Eight years have passed since Batman (portrayed by Christian Bale) vanishes into the dark. Taking the responsibility for Harvey Dent's death, Batman decides to sacrifice everything in order to achieve what he believes is the "greater good". Nevertheless, the appearance of a cunning burglar (Catwoman, played by Anne Hathaway), as well as a malicious terrorist called Bane (played by Tom Hardy) changes all his plans. Batman has no choice but to go into a war he's not sure he can win.

In The Batman trilogy, Cillian Murphy is not in the main cast. He portrays Scarecrow - one of the greatest and most iconic villains in comic books, switching between two alter egos Scarecrow and Jonathan Crane. It's not an exaggeration to say that the actor has mastered how to portray the concept of masks.

Though the role he plays is quite minor in the Batman Trilogy, Cillian Murphy manages to steal the spotlight whenever he shows up. His energy is quite captivating, thanks to the actor's fresh takes on a somewhat old villain. Cillian interprets the character Scarecrow as taunting, dark, and ready to have some fun, setting a great example of how comic book villains should be portrayed on the silver screen.

Year of Release: 2005

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

Dunkirk is definitely among the best movies of Cillian Murphy. Basically, the plot is this: in June 1941, Germany decided to advance to France, and trapped an Allied troop on the Dunkirk beaches. Under ground and air cover from French and British forces, the troops were methodically and slowly evacuated via every civilian vessel and serviceable navy they could find. Once these heroic missions were completed, more than 330,000 Belgian, Dutch, British, and French soldiers had been successfully evacuated.

In his fourth collaboration with the famous director Christoper Nolan, Cillian Murphy took the role of a traumatized and emotional WWII soldier in this Dunkirk evacuation. The character was saved by civilian boats, before finding that these boats are traveling back to Dunkirk beaches - his trauma sources - to save even more men.

The character has no name - he is only called "Shivering Soldier". Nevertheless, we can say that his lack of a specific name gives his performance more power than ever before. The character portrays all emotional and psychological war wounds, as well as their helplessness at the time since not many people knew how to treat such traumas.

Cillian Murphy always performs exceptionally in these kinds of roles, communicating their inner turmoil with startling detail. The actor always emits a quiet shadow with his commanding presence, to the point that no viewers can look away.

Year of Release: 2017

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

Following the hit thriller "A Quiet Place Part I" by John Krasinski, A Quiet Place Part II extends the tale about the Abbott families, as all the members try to seek some refuge and protection from the deadly, sound-seeking monsters that have invaded the world. In this movie, Cillian Murphy portrays Emmett - one of the Abbotts' long-time friends - a character that receives the first introduction via flashbacks about the monster's first attacks. Once he reunites with the Abbotts a few minutes later into the film, the character turns into a calculating and hardened man determined to do anything to survive in this world.

In A Quiet Place Part II, we have the chance to witness Cillian's complexities as the character undergoes frequent and gradual changes throughout the movie. The man changes from a broken and bitter man to a hopeful and healing companion. Cillian manages to communicate so much of his emotion via his posture and eyes alone, making him a great delight for us to observe. When he eventually opens up his mind to the Abbott family - especially Regan - he successfully earns sympathy from us. The redemption of this character establishes heart-warming catharsis that sheds some positive light on the entire picture. As a result, this is indeed among the best movies of Cillian Murphy.

Year of Release: 2021

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

Directed and produced by Danny Boyle, 28 Days Later is an apocalyptic movie focusing on one average protagonist called Jim (played by Cillian Murphy). Jim wakes up about 28 days later, after some chimpanzee attacks that have infected all Britain areas. Jim has to use his brain and wits to survive in this hellhole, trying to find some solace in an extremely desolate society.

The background of the story is pretty simple, and Cillian Murphy shines in his role as a lonely man who must learn how to accept humanity's depravity. Every action he does brings about unstated resilience and elegance that only comes from natural talents. Even amidst running gunfights and zombies, the actor always guides the audience to his everlasting questions on humanity's existential state with his determined manner and piercing, haunting eyes. Slowly, viewers can see how a regular and average guy like Jim turns into an entirely different person because of his difficult circumstances.

Though the movie can be somewhat derivative, 28 Days Later manages to complete all the goals it's set out to do and even more - scare viewers to death, then have them immerse in a provocative and uncommonly intelligent zombie flick. Overall, it's a movie that breathes some fresh air into common tropes, offering inventive viewpoints that are quite invigorating.

Year of Release: 2002

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%

Due to her grandma's unexpected funeral, Lisa Reisert (portrayed by Rachel McAdams) - a hotel manager - is waiting at the airport for her flight back home. At the check-in, she met a charming and handsome Jackson Rippner (portrayed by Cillian Murphy).

Lisa believes it was luck that pushed them to sit next to each other during the flight; unfortunately, she soon learns about the truth. In fact, Jackson is hoping to kill Homeland Security's head; however, to achieve his goal, he wants Lisa to help him reassign the room numbers at the hotels. He has already kidnapped her father (played by Brian Cox) as insurance and threatened to kill her dad if Lisa does not help him with his plan.

Directed and produced by Wes Craven, Red Eye only lasts about 1 hour and a half. Still, we are delighted to find out that the entire plot of Red Eye is filled to the brim with anxiety and tension from the beginning to the very end. Cillian Murphy oozes his regular charm as the character starts to manipulate Lisa. The actor switches from dangerous to seductive with relative ease. Since he's the villain, of course, the viewers are not supposed to root for him; still, his great energy renders him a strong force against Rachel's sharp wit.

Year of Release: 2005

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%

"Cold Mountain" - an epic war period drama directed and written by director Anthony Minghella - was released in 2003. The movie was inspired by a bestseller novel in 1997 with the same title by author Charles Frazier. Its overall plot seems deceptively straightforward at the first glance; nevertheless, the movie's grand execution, nuanced characters, along with a talented actor ensemble successfully turned Cold Mountain into a memorable masterpiece.

In the movie, one Confederate soldier was determined to come back to Cold Mountain (his hometown) and the love of his life, who's waiting for him there. Throughout the journey, his experiences touch our hearts as they slowly unfold all the war horrors.

Cillian's role is pretty minor in this film, especially when we take in the story's massive scale. Among an extensive cast with big names like Nicole Kidman, Renee Zellweger, and Jude Law, Cillian Murphy plays Bardolph, a scruffy character that only makes brief appearances in the movie. Yet, his performance is so captivating, which accentuates the heaviness of the story and makes the movie even more well-kept. Though not a perfect movie by any chance, Cold Mountain is still a worth-watching piece, centering on amazing tales of freedom, love, and humans' strong will to prevail despite the darkness.

Year of Release: 2003

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 70%