Every Cillian Murphy Movie Ranked Worst To Best
The highs and lows of an actor who's been everywhere and always given his all.
Cillian Murphy has done it all.
Romantic leads, bumbling criminals, haunted soldiers, conflicted government agents, genius scientists and seemingly unremarkable men on the precipice of great discovery - these are just some of the roles the Irish star has tackled over the years, each taken to with the same level of unwavering commitment.
Known for his various collaborations with Christopher Nolan, Murphy falls so easily into many of his roles that it's easy to separate the man from the character, his soulful eyes and handsome but slight features allowing him to appear either threatening, anguished, hopeful or innocent depending on the film he's attached to.
On TV, he's best remembered for Peaky Blinders, and whilst for many his turn as Tommy Shelby is the cornerstone of his career, Murphy's nearly three-decade stint as a supporting and sometimes leading movie star has been so fascinating it's a wonder he's only just become an award favourite for recent hit Oppenheimer.
With that in mind, from the indie gems that made him to his compelling rise to Oscar nominee, here are all 34 Cillian Murphy movies ranked worst to best.
34. Girl With A Pearl Earring (2003)
This hollow exploration of the origin of the Johannes Vermeer painting Girl with a Pearl Earring stars Murphy in one of his least challenging roles, and for a rare spell he does little to elevate what he's given.
As a potential love interest to the eponymous character (Scarlett Johansson), soon to be immortalised in one of the most revered of Baroque portraits, Murphy is lovelorn and inoffensively there, but there's no moment where he's allowed to break away and give his role any new depth.
Girl with a Pearl Earring is dull enough, but to waste Murphy (as well as Johansson, for that matter) is bordering on the unforgivable.