Irish actor Colin Farrell has a filmography with great variety in it. He’s taken part in almost every genre, with comedy, action, and drama all under his belt. Farrell’s first big project was a BBC drama called Ballykissangel, in which he played Danny Byrne, but he got his major breakout role thanks to none other than Steven Spielberg. When Minority Report was released in 2002, a whole new world of opportunities opened up beyond small British projects.
Later in his career, Farrell developed two major partnerships with directors. The 2008 movie In Bruges marked the beginning of his long-term collaboration with Martin McDonagh. They continued to work together, with Seven Psychopaths in 2012 and The Banshees of Inisherin in 2022. Similarly, in 2015, Farrell worked with director Yorgos Lanthimos to make The Lobster, and then The Killing of a Sacred Deer in 2017. Partnerships like these demonstrate Farrell’s range, as having strong connections with two directors whose movies have starkly different tones is not so common. However, with both directors using a mix of drama and dark comedy, the fact that Farrell can keep up with their asks is a testament to his abilities. If you’re already a fan or interested in learning about his work, here are 10 quintessential Colin Farrell movies that will give you a great understanding of his career.
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10 In Bruges (2008)
Focus Features
Farrell’s first collaboration with Martin McDonagh, In Bruges shows off Farrell’s comedic chops. The dark comedy follows Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as hitmen hiding out in Belgium after a poorly executed job. Neither are happy to be there and grumpy tourism ensues. When the two men fail to complete their boss’ instructions, he decides to take matters into their own hands. The film is packed full of shocking and funny escapades. It makes a great entry point for learning about Farrell’s career as it balances crowd-pleasing humor and action with a more quirky tone and plot, making it something of a mid-point in the spectrum of these movies.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
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9 A Home at the End of the World (2004)
Warner Home Video
A Home at the End of the World stars Farrell and Dallas Roberts as childhood friends, with Robin Wright who forms the third point in their love triangle. The story is based on a book by Michael Cunningham, who also wrote The Hours. Farrell’s performance is touching and thoughtful; he does a great job with the sincerity of the script. As is common in his choice of movies, it’s an unconventional story with unconventional characters that balanced out some of the simpler action movies that kicked off his journey to stardom.
8 The Beguiled (2017)
Directed by Sofia Coppola, The Beguiled is about a girls’ school in Virginia during the American Civil War. Farrell’s character is a wounded soldier discovered by one of the girls and brought back to the school. Quickly, events turn sour as the arrival of a man in their world creates envy among their ranks. Besides Farrell, the cast includes Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning, and Angourie Rice. Being only 90 minutes long, the detailed story is told at thrilling speed and doesn’t outstay its welcome. If you’re someone who knows Farrell from his action or thriller movies, The Beguiled makes a great entryway to the indie side of his filmography.
7 Widows (2018)
20th Century Fox
With an all-star cast, it’s surprising that Widows largely flew under the radar. It stars Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Jon Bernthal, Daniel Kaluuya, Brian Tyree Henry, and more. The plot consists of four women whose husbands left them in debt when they failed to complete a bank robbery. Steve McQueen directed the movie and wrote the screenplay alongside Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl). Although the movie is packed with talent, it doesn’t feel like any of the actors are competing for space. There is political commentary, detailed character work, and electrifying heist scenes that manage to work in harmony without feeling over-stuffed or too ambitious. Farrell’s role in the movie is not huge, but every element of this project is carefully thought out and essential to the big picture. It’s all brilliant work, and you won’t be disappointed.
6 The Batman (2022)
Warner Bros.
Another smaller role for Farrell in a big-name movie, he plays The Penguin in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. He is so covered in prosthetics that he becomes unrecognizable, especially with his usual accent nowhere to be found. The main cast is made up of Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Paul Dano, and Andy Serkis. We find Batman already in the second year of his superhero lifestyle, attempting to crack down on corruption in Gotham. Similarly to Widows, Farrell’s lack of recognizability here is a testament to his ability to blend in seamlessly with an ensemble cast instead of trying to steal the scene. His performance was such a success that The Penguin is set to have his own HBO Max TV series.
5 S.W.A.T. (2003)
Columbia Pictures
S.W.A.T. is another movie from earlier in Farrell’s career. He plays S.W.A.T. team member Jim Street, alongside Samuel L. Jackson, Michelle Rodriguez, and LL Cool J. When it gets out that a drug kingpin will reward anyone who breaks him out of jail with a large sum of cash, it falls on the S.W.A.T. unit to prevent that from happening. It’s evidently not Farrell’s most in-depth and nuanced movie, but it’s still great entertainment. The fact that he has such a balance of blockbuster action and more thoughtful independent movies means there’s something for everyone in his back catalog.
4 Phone Booth (2002)
In Phone Booth, Farrell plays Stuart Shepard, a morally dubious publicist. He gets trapped in a phone booth because the man on the phone is trying to extort money from him with a sniper pointed his way. Almost the entire movie is set within this one phone booth, and yet it manages to remain gripping throughout the entire runtime. It’s true that the premise is slightly shaky when you really examine it. Who would bother to train a sniper on a corrupt publicist in order to make him finally feel guilty when there is much more serious corruption out there? But the fact that this detail doesn’t matter while you’re watching the movie speaks to the power of Farrell’s ability to emote.
3 The Lobster (2015)
A24
This list wouldn’t be quintessentially Colin Farrell without a mention of Yorgos Lanthimos. His first movie with Farrell, The Lobster, tells the story of a man in a future society who is sent to “The Hotel” as a result of being single. There, he must fall in love within 45 days, or he will be turned into an animal. Once again, Farrell’s performance strikes the perfect tonal balance between darkness and comedy. In an interview with Miami New Times, Lanthimos praises this ability, he says that Farrell was “very much in tune with the world and the tone of the film.” Despite the absurdist plot and humor, The Lobster feels very relevant and close to our present society. Its discussion of our treatment of romantic relationships is entirely grounded in real criticisms.
2 Minority Report (2002)
Another imagining of the future, Minority Report is set in 2054. In this version of the future, there is a “precrime” unit that prevents crimes before they have had a chance to happen. The protagonist, played by Tom Cruise, is accused of one of these future crimes. When he hears of this prediction, he flees the scene, and Farrell’s character then leads the manhunt for him. Farrell navigates the blockbuster brilliantly, you wouldn’t be able to tell it was his first movie of this kind. The movie presents interesting questions about the justice system and how we treat criminality. With Spielberg at its helm, it’s not an empty-headed movie.
1 The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
Farrell, Gleeson, and McDonagh reunite for another collaboration with The Banshees of Inisherin. Set on a remote Irish island, Farrell and Gleeson play lifelong friends until Gleeson’s character abruptly decides their friendship is over. After being friends for so long, both experience consequences for this decision. It’s a funny movie, but it also maintains real a sense of melancholy and heartbreak throughout as the men attempt to navigate what is essentially a breakup. Speaking to Collider, McDonagh says that Farrell is “very sensitive to sad, darker material, but also brilliant at understanding comedy.” This sums up much of his career, which is dedicated to funny, yet thoughtful and sensitive, material. The Banshees of Inisherin feels like somewhat a culmination of all the work Farrell has put into his career so far, though it’s far from over, this is one of his best performances yet.
