Colin Farrell is nominated for an Oscar for the very first time this year, for his leading role in the tragicomic Irish gem, The Banshees of Inisherin. If you're having a hard time believing that the 46-year-old leading man has never been nominated before, you're not alone. Ever since his breakout role in 2002's Minority Report, he's been quietly turning in stellar performances in primarily indie dramas, and elevating even the most questionable material he's given (looking at you, True Detective season two!) Here's our handy guide to ten of Farrell's greatest roles.
Tigerland (2000)
In his second ever film role, Farrell played an unruly young soldier in Joel Schumacher's moving and under-appreciated war drama, which follows U.S. draftees preparing to ship out to fight in Vietnam. Variety critic Emanuel Levy noted prophetically that the film "showcases the talents of newcomer Colin Farrell, who has everything that it takes to become a major Hollywood star."
Minority Report (2002)
In Steven Spielberg's now-iconic sci-fi film, Farrell plays an antagonist role that was originally earmarked for Matt Damon. In a futuristic society where people can be arrested for crimes before they've actually been committed thanks to psychics known as "precogs," Witwer is a slick Department of Justice agent tasked with investigating Tom Cruise's John Anderton, a precog-turned-suspect on the run.
Phone Booth (2002)
2002 was a heck of a year for Farrell, who followed up his Minority Report turn with another box office hit—in which he's on screen for almost the entire movie. A project 30 years in the making, which was once set to be directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Phone Booth takes the notion of a claustrophobic thriller to a whole new level, starring Farrell as a man who ends up trapped inside a phone booth, pinned in place by a sniper, and is forced to answer for his many sins by a malevolent caller played by Kiefer Sutherland.
The New World (2005)
Terence Malick's hypnotic romantic drama is a fictionalized take on historical figures, chronicling a love triangle between Pocahontas (Q'orianka Kilcher), captured English soldier Captain John Smith (Farrell) and settler John Rolfe (Christian Bale). Cementing Farrell's status as a winning romantic lead, the film drew polarized reviews (like much of Malick's work) but has since been voted one of the best films of the century by critics in a BBC list.
In Bruges (2008)
Martin McDonagh's feature debut is a pitch perfect and unexpectedly emotional black comedy caper that'll have you choking with laughter one moment, and then casually break your heart the next. Farrell is phenomenal as guilt-ridden hitman Ray, who's in hiding with his friend and colleague Ken (Brendan Gleeson) in the sleepy and historic Belgian town of Bruges, a fittingly incongruous setting for the mayhem that follows.
Ondine (2009)
A real hidden gem in Farrell's filmography, this beautiful, gritty modern fairytale stars Farrell as a recovering alcoholic single father, raising his daughter in a small coastal village in Ireland. After he inadvertently captures a mythological creature, Ondine (Alicja Bachleda) during a fishing trip, he and his daughter's lives begin to transform in extraordinary ways.
The Lobster (2015)
A characteristically surreal black comedy from writer-director Yorgos Lanthimos, The Lobster stars Farrell as a newly single man who is escorted to a mysterious hotel after his wife leaves him. The hotel is populated exclusively by single people, who are required to find a new romantic partner within 45 days—if not, they'll be transformed into an animal of their choice, an absurdist premise which sums up the film's delightfully deadpan satirization of modern dating culture.
The Beguiled (2017)
Though it's based on a novel of the same name by Thomas P. Cullinan, Sofia Coppola's Southern Gothic thriller feels entirely unique. Set at an almost-deserted girls school during the Civil War, The Beguiled depicts a gradual emotional unravelling which begins after a wounded soldier (Farrell) arrives at the school in need of medical treatment. As he gradually heals, the teachers and students' fascination with him begins to take a dark turn.
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
The news that In Bruges dream team of Farrell, Gleeson, and McDonagh would be reuniting came as welcome news to that film's many fans, and the end result did not disappoint. Though it's a similar blend of dark humor and emotional melancholy, Banshees also strikes a very different note from In Bruges, and centers on the disintegrating dynamic between lifelong friends Pádraic (Farrell) and Colm (Gleeson).
Emma Dibdin is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles who writes about culture, mental health, and true crime. She loves owls, hates cilantro, and can find the queer subtext in literally anything.
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