13 best films and one TV series with Cillian Murphy

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

In the collection of Lifehacker you will find not only Peaky Blinders.

Cillian Murphy, a blue-eyed Irishman, almost learned to be a lawyer, wanted to become a rock musician, but eventually turned into one of the best actors of our time. A favorite of acclaimed filmmakers such as Christopher Nolan and Danny Boyle, Cillian Murphy often plays villains and controversial characters. But in fact, he is a much more multifaceted actor than he seems, and can portray anyone: from a suffering teenager to a goal-oriented physicist.

1. On the edge

• Ireland, 2001.
• Drama.
• Duration: 85 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 1.

After a failed suicide attempt, nineteen-year-old Jonathan Breach (Cillian Murphy) ends up in Dublin Mental Hospital. There he will have to find new friends and rethink his life.

Thanks to her obvious talent, Murphy was almost immediately invited to star in films. Critics received On the Edge well and even compared it to Director James Mangold's Girl, Interrupted. Both paintings really touch on a similar theme: the search for their place in life through the prism of attitudes towards death.

2. Disco pigs

• Ireland, 2001.
• Drama.
• Duration: 94 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 8.

The plot revolves around the close relationship of two teenagers: Darren (Cillian Murphy) and Sinid (Elaine Cassidy), known by the nicknames Pig and Pig. They were born and raised together. As the characters get older, their desire to preserve their personal boundaries grows stronger. And at some point it goes beyond all reasonable limits.

The film is based on the 1996 theater play of the same name, which its author, the talented Irish playwright Enda Walsh, later remade into a script. The theatrical production also featured Cillian Murphy and played the same role.

3.28 days later

• UK, 2002.
• Post-apocalyptic, horror, thriller, drama.
• Duration: 113 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 6.

A post-apocalyptic horror film directed by Danny Boyle tells how four survivors try to escape from a pandemic of a contagious virus that deprives people of their minds and turns them into aggressive killers.

Cillian Murphy plays the young courier Jim. After a traumatic brain injury, he goes to the hospital. And while the hapless Jim lies in a coma, the whole country is engulfed in a terrible epidemic.

The painting became incredibly successful and paid off several times over. After that, Murphy began to receive more and more invitations to act in films from famous directors.

4. Breakfast on Pluto

• Ireland, UK, 2005.
• Drama, comedy.
• Duration: 135 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 3.

The film, directed by Neil Jordan, tells the story of the eccentric transvestite Patrick Braden (Cillian Murphy). Life in a provincial Irish town is not sugar, but Patrick, who prefers to be called Kitten, tries to never lose heart.

To get a better look, Murphy would change into a dress and go out with real transvestites. The actor also watched women for hours. His efforts were not in vain - Murphy was waiting for a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor.

5. Night flight

• USA, 2005.
• Thriller.
• Duration: 85 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 5.

Pretty Lisa Reisert (Rachel McAdams) is a passenger on a plane bound for Miami. Her neighbor turns out to be a certain Jackson Rippner (Cillian Murphy) - a nice guy who at first seems to the girl a very pleasant companion. But it soon turns out that Rippner is a terrorist plotting to kill the Deputy Secretary of National Security. Lisa, on the other hand, plays an important role in his plan, as she works as an administrator in the very hotel where the politician will soon be staying.

Murphy played one of the most striking roles in his career in the thriller Wes Craven, director of Scream and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Given Murphy's astounding ability to portray believable insanity, the film should be watched with caution by anyone afraid of flying.

6. Batman Begins

• USA, Japan, UK, 2005.
• Neo-noir, action, superhero film.
• Duration: 140 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 2.

After the young Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) witnessed the murder of his parents, he was determined to rid his native Gotham City of criminals. Since then, the billionaire has led a double life: during the day he is a frivolous playboy and a playboy, and at night he is a mysterious avenger named Batman.

Cillian Murphy originally auditioned for the role of Batman, but lost to Bale. However, Murphy was so impressed by director Christopher Nolan that he entrusted the actor to play the main negative character - the corrupt psychiatrist Jonathan Crane. At the beginning of the film, Jonathan works for the mafia, helping criminals go to the Arkham Asylum instead of the prison where they belong.

As the plot develops, Dr. Crane himself becomes a criminal, nicknamed the Scarecrow. He wears a creepy mask, and his main weapon is hallucinogenic gas, under the influence of which opponents see what they fear most.

