With Cillian Murphy about to detonate (sorry) the big screen in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, it seems like the perfect time to revisit the Irish actor’s best movie roles. While he may have charmed us on the small screen in Peaky Blinders, we’re sticking to his feature-film performances for this look back at the star who first exploded (again, sorry) into film in 1997. From his debut as a bartender in the excellent Brendan Gleeson-starrer The Tale of Sweaty Barrett, Murphy has checked everything off of his filmography, from superhero movies to one of the century’s best horror films.
Let’s take a look back at Cillian Murphy’s 10 best movie roles:
Disco Pigs (2001)
From one of Ireland’s best contemporary playwrights, Enda Walsh, the multi-award-winning 1996 play Disco Pigs gave Murphy his first leading role both on stage and on-screen. Adapted for the screen in 2001, Murphy reprised his role as Pig, a teen from Cork who has had a lifelong mutually-obsessive friendship with Runt (Elaine Cassidy). Born on the same day at the same hospital, the pair have been living in their own intense and unhealthy world all their lives. The bonds of platonic friendship are strained on their 17th birthdays when Pig develops feelings for Runt, just as she catches the eye of a fellow teen. With the deeply unsettling relationship between Pig and Runt coupled with thick Cork accents and dark realism, it’s not a surprise that Disco Pigs only found a niche audience and middling reviews, especially outside Ireland. But there is no denying Murphy packs star power here as he shines through even the most dark and audience-alienating scenes so much that even this Irish indie was enough to propel him to bigger and brighter roles. Directed by Oscar-nominated writer Kristen Sheridan (In America), this is truly one of those performances where you can see a future star about to break through.
Red Eye (2005)
Horror master Wes Craven put Cillian Murphy and Rachel McAdams on a plane and made magic happen. Staging a meet-cute between two strangers at the airport, the rom-com vibes quickly fade as Murphy’s Jackson Rippner hides a dark secret behind those crystal-clear, baby blue eyes. Kidnapping, blackmail, manipulation, and–dare I say, sexual tension–get wrapped into a political assassination plot. It all comes together mostly thanks to Murphy’s seemingly effortless switch between charming and scary, making for a taught and tense thriller at 35,000 feet. Kudos to the trailer which totally plays into the romantic comedy angle.
Batman Begins (2005)
Scarecrow may not have the physical heft of Bane or the obnoxious off-the-wall insanity of the Joker, but Murphy’s take on Batman’s foe is perhaps the scariest of them all. What the lanky Murphy lacks in physical prowess, Scarecrow more than makes up for in quietly deranged energy. A psychiatrist using mind-altering toxins and tactics to get his way, Dr. Jonathan Crane is a formidable opponent with Murphy and his high cheekbones, once again flitting between super cool and super villain as he did in Red Eye. All bets are off when Dr. Crane throws that burlap sack over his head.
Free Fire (2016)
Despite making a name for himself playing the dark and disturbing, Cillian Murphy has a knack for comedy…at least the dark kind. In Ben Wheatley‘s 2016 ensemble black comedy Free Fire, Murphy is glorious as an IRA member looking to make a deal with arms dealers in 1978 Boston. To sum up, the plot “weapons deal goes awry, chaos ensues” is accurate, but it only skims the surface as to what kind of laugh-out-loud and violent fates await each of the characters. Rapid-fire dialogue forged with a tight-knit ensemble (unfortunately, even Armie Hammer is good here playing a rich, smug version of himself American) makes a note-perfect 90-minute action-thriller-comedy. Plus, any film that lets Murphy keep his Irish accent is a win for all of us.
Breakfast on Pluto (2005)
To view Neil Jordan’s Breakfast on Pluto in 2023 comes with a much different POV and cultural consciousness of what it means to have a cisgender actor play a trans character than it did in 2005. Adapted from the novel by Irish writer Patrick McCabe (who also wrote the The Butcher Boy, which had an equally good film adaptation by Jordan), the 1970s-set story casts Murphy as Patrick/Kitten Braeden, a transgender orphan who comes out after high school and embarks on a fantastic odyssey involving gun-smuggling for the IRA, children’s television, prostitution, and the quest to find her Mitzi Gaynor lookalike mother. It’s a challenging role in a story full of prejudices and stereotypes that doesn’t always make it an easy watch, but Murphy bestows Kitten with humanity and compassion. Murphy won the Best Actor award at the Irish Film and Television Awards.
28 Days Later (2002)
28 Days Later revived and revolutionized the zombie genre even though director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland preferred to call it a “post-apocalyptic horror.” No matter what genre you place it in, the film was a smashing success, breathing new life into modern horror and tapping into the anxieties and paranoia in post-9/11 society. One of the first mainstream releases to be shot digitally, the stark images of empty London streets in front of Parliament became entrenched in modern pop culture memory, eerily foreshadowing the empty streets of the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns. As Jim, Murphy is the everyman, a normal dude who wakes up from a coma to find with the world has gone to shit. Lucky for him, he’s fast on his feet as the new virus-infested “fast zombies” lurk at every turn. Jim isn’t your typical hero, and his actions solidify that, but with Murphy taking on the role, he manages to make him a sympathetic soul whose survival you can’t help but root for.
Intermission (2004)
It’s a shame we don’t get to see Murphy flex his rom-com muscles more often because he’s damn good at it, especially playing the heartbroken John in Intermission, directed by John Crowley (Brooklyn). An ensemble comedy that includes a veritable who’s who of Irish actors including Colin Farrell, Colm Meany, Shirley Henderson, Michael McElhatton, Glaswegian Kelly Macdonald, and a tiny- but memorable – role for Kerry Condon, the movie clips along at a kinetic pace, flitting between interconnected stories of thugs and crooks, misfortunate losers, and cartoon-like violence. Shining above its quirkiness is Murphy whose brooding over a failed relationship is so endearing, you just want to reach out and give him a hug.
Sunshine (2007)
Danny Boyle’s Sunshine doesn’t get the love and attention it deserves. An, ahem, stellar cast led by Murphy alongside Chris Evans, Michelle Yeoh, Rose Byrne, Hirouki Sanada, Benedict Wong, and Cliff Curtis takes flight on a last-ditch effort to restart the dying sun and save Earth. A twisty sci-fi mind-bender with all the ingredients for a classic space odyssey, Murphy’s Capa is the anchor of the mission. With an ensemble this tight, it’s difficult to pick a standout, so come for Murphy and stay for a blazing hot space thriller.
The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006)
Like much of Irish history, The Wind that Shakes the Barley is bleak, which means it was practically begging to be directed by Ken Loach. Winner of the Cannes Palme d’Or, the fictional film is set in County Cork in the 1920s during the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War. Murphy stars alongside Padraic Delaney as a pair of brothers who join the IRA’s fight for independence from Britain. Playing Damien O’Donovan, a young man about to set off to London for a promising medical career, Murphy’s physical presence is something to behold. The horrors and emotional trauma of war A gripping and thought-provoking look at Irish history and how its perceived, it remains one of the best examples of Ireland at war on film.
The Party (2017)
Sally Potter’s black-and-white wicked comedy of manners is quick-witted and biting, delivering cringe over canapés. A dinner party full of surprises, Murphy is just one of a note-perfect ensemble of heavyweights that includes a radiant Patricia Clarkson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Timothy Spall, Cherry Jones, Emily Mortimer, and Bruno Ganz. We aren’t often treated to an acting masterclass like this one, so relish it as Murphy holds his own against his formidable co-stars.
