Colin Farrell is one of the more interesting movie stars of our time. First bursting on the scene for American audiences in thrillers like Phonebooth, Farrell quickly became an A-list celebrity, in no small part because of his good looks. One of the more impressive aspects of Farrell’s career, however, is its longevity. Many stars have come and gone since he first made a name for himself, and yet Farrell remains both a bankable actor and a genuinely skilled one. Just this year, we’ve seen him star as both Pádraic Súilleabháin, a shy dairy farmer in the buzzy, Award-winning The Banshees Of Inisherin and The Penguin in The Batman. In honor of his long career and the increasingly impressive year he’s having, we have ranked his top 10 performances, from worst to best.
10. The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
The Killing of a Sacred Deer marks the first movie on our list in which Farrell collaborates with Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos. As is the case with pretty much any Lanthimos movie, this should come with a bit of a disclaimer. His use of stilted dialogue and heavily metaphorical storytelling will not be for everyone, but if you can accept the peculiarities of his execution you will find yourself in the hands of one of the most inventive directors working today. The Killing of a Sacred Deer centers around Ferrell’s Dr. Steven Murphy, his family, and the peculiar relationship they have with a boy named Martin, whose father died years before on Dr. Murphy’s operating table. Curses, a mysterious illness, and games of life and death ensue, all leading to a disquieting morality tale of the highest order. Farrell is fantastic here, buying into Lanthimos’ idiosyncratic style to give a performance equal parts stoic and terrifyingly relatable.
9. Seven Psychopaths (2012)
There will be a pattern you might notice as we make our way through this list. Farrell is an actor who seems to value consistency and chemistry. He has made a lot of great movies throughout his career and they are very often with directors and collaborators he has worked with before. Seven Psychopaths marks the first, but not last, movie on our list in which he works alongside playwright and filmmaker Martin McDonaugh. As the title suggests, Seven Psychopaths is very much an ensemble movie. That said, Farrell is undoubtedly the lead here, playing Marty, a screenwriter who borrows real-life events concerning his madcap group of friends and injects them into his work. The fact that the character’s name is Marty and the movie’s writer is named Martin should not be ignored but it is doubtful this is very autobiographical. While not as successful as some of Farrell’s other movies with McDonaugh, Seven Psychopaths is still a hell of a good time.
8. The New World (2002)
Yes, this is the story of Pocahontas and Captain John Smith. But no, it isn’t the one you know. The New World, directed by legendary filmmaker Terrence Mallick, is a historical drama with all sentimentality removed, giving us something that feels as close to truth as possible for a story with which we ultimately have very little reliable, first-hand accounting. Here Farrell plays Smith as both a man of questionable morals and wide-eyed curiosity, his tender moments with Pocahontas only a piece of the complex story. If you’ve seen a Mallick movie, you probably know what to expect with The New World but if you haven’t, come prepared for something epic and long-winded but quite remarkable.
7. Widows (2018)
Widows is a movie with an absolutely stacked ensemble cast. Starring alongside Farrell are Viola Davis, Liam Neeson, Michelle Rodriguez, Daniel Kaluuya, Cynthia Erivo, Bryan Tyree Henry, and Jon Berenthal. If that sounds like simply a lot of characters, you’re not wrong. Widows is a sprawling story, a heist movie which tracks every angle of the crime in rich, character-oriented detail. Farrell plays Jack Mulligan, a slimy, entitled Chicago politician who plays a central part in the film’s many twisted moves. It’s a prime example of Farrell’s ability to be a part of a film without having to be the center of it. For someone with movie star looks, talent, and stature, this is no small feat and one he achieves pretty consistently.
6. Minority Report (2002)
Minority Report is an example of Farrell early on in his career, not yet the superstar he would become but certainly on his way. Here he is starring opposite Tom Cruise who, obviously, is the huge star of this movie and one of the biggest actors in the world. Getting a chance to work with both him and director Steven Spielberg was surely an amazing experience for Farrell and no doubt had a lasting impact. In this futurist, sci-fi adaptation of a Philip K. Dick story of the same name, Farrell plays Agent Danny Witwer of The Department of Justice, a character embroiled in a convoluted plot which involves an agency devoted to stopping crime before it occurs.
