7 Best Cillian Murphy Movies, Ranked

Lately, Cillian Murphy has become one of those actors everyone recognizes, but not always for the right reasons. After Oppenheimer, a lot of people started treating him like one of Hollywood’s biggest names, even though he’d been delivering outstanding work long before that. When you look at his filmography, it’s clear Murphy has never been afraid to take risks — sometimes in massive films, sometimes in projects almost no one saw, but all of them proving how he can command any type of character. And the most interesting part is that he never seemed interested in becoming a blockbuster star, even when he could have been. He’s always gravitated toward roles that demand more than the obvious. And that’s exactly where he shines: in stories that require intensity but also restraint.

Here are the 7 best Cillian Murphy movies, ranked from worst to best. With this list, it becomes crystal clear why he’s become such a respected actor. It’s not just technical skill; it’s the consistency of someone who always delivers more than people expect.

7) Inception

When it comes to a Christopher Nolan movie, you already know what to expect: it’s going to be good, a little confusing on the first watch, and full of excellent performances — and Murphy is no exception. In Inception, he absolutely owns the screen since his character is what gives the film its emotional weight (even though he’s not technically the protagonist). In the story, he plays Robert Fischer, a powerful heir who has to confront his father’s legacy inside a dream manipulated by Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio). And it’s through that vulnerability, required by the plot, that we feel the film’s real impact.

Murphy is now considered one of Hollywood’s top actors, but before reaching that point, he needed to be noticed — and Inception helped make that happen. He conveys Fischer’s fragility with precision, making the audience believe he’s genuinely haunted by his father’s trauma and the fear of becoming someone he doesn’t want to be. But compared to other projects he’s done, this one, while essential in his filmography (since Fischer is the kind of character that makes you realize the film wouldn’t work without him), still places him in a supporting role. In short, it’s a subtler performance.

6) Anthropoid

One of the most underrated spy films (and one of the most overlooked in Murphy’s career) is Anthropoid. The story follows the planning and execution of the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, one of the most dangerous figures in the Nazi regime, and shows the psychological impact of a mission that borders on impossible. And here, Murphy (alongside Jamie Dorman) is at the center of everything as Jozef Gabčík, a soldier directly involved in the operation. The film sticks close to his preparation, his internal conflicts, and the mission itself. It’s tense from start to finish, with every decision carrying a real risk of death — and that’s exactly what makes the film so praised (even if some viewers disagree because of pacing and dialogue).

Today, we all know how easily Murphy can carry a movie, but in Anthropoid, it’s on another level. He holds the entire weight of the story without leaning on excess drama. It’s easy to feel his character’s fear and sense of responsibility pressing down in every scene. Even people who aren’t into the subject matter would find it worth watching just for his performance. And it ranks here because it’s one of the first times he’s truly the driving force of a film. It’s restrained, but incredibly intense and consistently strong.

5) Sunshine

Sunshine isn’t a movie that gets talked about very often, mostly because the script is smart and ambitious, but the ending turns a lot of viewers off. Still, when it comes to Murphy’s performance, that’s a completely different story. The film follows a team sent on a suicide mission to reignite the Sun and prevent Earth’s collapse, and the actor plays Robert Capa, a physicist responsible for the bomb meant to save humanity. That alone sets the tone for a story that’s both claustrophobic and philosophical. And to make all of that feel grounded and genuinely heavy for the audience, the performances become crucial: Murphy strikes a fascinating balance between rationality and the nervous energy the situation demands.

A standout element is how he makes you feel the tension of deciding whether to save or destroy humanity, without losing the character’s emotional core. Long before his powerhouse performance in Oppenheimer, where he conveys inner turmoil with almost nothing, Sunshine is the first film that hypnotizes you with that same emotional restraint, pulling you into his work and making you want to explore more of what he can do. But ultimately, it doesn’t climb higher in this ranking because, for most viewers, the lasting memory ends up being the Sun’s imagery rather than the performances.