7. The wind that rocks the heather

• Ireland, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, 2006.
• Drama.
• Duration: 127 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 5.

The film tells the story of the relationship between two brothers who went through a bloody war. At the beginning of the 20th century, Ireland once again rebelled against British rule. The entire population of the country is involved in this national liberation movement: from peasants to the intelligentsia.

Murphy played the successful physician Damien O'Donovan. A sense of duty forces the hero to leave his occupation and, together with his brother Teddy (Patrick Delaney), support the popular movement.

8. Hell

• UK, 2007.
• Science fiction, drama, thriller, adventure.
• Duration: 107 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 3.

The crew of the Icarus-II spacecraft is sent to the dying sun to awaken it again and prevent humanity from dying. True, this is not the first such mission. During the flight, the crew hears the callsigns of the Ikar-I crew, which disappeared without a trace seven years ago.

Cillian Murphy stars as the talented physicist Robert Cape, who is one of the crew who knows how to bring the Sun back to life. Unfortunately, the second collaboration between Murphy and director Danny Boyle was a commercial failure: the film flopped at the box office, despite good reviews from critics.

9. Beginning

• USA, UK, 2010.
• Science fiction, detective, thriller.
• Duration: 148 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 8.

A capable thief Dominic Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) steals valuable secrets from the depths of the subconscious of people while they sleep. Cobb is respected in the world of industrial espionage, but there is little joy in this, because the hero became an exile and lost everything he loved. Suddenly, a client appears who, as a reward for a job well done, promises to help Cobb legally return to the United States, where his children are left.

Murphy won the role of Robert Fischer, the wealthy heir to the energy tycoon. This person is the target of the last mission of the protagonist. Cobb must plant an idea in Fischer's mind that could lead to the division of Robert's father's business empire.

10. Time

• USA, 2011.
• Science fiction, action, dystopia, postcyberpunk.
• Duration: 109 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 7.

In the future, a way has been found to stop aging. People always look twenty-five years old, but their life is controlled by a timer that counts down how much is left to death. Money is abolished, time is becoming the main currency, and specially trained patrol officers - time guards or sentries - monitor the observance of the established order.

Murphy played the main negative character - the purposeful guardian of time Raymond Leon. He believes that people cannot be trusted to freely dispose of the most valuable resource, otherwise chaos and anarchy will begin.

11. Peaky Blinders

• UK, 2013 - present.
• Historical drama, crime.
• Duration: 4 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 8.

The series is based on real events that took place in England in the 1920s. During that difficult post-war period, many people were unemployed and could barely make ends meet. The general atmosphere of despair leads to the fact that in the English town of Birmingham, one after another, small gangs are emerging. Of these, Peaky Blinders, a bloody and brutal group, stand out the most. They look stylish, they are all feared and respected.

Many fans found out about Cillian Murphy precisely because of his brilliant role as Thomas Shelby - the cunning, calculating and fearless leader of the "Peaks". Murphy's game has graced the already great series, and thanks to the skillful storytelling, you will definitely not have to be bored while watching.

12. Anthropoid

• Czech Republic, Great Britain, France, 2016.
• War drama.
• Duration: 120 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 2.

The National Liberation Committee of Czechoslovakia sends agents Josef Gabchik (Cillian Murphy) and Jan Kubis (Jamie Dornan) to Nazi-occupied Prague. They must eliminate Reinhard Heydrich, nicknamed the Prague Butcher, one of the most important people in the Reich.

It is curious that the roles of both Czechoslovak saboteurs were played by the Irish.

13. Dunkirk

• UK, USA, France, Netherlands, 2017.
• War drama, thriller.
• Duration: 106 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 9.

The film is based on a true story from 1940. At the beginning of World War II, the remnants of the defeated Anglo-French army were trapped in the Dunkirk area. The non-linear storytelling of the picture covers events taking place on land, in the sea and in the air.

Murphy appeared as an unnamed soldier rescued from the water. This character embodies the collective image of all military men who have become victims of post-traumatic stress disorder. The film became the fifth collaboration between Murphy and Christopher Nolan.

14. Party

• UK, 2017.
• Comedy.
• Duration: 71 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 6.

In the center of the plot of the satirical black comedy Sally Porter, as you might guess from the title, is a party of bosom friends. However, what began as a harmless meeting is gradually turning into a real nightmare.

Murphy played Tom, a jealous drug-addicted financier. And although the hero claims that everything is fine with him, his strange behavior clearly suggests otherwise.