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This article has been updated with Farrells most recent performances, includingTheBatmanandThe Banshees of Inisherin.
And yet theres an intensity to his demeanor as well.
That last one is also getting him some of his best reviews.
Here, all of Colin Farrells movie performances, ranked.
Farrell portrays Jesse James, whom we first see as a heroic, impulsive Confederate guerilla fighting Yankee soldiers.
(Remember when American movies regularly tried to depict the Confederates as the good guys?
Sadly, it was not too long ago!)
The whole thing remains completely disjointed and impossible to follow.
48.Winters Tale
Woof.
But Im just going to go ahead and assume theres no way its worse than anything inWinters TaleorTotal Recall.
Farrell did gain notice for the part, mainly because of his striking looks.
And while the chemistry between the two romantic leads is solid, the movie never connects emotionally.
There was an opportunity here, in this thriller about an elite, maverick Los Angeles S.W.A.T.
As such, his performance is … odd.
But the human characters in the film dont get all that much to do.
Hes actually good enough in the part that at times one wishes the film were more about him.
But its a part designed for a more flamboyant performance in a crazier, funnier film.
We know the actor can do flamboyant, but this movie takes itself and its villain too seriously.
More of that, hey.
As the weak-willed, gambling-addicted younger sibling, Farrell is all nerves and fidgets.
Its a broad performance that seems vaguely comedic, in one of Allens less-comic efforts which explains the dissonance.
But the actor does make for a compelling contrast to McGregors smooth, calculating operator.
Alternately intense and melancholy, he conveys genuine ruthlessness while also subtly humanizing this monster.
Did your theater groan as audibly as ours did whenthattwist came?
Hes calm one minute, psychotic the next; meek one minute, a volcano of moves the next.
Every time he appears, it feels like a breath of much-needed oxygen.
Farrell doesnt get much screen time, but its a tremendous demonstration of his range.
Here, however, he gets to run free and be just plainweird.
Again, it bears repeating: Colin Farrell should have been playing villains all along.
Farrells oiliness makes him a great foil, but it also makes him weirdly compelling.
Does it sometimes feel like hes trying a little too hard to move us?
Maybe, but its a tender, touching performance nonetheless.
Plus, he looks adorable with a mane of long, flowing hair.
Its a movie that hates itself, basically, and it doesnt even give us any decent action scenes.
But it comes to life whenever Colin Farrell is onscreen.
Its the kind of part that should be confrontational; Farrells character seems to be everything Bridgess is not.
Farrell plays the quiet, reflective, mild-mannered scientist in charge of all these crazy young people.
Lets say that again:Colin Farrell plays the quiet, mild-mannered, mature one.
Its a really striking turnaround from the image he used to have.
In that sense, however, Farrells naturally grim demeanor fits right in.
Its an admirable performance with a deceptively high degree of difficulty.
Watching him attempt to hold it all together is both gripping and moving.
Then hes horribly wounded, and returns home a broken man.
The movie itself can be uneven, but watching Farrell and Christopher Lee play off one another is wonderful.
Its a marvelous bit of casting, and Farrell delivers.
His over-the-top accent adds to the absurdism of his casting.
But hes such a blast that you might not care.
15.The Way Back
His accent is thick and his teeth are a mess.
14.Roman J. Israel, Esq.
But this isnt that kind of movie, for the most part.
Farrells character is himself a man who retains some ideals hes just been a realist for too long.
That he manages to invest his own slippery character with lots of fascinating depth is quite an accomplishment.
13.Thirteen Lives
It really is the craziest story.
Ron Howards film is an expansive narrative portrait of the entire effort, which ultimately involved thousands of people.
Its the rare role in which you completely forget that youre watching Colin Farrell.
He has a marvelous gift for comedy.
Schumacher had already mined Farrells charisma in the underseenTigerland.
Here, he effectively uses the actors range in a bigger (well, bigger) movie.
Farrell is more than up to the task.
Travers and the latter playing Walt Disney.
All indications suggest that she might be a selkie, a mythical, mermaidlike creature with magical powers.
The film represented an early indication of just how much real potential Farrell possessed.
In order for all that to work, the film itself has to breathe.
Its characters have to feel like real people, even if they exist within this somewhat fanciful tale.
And while Gleeson is, as always, terrific, the movie lives or dies based on Farrells performance.
Luckily, he delivers one of the best acting jobs of his life.
4.The Lobster
Here was the first sign that Yorgos Lanthimos had cracked the code on Colin Farrell.
Who thought Farrell could have been such a minimalist?
And he brings fascinating layers to Smiths character.
2.Miami Vice
Im a fiend for mojitos.
It is not every actor who can deliver that line compellingly without actually losing any of its inherent ridiculousness.
There are still plenty of people who would disagree violently with that statement.
I will no doubt be hearing from them soon.)
But this is phenomenal casting.
Their onscreen chemistry is incredible, even as it seems so unlikely.
1.In Bruges
You know what it is?
Its the sheerbefuddlementin those eyes and that voice.
Thats the ingredient that makes this Farrells greatest role to date.
And Farrells performance changes constantly, caught in the competing energies of the story.
Then, he cant believe what hes seeing happening around him.
Until finally, he is baffled by the very mystery of life, love, and death.