4) The Wind That Shakes the Barley

Here, Murphy shows a completely different side of himself than what most people are used to. In The Wind That Shakes the Barley, it’s all about versatility. He plays Damien O’Donovan, a doctor who abandons his career to fully join the fight for Ireland’s independence and later gets swallowed by the internal violence of the Civil War. The story follows how this conflict tears families apart and forces brothers, friends, and allies onto opposing sides. And the film doesn’t soften anything: it’s harsh, full of difficult choices, and shows war without any heroic filter. Murphy’s performance has a brutal naturalism, embodying a character loaded with contradictions, anger, fear, and guilt, without ever falling into the “morally pure protagonist” archetype so common in historical dramas.

The Wind That Shakes the Barley is a film that demands a lot emotionally, and Murphy not only meets that intensity but sets the tone for it. It holds this spot in the ranking because this is easily one of the most difficult and heavy performances of his career, yet also one of the least known outside Europe. It’s a role of complete commitment and shows exactly why he thrives in morally ambiguous characters. Whether people realize it or not, this is the kind of work that reveals his true range as a dramatic actor.

3) 28 Days Later

For franchise fans, 28 Days Later is far from an unknown title. This was the film that launched Murphy internationally — and for good reason. Here, he plays Jim, who wakes up from a coma with absolutely no idea that the world fell apart while he was unconscious. London is empty and overrun by a virus that turns people into rage-fueled zombies, and Murphy sells every second of that initial shock. The plot then follows him as he tries to survive and connect with other people in the middle of all this chaos. And the best part is that he’s not playing yet another apocalypse hero, but an ordinary guy thrown into a situation no one would be emotionally prepared to handle. That’s exactly where he stands out.

Murphy is the element that pushes the film beyond pure horror, giving humanity to a story that could’ve easily been just blood, running, and random attacks like so many others. Several movies in his career had already shown glimpses of his range, but 28 Days Later lands in the top 3 because it’s where he truly had the visibility to surprise a larger audience. Jim is unforgettable, visceral, instinctive, and basically the symbolic face of a franchise beloved by genre fans. Without him, the first movie probably wouldn’t have become the landmark it is today.

2) Breakfast on Pluto

Murphy’s work can be described as intense, bold, and committed, but also driven by choices that push his limits instead of keeping him in a safe zone. In Breakfast on Pluto, we get one of his most unexpected roles: Kitten Braden, a young trans woman searching for identity, affection, and a place in the world. The film follows her as she faces rejection, violence, and constant displacement while trying to build some form of family (whether with friends, lovers, or strangers). And yes, it’s a role that could easily slip into exaggeration or tired stereotypes, but Murphy does the exact opposite, giving the protagonist lightness, charm, and a vulnerability that never asks for pity.

The movie blends drama, comedy, and romance, but the actor navigates these shifts with a natural ease that feels almost effortless. Breakfast on Pluto is a journey filled with absurdity and warmth, but it also lets Murphy show a range few people expected from him. Because of that, it rightfully ends up near the top of the ranking — it’s a role that demands emotional, artistic, and technical courage. Murphy doesn’t just play Kitten; he inhabits her. And it’s a performance that even viewers who don’t love the film still respect for its boldness and sensitivity.

1) Oppenheimer

The number one spot couldn’t belong to any other film. And why? Because in Oppenheimer, Murphy doesn’t just play Robert Oppenheimer — he fuses with the character in a way that’s rare and almost uncomfortable to watch. The film follows the historical figure from his academic rise to the moral and institutional judgment that slowly consumes him. The story itself already carries enormous weight for the protagonist, so it couldn’t be just any actor in the role. Murphy simply shines, effortlessly, using every distant stare, prolonged silence, and trembling breath to build someone who can’t escape the crushing weight of his own actions. It’s a performance that works both on the grand and the intimate level: he dominates the sequences of political tension, but also the emotional fractures that reveal the man behind the myth.

Overall, Murphy makes everything feel painfully real: the scientific euphoria, the wounded pride, and the overwhelming guilt that hits the audience hard enough to leave you chilled. Oppenheimer gave him the kind of role that, honestly, redefined his career — monumental, devastating, and absolutely magnetic. It’s the culmination of everything he’s always done well, elevated to its sharpest and most staggering form. The film made a massive impact when it premiered, won the Oscar, and, most importantly, earned Murphy a Best Actor statuette. It’s one of the most memorable performances in modern cinema and something everyone should see.

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