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Happy 43rd Birthday to Cillian Murphy!

25-05-1976

By Annie KapurPublished 5 years ago 7 min read
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Born on the 25th of May, 1976, Cillian Murphy grew up in the far southern regions of the Republic of Ireland. He became my childhood hero when I was 9 years old because of his great performances in Batman Begins and Red Eye. When I was a child and a teenager, I always wanted to be just like him because of how articulate he is about what he does. He doesn't do gossip or talk about trivial things; but ask him about his job and he seems to know exactly what he's doing and where's he's at. He taught me so much about art and expression through drama and his acting is impeccable. Fun Fact: I actually met him a few years ago and I now cherish a picture I got with him. I can assure you that seeing him in real life is just as awe-inspiring, maybe even twice so, as seeing him on screen or stage.

For his birthday, we're going to count down his ten best performances. This will be fairly easy since I have literally watched the entirety of his filmography.

This is a list of films so no, there will be no mention of television shows like Peaky Blinders or The Way We Were here.

Happy Birthday Cillian Murphy and thanks for giving me such inspiration to study the arts. Without you, I am sure that wouldn't have been. I wish a massive happy birthday to my childhood hero and I hope you enjoy watching his movies on this very special day.

10. Robert Capa (Sunshine, 2007)

In the Sci-Fi/Thriller Sunshine, Cillian Murphy gives a brilliant performance as the physicist, Robert Capa. This was such a good role for him seeing as he is quite good at playing the intelligent characters. If you watch this film, you will notice how great and how prominent his character is in the story. I think that this is one of his best performances purely because of the way he really thought about how his character relates to others, especially fighting with Mace.

9. Timekeeper Raymond Leon (In Time, 2011)

I watched this film in the cinema and I was so excited because Cillian Murphy had a prominent, villainous role again—so I was entirely sure he'd smash it. This film was one of the best things I'd seen in a while (well, since he was in Inception a year earlier). He was a brilliant person in this film, keeping this uptight style that fit the character perfectly until the very end. I hope you decide to watch this film on this very special day because I probably will be.

8. Michael (Perrier's Bounty, 2010)

I know a lot of people who don't like this film and a lot of other people who haven't seen it. I think that, in this thriller, Cillian Murphy gives a different performance to the villainous role we're used to. He plays the guy fighting the villain and it's brilliant because he creates a great amount of tension. I love this film because of Cillian Murphy's very fluent performance in a sense that he's fighting the villain, but he's not necessarily the hero.

7. Tom (Red Lights, 2012)

Again, I saw this film in the cinema and I absolutely loved it. It was so entirely underrated because it's a cross between drama and horror. I think Cillian Murphy does a perfect job of being the cynic and then creating that twist (which I won't tell you) in the story. Everything falls into place and the character makes that convincing enough to happen; of course, that's thanks to his incredible acting talent.

6. Darren (Disco Pigs, 2001)

You have to admit that you haven't seen Cillian Murphy act until you've seen Disco Pigs. He portrays Darren, who is basically very much attached to a girl called Sinead; who, in turn, is very attached to him. The villainy comes out later in the story, but also this strange creation of sympathy which really does show the way he can create two conflicting emotions from the exact same character. It's a brilliant role for the very young Cillian Murphy, and truly shouldn't be forgotten ever.

5. Jim (28 Days Later, 2002)

Everyone has either seen or heard of the film 28 Days Later,and that's mainly because of Cillian Murphy's stellar performance. No, he doesn't play the villain—he simply plays a guy who wakes up in a Zombie Apocalypse and it's bloody brilliant. The way in which Cillian Murphy manages to make his character seem so realistic is what really gave this film the push it needed; I don't think the story would've worked without it.

4. Robert Fischer (Inception, 2010)

I went to watch this in the cinema after dragging my family along. There's something about making your family sit through this in a cinema setting that makes me feel accomplished. "Yes, I finally got my folks to watch something with Cillian Murphy in it..." This film though, everyone liked. Why? well, because it was thought-provoking and a brilliant concept. I loved Cillian Murphy's character and thought his role was essential to the movie's success. He convinced the audience that he did not know what was going on and that's a very difficult thing to do when you've read the script and know how it ends. So, I can really appreciate Cillian Murphy's brilliant acting here and I'll also be watching this on his birthday!

3. Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow (The Dark Knight Trilogy, 2005-2012)

Now did you think this role was just not going to be on the list? As the only villain to be in all three films, Dr. Jonathan Crane was a life-changing role for Cillian Murphy because he portrayed a lot of talent on the screen. For example: He had to make people believe that he was a real comic book villain whilst also capturing the essence of Christopher Nolan's very realistic and gritty atmosphere throughout the trilogy. That balance was difficult to get right, but as always, Cillian Murphy pulled it off because he's the best actor ever.

2. Jackson Rippner (Red Eye, 2005)

I absolutely adore this film because it really does show off the meaning to how everyone thinks Cillian Murphy plays a perfect villain. The role of Jackson really changed the game because at first, he's the typical nice guy, and then, the crazed sociopath. It's an amazing film and is heightened by Cillian Murphy's very intelligently portrayed character. He doesn't go very over-the-top with it; instead, it seems to be almost inspired by true crime characters. It is very realistic and absolutely brilliant and that is why I love this film.

More Mentions!

Here are some more roles that I love:

John (Peacock, 2010)

Yes, they changed his eye colour and now he looks completely different.

William (The Edge of Love, 2008)

It's a beautiful film and I think everyone should see it.

John (Intermission, 2003)

It's a really good teen crime drama and I think it's possibly the only one of its kind. Also, Cillian Murphy is awesome in this film.

Jonathan Breeches (On the Edge, 2001)

This is probably one of the best roles he's had because of how complex it is. He's so young and portraying a character so difficult; I love it.

Matthew Joy (In the Heart of the Sea, 2015)

I saw this in the cinema as well, it was brilliant.

Damien (The Wind that Shakes the Barley, 2006)

One of his masterpiece roles and an absolute must-watch for anyone interested remotely in film.

1. Patrick Braden (Breakfast on Pluto, 2005)

This is one of my all-time favourite films and I watch it every time I'm sick because it makes me feel better. Cillian Murphy portrays a brilliantly complex role as the troubled, abused, and kicked about trans-woman, Patrick Braden. I love this film because of Cillian Murphy's brilliant abilities, and he really displays how serious he is about his job and about portraying the character to perfection. I have probably seen this film over 100 times in my life and it has done me good because he is a damn inspiration. His acting is so fluid and amazing that to watch him is awe-inspiring.

Conclusion

He's not just my favourite actor, he's not just my childhood hero. He's a lot of things to me and is very important in my creative process. I even tried to edge him into my undergraduate dissertation and tried to plug his movies into my MA thesis. It worked, thankfully. I love the way he is so picky about his roles, he doesn't take on everything and anything. He portrays characters with a history, or some sort of strange story that you can really get interested in. He is able to make you really believe in the character and can very quickly change your emotions about them. He is a brilliant human being and an amazing actor; on his birthday, celebrate by watching his movies.

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About the Creator

Annie Kapur

190K+ Reads on Vocal.

English Lecturer

🎓Literature & Writing (B.A)

🎓Film & Writing (M.A)

🎓Secondary English Education (PgDipEd)

📍Birmingham, UK

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