Jetting fast with tightened seatbelts on the joyride of the trophy season of 2024, the Oscar rings are coming closer and closer each day. But wait! Before stepping onto the atomic rollercoaster of engaging in another Barbenheimer debate, Irish admirers worldwide might as well revisit the Oppenheimer actor, Cillian Murphy’s stellar performances that stand as a testament to why he is an Oscar favorite in 2024. As the actor hops from one red carpet appearance to another with his undefeated trailblazing ordeal of bagging victories, let’s take a look at his winner-worthy works in the cinematic galaxy over the years.

Here are the 6 most-loved performances by the Irish delight as per IMDb ratings, whose year looks as atomic as his 2023 summer release.

Oppenheimer

The 2023 cinematic genius that took the world on a time-capsule warp to the Trinity Test and the story of Robert Oppenheimer is Christopher Nolan’s Barbie rival, Oppenheimer. The movie requires no extensive introduction with its 8.4/10 IMDb rating and a box office figure close on the heels of a billion-dollar recognition with $960.2 million global ticket sales. Currently, it is the second-highest R-rated movie of all time, while it remains a victor for becoming the highest-grossing biographical film.

Despite being a longtime collaborator with Nolan, Murphy’s role in Oppenheimer adjusts his first lead for a Nolan movie. For a sensible depiction, the star is said to have delved into an extensive reading of Oppenheimer’s life and this award season remains a witness to his unfettering commitment. Leading his Best Actor winning streak from the Golden Globes, the actor has landed safely at the SAG Awards and now is eyeing his first Oscar. Luckily, he has already established himself as an Oscar favorite through an entourage of phenomenal performances.

With 5 Golden tickets, and 8 Critics’ Choice wins following 7 announcements of “…and the BAFTA goes to”, Oppenheimer has already ended the Barbenheimer debate with 13 further nominations in the Academy Awards. Moreover, it has won 4 Saturn Awards and 13 Satellite Awards after becoming one of AFI and the National Board of Review’s top 10 films of 2023.

Therefore, do not miss his Oscar-worthy performance for Oppenheimer, as the actor unleashes his potential as an Oscar contender. 

The Batman Trilogy

Cillian Murphy and Christopher Nolan’s in-the-arms partnership goes way back in the day. More precisely back in the initiating ladder of the 2000s, when Nolan initiated his triptych journey in the DCU with Murphy. Although his portrayal in Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises reminds one of his Scarecrow’s role, there were also chances for him to play Batman for the second part, which unfortunately did not actualize.

Nevertheless, his not bagging that role did not fall short in the trilogy’s maniac box office generation as Batman Begins was rated 8.2/10 on IMDb following a staggering rise in The Dark Knight with 9/10 and 8.4/10 for the third follow-up. After Murphy’s breakthrough performances throughout the trilogy, the first movie grossed $109 million on a $40 million budget.

The second crossed the billion-dollar mark with over $1 billion in sales worldwide, while the third imitated a similar box office frenzy. There onwards, Murphy also became one of Nolan’s favorite picks, leading to his reappearances in his later projects. The next brain freeze on the list is also a Nolan-Murphy collaboration, whose ‘inception’ in the theaters caused a stir of scientific brainstorming. 

Inception

This 2010 release was both a cause of Nolan’s Oscar thrillers and Murphy’s Oscar-worthy performance. The movie, a work of Nolan’s 9 years of concept read, found Leonardo DiCaprio as its lead alongside Cillian Murphy’s unique depiction of Robert Fischer Jr. Surely a commercial success, Inception grossed over $836 million worldwide with its unique vision of “dream stealers” leaning for corporate espionage.

With an 8.8/10 rating on IMDb, the Nolan brainchild won several wins, hailing as an Oscar favorite if the world had ever seen one. It won 4 Oscars out of 8 nominations and 3 BAFTAs. Although Murphy did not bag a win for his portrayal, he did emerge victorious with overwhelming performance reviews, gaining much critical acclaim. Similarly, his Oscar-worthy performative streak also landed in the latter part of the decade with his involvement with Dunkirk.

Dunkirk

The 2017 Nolan masterpiece is an epic historical war thriller that portrays the Dunkirk evacuation during World War II. A first from Nolan’s expertise in exploring the sensory details, the 7.8/10 IMDb-rated movie minimizes its limelight on dialogues. The narrative is not in chronology but follows the triptych structure that inspired The Witcher creator to implement the same for her show.

Despite its complex non-linear storytelling, the film grossed $482 million worldwide with Murphy’s portrayal of the shivering soldier among the sea of thousands of soldiers. In a 2017 interview with GQ, Murphy informed how he had already got his research for the role covered during Nolan’s approaching him for the same. He gave credit to his role in Peaky Blinders, which made him well-versed in the segment of the First World War. Although 2024 might be Murphy’s year of victories, for Dunkirk, he did not get recognition despite the movie winning 61 awards among 168 nominations throughout several trophy ceremonies.

While the Oppenheimer cast is strutting the award season with endless mentions this year for their award-worthy performance, Murphy and Emily Blunt had already done it back in 2020.

A Quiet Place II

This John Krasinki’s 2020 movie focuses on a post-apocalyptic world of horror and suspense. Murphy plays Emmett while Blunt portrays Evelyn Abbott. Despite its delay in theatrical release because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the movie grossed $297.4 million worldwide and has an IMDb rating of 7.2/10. The movie was nominated for several awards while Blunt won the SAG Award for Female Actor in a Supporting Role.

Although Murphy did not bag a win here either, the large-scale positive nods for his performance came from all corners of the world. Lastly comes a special mention for the Irish charmer whose cinematic Oscar-worthy performances also found a spot on Netflix’s television monitors. 

Honorary Mention: Peaky Blinders

Cillian Murphy is not only a cinematic charmer as his television appearance has similar cards on the deck to vouch for his marvelous on-screen presence. Ruling the Netflix viewership with his period crime thriller, Peaky Blinders remains a favorite on the Netflix queue with 6 whole seasons, and its glistening IMDb rating of 8.8/10.

After securing a binge-watch viewership with his stunningly accurate portrayal, Murphy showcased his skills beyond the big screens to be as worthy as for the movie monitors. While the series recorded several nominations and many credible wins, Murphy himself bagged 5 awards for his outstanding performance. And as this streak is repeating itself, but for his cinematic efforts this year, do not forget to tune into the 96th Oscar Awards on March 10th and see if the 2024 Oscar favorite Cillian Murphy actually emerges as an Oscar winner.

Which one from the list is your favorite performance by Cillian Murphy? Let us know in the comments below!