Mike Ermantraut is a fictional character in the cult series Breaking Bad, as well as his spin-off titled Better Call Saul.
Short biography of the hero
According to the plot of both series, where Mike Ermantraout appears, he is a former police officer, chief of security services called Los Pollos Hermanos, and also a representative of Gus Fring, that is, a professional killer and cleaner.
In addition, he has a license allowing him to officially engage in private detective practice.
Unexpectedly for the audience, the character reveals itself as a rather gentle person, hiding under the guise of a ruthless killer.
The series "Breaking Bad." Mike Ermantraut
His first appearance in this serial film happened in the final episode of season 2.
In the third season, Mike is already a full-fledged acting character who works for Gus. At his direction, he goes in search of Jesse.
In the fourth season, on the orders of the same Gus, Mike Ermantraout and Jesse go to collect cash from the caches of the victims. They also accompany Gus during his trip to Mexico.
The fifth season for Mike begins with the viewer being shown how he is resting in a Mexican medical facility, healing the wounds received in a shootout with a drug cartel.
At the end of the season, Mike is forced to say goodbye to his granddaughter, because he is being arrested by the police. All the looted money was hidden by Mike Ermantraut in the car model Taurus Model 66, which belonged to him.
The series "Better Call Saul"
Here Mike appears from the first season. The viewer sees that he served in the police department of Philadelphia for more than thirty years. Almost all police officers, including Mike himself, are corrupt, extortionists and inveterate villains who constantly break the law.
Mike's son Matty followed in his father's footsteps, becoming a policeman, however, unlike him, he did not want to take bribes. Matty decided to start the fight against corruption and corrupt policemen. Mike advised his son not to go into it, but simply to go with the flow, but he did not listen to him.
Matty was soon killed. A few months after the death of his son, Mike Ermantraout finds the culprits of his death and personally executes them, killing with a pistol.
In the second season of the series, Mike works as a bouncer for Daniel, which gives him considerable profit. All season he carries out various assignments for him.
To date, 3 episodes of the series “Better Call Saul” have already been shot, but it is still far from over, so Mike Ermantraout will repeatedly appear on television screens around the world. What pleases the audience and fans of both the series and the character.
Mike Ermantraut. Actor
For fans of both series created by AMC, it is no secret that the role of Mike was played by the honored actor Jonathan Banks, whose total number of works exceeded 160.
The most famous works of Banks, in addition to the above series, are the films "Francis" (1982), "Policeman from Beverly Hills" (1984), "Airplane" (1980), "Gremlins" (1984) and others.
Among the series, it is worth noting the actor’s participation in the dubbing of the popular animated project “Gravity Falls” (2012-2016), as well as “Dexter” (2006-2013) and “Ambulance” (1994-2009).
His acting career began back in 1971 in the TV series "Walton". Then he began to act quite actively in films and TV shows. His career reached its peak in the 80s. XX century, then followed by a recession, which occurred in the 90s.
In the zero years of the twentieth century, the actor’s career again grew. In many respects this was facilitated by the success of the series that were mentioned above in this article. In the wake of their popularity, the actor again began to receive offers to participate in other film projects, which he gladly accepted.
Conclusion
Universal love and recognition of the series "Breaking Bad" made almost all of his characters, including Mike Ermantrauta, cult. He has a large number of fans in different parts of our planet.
Therefore, the appearance of the hero in the spin-off of the main series caused a storm of positive reviews and enthusiasm from the fans. Jonathan Banks was very happy to play again a character he loved, as well as a million people.
The personality of the hero of the two series is very ambiguous. He cannot be called positive or negative with certainty; he is more likely an antihero than a villain. His fate is not easy, as is his character. Actions are often very impulsive, which sometimes leads to a rather negative result.
However, such an ambiguous behavior and actions of the hero make him more natural and “alive”, as if telling the viewer that he is an ordinary person who is prone to make mistakes and thoughtless actions that can ultimately lead him on the wrong path of life.
Perhaps it was this naturalness and credibility, a deep study of his character and fate that allowed Mike to become one of the favorite and most interesting characters in both series, where he appears. That is why millions of people fell in love with him.