5. The Beguiled (2017)
Sofia Coppola’s The Beguiled is a truly unique film absolutely brimming with fantastic performances. Farrell stars alongside Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, and Elle Fanning in this twisted gothic thriller based on the novel of the same name written by Thomas P. Cullinan. This is actually the second time this story has been adapted for the screen, the first being the 1971 Clint Eastwood-vehicle also titled The Beguiled. The story takes place during the American Civil War in Virginia, where Kidman’s Martha Farsworth runs an all-girls school. The school, however, has been largely deserted, leaving only five students and one teacher (Dunst) remaining. That is, until Farrell’s Corporal John McBurney, a Union soldier who deserted after an injury, arrives to shake things up. What results is a twisted, moody tale of desire, lust, and betrayal, with Farrell at the center. It’s a slow-build of a movie that only works so well because of the performances at its center.
4. After Yang (2021)
After Yang is the kind of movie where Farrell keeps much of his acting internal, trading some of his more motor-mouthed tendencies for something cerebral and quiet. Set in an unspecified future, After Yang is a story of loss and humanity that centers on Farrell’s Jake, his wife Kyra (Jodie Turner-Smith), their daughter Mika, and a humanoid robot named Yang. The family purchased Yang some years before and he has clearly become an integral part of the family, often seen caring for Mika while her parents stay busy at work. It’s when Yang breaks down, going silent and catatonic, that things begin to unravel and Jake begins his search to get to the bottom of just what Yang is and what that means on an existential level. The set and costume design of this movie are simply fantastic, as is the direction from South-Korean filmmaker Kogonada (Columbus), creating a mood that permeates the entire story. Again, this is a role that demands a searching, contained performance from Farrell and he is more than up to the task, giving us a glimpse into Jake without ever truly pulling back the curtain.
3. The Lobster (2015)
Farrell again teams up with Lanthimos, this time for The Lobster, a bizarre parable about society, loneliness, and human connection. In the world of this film being single is illegal. If, however, you find yourself recently dumped, as does Farrell’s character here, you have to find a mate as soon as possible. Which is how Farrell ends up at the strange hotel convention where the majority of the movie’s action takes place. Through a series of exercises, Farrell and the fellow single people that populate the hotel try to find the perfect match or risk being turned into an animal. Yes, you read that right. This is a strange movie but if you buy into its inherent peculiarities, you will find a movie with a lot to say and an endlessly fascinating way of saying it.
2. The Banshees Of Inisherin (2022)
Farrell has starred opposite many a talented actor in his time, but he has found no better match than with fellow Irishman Brendan Gleeson. The two team with writer and director Martin McDonaugh for the second time for The Banshees Of Inisherin, a film set in 1923 on the titular Irish island. Farrell plays Padraig, a simple, kind dairy farmer who loves chatting with his friend Colm (Gleeson). That is, until Colm decides he’d rather not see any more of Padraig, a decision that, somehow, leads to rather dire circumstances. The movie recently premiered at the Venice International Film Festival where Farrell won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor.
1. In Bruges (2008)
In Bruges is an absolute blast of a movie watching experience. There would be no The Banshees Of Inisherin without this, the first movie to pair Brendan Gleeson, Farrell, and writer and director Martin McDonagh. The way these two rattle off McDonagh’s whip-smart dialogue is expert level work and, perhaps even more impressive, they are able to balance the constant stream of jokes with something far deeper than expected. Gleeson and Farrell play a pair of hitmen on the lamb in Bruges, Belgium, lying low while a hit gone wrong blows over. Gleeson, to his credit, is actually quite thrilled to be stuck in Belgium, constantly imploring Farrell to enjoy the medieval city and the beauty therein. Farrell, on the other hand, is miserable, partly because he seems like a guy who might always be a little miserable. What ensues is a comedy of the blackest order, with guns and drugs aplenty.
