plot hooks your interest, and there's room for a couple of great set pieces.

Screen Sizzle? She's there to enjoy the hedonistic lifestyle in the sultriest way possible.

Cleaner (2007)

The title refers to the occupation of former cop Tom Cutler (Samuel L Jackson) who now works as a crime scene cleaner. After scrubbing and bleaching away the remnants of a shooting, Cutler realises he may have inadvertently destroyed some vital, unidentified evidence.

Mendes plays Ann, the woman whose house was subjected to Cutler's rigorous mop and bucket action, and she realises he may be the only person who can help discover the whereabouts of her missing husband.

Screen Sizzle? Nothing really ignites under Renny Harlin's inert direction.

The Women (2008)

Mendes joins an entirely female cast for what is an otherwise forgettable remake of the 1939 Joan Crawford original. Mendes is the perfume-counter girl who steals away Meg Ryan's husband, disrupting her seemingly idyllic life.

Thankfully Ryan has a bunch of Sex And The City-inspired buddies to help her get through the tough times (while ironically making the rest of us feel suicidal). A chore.

Screen Sizzle? Considering she's only really there as an antagonistic man-magnet, she does indeed bring it.

The Spirit (2008)

It's a testament to Mendes' immeasurable screen charm that she hadn't turned off audiences after a run of utter duds. To be fair, The Spirit came loaded with promise: Frank Miller (hot off Sin City ) was adapting Will Eisner's classic comic-book series, and the trailer hinted at über-stylised pulpy thrills.

Hamstrung by a weak hero, nonsensical plot and all-over-the-place tone, there is a brief mercy in the form of Miller's cartoonishly-shapely femme fatales.

Screen Sizzle? Mendes slinks sultrily as Sand Saref, the hero's childhood sweetheart.

Bad Lieutenant (2009)

Mendes joined forces with Ghost Rider accomplice Nicolas Cage again, for a far more satisfying movie in this case. In Werner Herzog's loose remake of Abel Ferrara's original dodgy-cop drama, she plays the hooker girlfriend of Cage's unhinged lawman.

While it's difficult to take your eyes off Cage when he's on such electrifying form, Mendes provides a neat counterpoint to his spiralling depravity. He comes along and messes up her steady (if unsavoury) business model, before she sets about sorting her life out.

Screen Sizzle? Herzog is smart enough to subvert her sensuality.

The Other Guys (2010)

Taking a support role in this superior action comedy saw Mendes reunited with Will Ferrell and We Own The Night co-star Mark Wahlberg. She plays the unfeasibly hot wife of Ferrell's nerdy cop, much to the consternation of his reluctant partner.

Proving she's game for a laugh, Mendes happily sends up her sexpot image, not least when providing the gory details of her character's intimate marital relations with Ferrell.

Screen Sizzle? Not bad considering she's Ferrell's "ball and chain".

Last Night (2010)

After a brief cameo in Fast & Furious 5 , Mendes is back in glossy relationship drama Last Night . The not unattractive cast comprises Mendes, Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington and Guillaume Canet.

Jealousy rocks a couple's previously stable marriage, before fortuitous temptations present themselves. Intrigued? You can catch it in cinemas now.

Screen Sizzle? You wouldn't want to send your husband on a business trip with her, let's put it that way...

Matt Maytum is the former Editor of Total Film magazine. Over the past decade, Matt has worked in various roles for TF online and in print, including at GamesRadar+. Bucket-list-ticking career highlights have included reporting from the set of Tenet and Avengers: Infinity War, as well as covering Comic-Con, TIFF and the Sundance Film Festival.