Celebrating the career of an Irish acting icon.
Colin Farrell has solidified his status as one of the most accomplished and talented actors of his generation, let alone among the Irish contingent of thespians, but he has had to fight to earn the widespread respect he now receives.
From Ballykissangel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and everything in between, the Castleknock native went from bursting onto the scene and becoming an A-list superstar to suffering major flops with disastrous turns in Alexander and Miami Vice, only to return as an actor who has a knack for quirky choices in independent films.
Not bad for an Irish fella who fell into the entertainment industry after spending a year in Australia with some friends from home.
With the Dubliner set to turn 40 in May, this JOE is going to attempt to pick his top five movie performances.
A quick look at Farrell’s filmography will show that this is no easy task, as he’s appeared in a plethora of cracking movies, but sure, we’ll give it a go and probably upset quite a few along the way.
*Note: As with many of the main man’s movies, there is quite a bit of tasty language used along the way in the clips.
5. Horrible Bosses
It may only qualify as a cameo, but so good was Farrell’s brief showing in Horrible Bosses, we couldn’t ignore it here.
Portraying a despicable character in Bobby Pellit who totally encapsulated the title of the movie, his ridiculous appearance and acerbic tongue had us constantly howling in the all too short time he was on screen.
This performance was like nothing we had ever seen from Farrell before, making us yearn for more comedic turns by the Irishman.
For our money, even compared to Jennifer Aniston’s unforgettable display, Farrell stood out the most in Horrible Bosses.
Clip via Nick Barnum
Please do more comedy, Colin.
4. Intermission
Tough, street smart, ultimately cruel and completely devoid of any moral compass (except when it concerns brown sauce, of course), Farrell’s Lehiff is constantly captivating throughout Intermission.
How is that? One word: charisma.
Extremely charming one minute, viciously violent the next. Farrell’s unpredictability made this performance impossible to ignore.
Clip via icecoldrita
His chemistry with co-star Cillian Murphy was palpable, and watching two supreme young Irish talents go toe-to-toe was simply a joy to behold.
3. Tigerland
Farrell’s breakthrough role in Hollywood and still one of his greatest ever performances.
Playing a young recruit going through Infantry training in Louisiana’s brutal Tigerland, Farrell’s character Roland Buzz is full of aggression and bravado, but always has this underlining vulnerability about him.
It would be exactly the type of role that the Dublin man would go onto excel in several times throughout his career.
The director Joel Schumacher hired a relatively unknown and youthful cast, with Farrell only getting in by the skin of his teeth – he missed the actual auditions and, instead, interviewed by making a video of himself and sending it to the initially reluctant director.
https://youtu.be/NACUxVR8bz0
Clip via Karl Dreisler
The risky bit of ingenuity certainly paid off.
2. Phone Booth
Yes, we know that Phone Booth divided opinion right down the middle.
If you weren’t buying the plot of a cocky and ignorant PR worker held hostage in a phone booth by a deranged sniper, then this was never going to be for you.
However, this performance is placed so highly on the list because it is a tour de force in acting by Farrell, who goes from arrogant to self-assured to deluded to defiant to anxious to accepting and to brave in a little over an hour.
The character evolution and claustrophobic camera work was mesmerising to watch.
It’s an incredibly strong display in what Farrell has since admitted was the toughest shoot he ever filmed.
Clip via Movieclips
Hard to imagine then, that he only secured the role after Jim Carrey pulled out.
1. In Bruges
The top spot could not be fulfilled by anything other than one of the greatest Irish movies of all time.
This was a crossroad performance by Farrell, who was embarking on a new stage of his career following a couple of big budget flops, and what must have been a real-life feeling of hurt pride, sensitivity and a “f*ck this” attitude was stripped down and unveiled in front of our eyes on the big screen.
Like his fantastic co-star Brendan Gleeson, Farrell’s Ray is ultimately a good man, despite his many varied and partially sinister flaws.
Ray is full of pathos and the audience is left feeling this unexplained empathy with a character who is, ultimately, a murderer.
It will take something very special to ever beat this showing.
Clip via Vindobona Awstriae
Honourable mentions: Seven Psychopaths (Marty), The Lobster (David), Minority Report (Danny Witwer), Hart’s War (Lt. Thomas W. Hart), Crazy Heart (Tommy Sweet), The Recruit (James Douglas Clayton).
Do you agree with this list, or have you five other movies in mind? Let us know by getting in touch on our WhatsApp number 087-4001102, editorial@JOE.ie or by hitting us up on Facebook or Twitter.
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