Colin Farrell has become one of the most diverse, underrated actors in Hollywood. After bursting onto the scene as the Hollywood bad-boy action star with movies like Phone Booth and SWAT, Farrell has dialed it down in subsequent years to demonstrate what a fine actor he is. This Friday, audiences can see Farrell in The Gentleman, which marks his first time working with British director Guy Ritchie!
But before you do, let’s take a look back at some of the plum parts Farrell has played over the course of his 20-year career.
Alexander The Great (Alexander)
While the movie didn’t turn out as well as planned, especially under the watchful direction of the great Oliver Stone, playing Alexander the Great is no small feat!
Playing such an iconic historical figure like Alexander the Great is an opportunity of a lifetime, and Farrell did the best he could to bring the character to life for a new generation. The sexual ambiguities of the King of Macedonia and the personal allegiances he forges make for a complicated conquistador unlike any we’d seen before.
Sonny Crocket (Miami Vice)
Given the mega-popularity of the 1980s TV series, extra pressure was thrown on Farrell’s shoulders to get the part of Sonny Crocket right in the big-screen adaptation. By the accounts of most, he nailed it!
Originated by Don Johnson on the hit TV show, Farrell injected new life and style into the character once hamstrung by white suits, giant shoulder pads, and neon blue and pink pastels. Whereas the TV show was light and breezy, director Michael Mann reenvisioned the film with a much harder, violent edge.
Jerry (Fright Night)
In yet another remake, Farrell was given the unenviable task of not just replicating, but also elevating the iconic turn left behind by Chris Sarandon in the original Fright Night!
And once again, Farrell did just that! In his version of the character in the 2011 remake, he shows a remarkable ability to be just as scary and sinister as he is charming and charismatic. And yet, he differentiates his version of Jerry from Sarandon by scaling back the pervasive sexual energy and leaning into the vampiric terror!
Captain Smith (The New World)
Playing Captain John Smith in The New World is one of Farrell’s best roles for two reasons. The first is that he got the chance to work with the great Terrence Malick in just his fourth feature film.
The second reason is that Captain Smith was a real-life historical figure, putting more of a burden on Farrell to accurately portray the character. And yet, for an actor primarily known for action roles up to that point, Farrell proved his talents more than worthy to play Captain Smith.
Terry Blaine (Cassandra’s Dream)
Getting the chance to work with Woody Allen is surely a thrill for any actor, but what really makes Farrell’s role in Cassandra’s Dream so memorable is the tragic lengths he’s willing to go to for his own survival.
The plot of the film concerns two financially-strapped brothers in London, Ian (Ewan McGregor) and Terry Blaine (Farrell), who get mixed up in a murder plot when their affluent uncle Howard (Tom Wilkinson) enters the picture with a deal of a lifetime. Farrell’s depiction of a man facing severe internal struggle is unlike any we’ve seen him play before.
Stephen Murphy (The Killing Of A Sacred Deer)
In one of the strangest and most absurd revenge movies of recent memory, Farrell gives a frighteningly stoic turn as a staid cardio-surgeon in The Killing of a Sacred Deer!
When the good doctor fails to save the father of a 16-year-old boy named Martin (Barry Keoghan), a heartfelt bond between the two is formed. However, it slowly becomes clear that Barry has evil vengeance on the agenda, as he begins a terror campaign to ruin the life of Dr. Stephen Murphy and his idyllic family.
Marty (Seven Psychopaths)
In his second time working with award-winning playwright and filmmaker Martin McDonagh (In Bruges), Farrell stole the show as Marty, one of Seven Psychopaths!
Surrounded by an all-star cast that includes Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Michael Stuhlbarg, Michael Pitt and more, Farrell somehow stood out among a roster of Hollywood heavyweights. The comedic crime flick follows a struggling screenwriter (Farrell) who, along with his bumbling pals, kidnaps a woman in order to find inspiration for his new script.
Tommy Sweet (Crazy Heart)
With the perfectly accurate surname, Farrell showed off a much softer and sweeter side of himself in Crazy Heart than we’d ever seen before. Perhaps ever!
While Jeff Bridges takes center stage as Bad Blake, an effete country musician on his last leg, it’s the heartwarming of turn from Farrell as Tommy Sweet that balances out Blake’s hardscrabble ways. Farrell also unveiled his beautiful voice and natural ability to sing, something we’d never seen him showcase before. It’s one of his most unique and emotional performances so far.
David (The Lobster)
Speaking of unique, you’d be hard-pressed to find a weirder and more original character than David in Yorgos Lanthimos’ insane absurd comedy, The Lobster. Good gosh!
First, the premise. In a future dystopia, every single person in the world is brought to a remote hotel and given 45 days to find a mate. If they fail to do so, they will be sent be turned into the animal of their wish and sent into the woods to survive. Farrel plays David, who chooses to become a lobster when failing to strike up a romance.
Ray (In Bruges)
Although he played the part a dozen years ago, Ray in Martin McDonagh’s hilarious dark comedy In Bruges is the number one best role Colin Farrell has played in his career thus far!
When two disgraced hit-men are ordered to hide out in Bruges (Belgium) until their troubles blow over, Ray and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) get caught up in a sordid web of underworld intrigue, drugs, violent mayhem, and far more than they ever bargained for. And yet, amind the hijinks, it’s the heartfelt pathos Farrell lends as Ray toward Ken’s character that really solidifies their friendship.
