Cillian Murphy's movie roles ranked from worst to best, including 'Oppenheimer'

2005 was a big year for Cillian Murphy, as he was properly introduced to American audiences in "Batman Begins" and Wes Craven's "Red Eye."

"Red Eye" follows Lisa (Rachel McAdams), a hotel manager, who's heading home on a red-eye flight, when she's seated next to a charming but mysterious man called Jackson (Cillian Murphy).

He's actually a domestic terrorist who uses the claustrophobic setting to force Lisa into arranging for a U.S. government official to be moved rooms in the hotel she runs so that his organization can assassinate him.

Murphy's intimidating performance is what really sells the thriller, especially when Jackson turns on the charm with the air hostesses, and other passengers, to avoid suspicion. Granted, he doesn't get much to do outside of menacing McAdams, but it's a fun thriller.

Murphy reunited with critically acclaimed "28 Days Later" director Danny Boyle in 2007 for "Sunshine," which sees him play physicist Robert Capa, who is part of a mission in 2057 to reignite the sun with a nuclear bomb.

It's another intense role for the Irish actor, as he and the crew debate the end of the world, physics, and religion. Oh, and they also have to fend off the captain of the previous ship that was sent on the mission but was driven mad by staring at the sun for too long.

Murphy easily holds his own against other talented stars, like Chris Evans, Rose Byrne, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Michelle Yeoh, and the weight of the film is largely carried on his shoulders because Capa is the one in charge of detonating the nuke.

So, that's two films that he's starred in about detonating a nuclear bomb. But we'll get to "Oppenheimer" later on.

Murphy also made a splash in 2005 with Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins," in which he played Dr. Jonathan Crane, also known as the villain, Scarecrow.

No, the actor didn't don a raggedy jumper and a pointy hat to play the creepy comic book antagonist. Instead, to match the grounded nature of Nolan's world, Crane is a psychologist at Arkham Asylum who experiments with a toxin that makes his patients hallucinate. Not only that, but he induces their terror by wearing a burlap mask over his head as a way of breaking his victims' sanity.

Crane is scarier than typical comic book bad guys because of how he enjoys dismantling someone's psyche. It's no wonder that Nolan wanted to keep working with Murphy after seeing his performance.

Although, it's hard not to wonder what Cillian Murphy's Batman would've been like.

Murphy once again worked with Nolan on 2017's "Dunkirk," which looks at the massive military operation to evacuate thousands of soldiers in World War II.

The Irish star played just one of several soldiers, airmen, and sailors that the film looks at, but interestingly he's never actually given a name,

Murphy's character is pulled out of the water by civilian rescuers, but he's so badly shell-shocked that he tries to fight them when he realizes they're sailing to Dunkirk. It's a gut-wrenching moment, as the soldier's desperation to escape pushes him to turn on his rescuers.

Although he's only part of the film sporadically, there's no question that his role leaves an impact that stays with the audience long after "Dunkirk" has ended.

"Inception" was one of the biggest movies of 2010 thanks to its mind-bending premise and stunningly creative visuals, but what also makes the film so memorable is the cast of characters that populate the action-packed dream, including Cillian Murphy.

He plays Robert Fischer, the target of the dream heist, as the crew is tasked with persuading him to dissolve his father's company. But what this all boils down to is Fischer's fractured relationship with his late father. And it leads to a surprisingly emotional core at the center of the mission.

Murphy's executive maintains a slick presence for most of the film, but it's when he finally deals with his grief and complicated emotions around his father, he completely breaks down.

It's great to see that Nolan is still keen to let his actors push their performances, even in the middle of a giant blockbuster like "Inception."

A lesser-known entry in the actor's filmography is 2001's "Disco Pigs," which is based on the stage play of the same name.

The film revolves around Darren/Pig (Cillian Murphy) and Sinéad/Runt (Elaine Cassidy), two Irish teenagers who try to navigate a way through their complex relationship while growing up.

The pair mainly keep to themselves, but struggle to cope when other people get involved with their lives, especially Pig, who is in love with Runt.

Murphy's performance is nothing short of astounding. And it all comes down to the huge contrast between the tenderness Pig shows to Runt, compared to the ferocious temper that emerges when someone else is romantically interested in her.

The heartbreaking ending is tragically beautiful, with both Murphy and Cassidy giving everything they've got.

Murphy delivers another heartbreaking performance in Ken Loach's "The Wind That Shakes the Barley," a war drama about a pair of brothers who fight in the Irish War of Independence, as well as the Irish Civil War.

Although it's a fictional story, it's an unflinching look at the dramatic divide in the country in the early 1900s through the lens of Damien O'Donovan (Murphy) and Teddy O'Donovan (Pádraic Delaney), who find themselves on opposing sides.

It's a heart-wrenching story, and it's fascinating to see how Murphy's character transforms over the course of several years — putting the cause and his beliefs above everything else.

One scene in which he cares for Orla Fitzgerald's Sinéad is a particular highlight, as is his final argument with his brother.

Considering how dedicated Cillian Murphy has been over the course of his impressive career, it should come as no surprise that "Oppenheimer" is one of his best roles to date.

The star plays Dr. Julius Robert Oppenheimer, the man who led the Manhattan Project during World War II and created the atomic bomb.

Christopher Nolan's latest movie takes a close look at what made Oppenheimer tick, including his relationships with his wife, Kitty (Emily Blunt), and his mistress, Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh).

The film doesn't exactly glorify the creation of the bomb — and that comes through in Murphy's performance as Oppenheimer weighs up the moral consequences of what he's making.

The star brings a deep intensity to the role, signified by the haunting wide-eyed expression that frequently creeps across his face over the three-hour runtime.

Director Danny Boyle masterfully delivered a new sense of terror for horror fans in "28 Days Later" with a rage-inducing virus that turns its victims into zombies.

But these aren't the slow, shuffling groaners and moaners pioneered by the likes of George Romero. Oh no, the infected can sprint and scream before tearing into survivors.

It's all seen through the eyes of Jim (Cillian Murphy), who wakes up in a deserted London after coming out of a coma. He's plunged into a new world that he has to quickly adapt to, and it's a stunning performance from the star.

In just under two hours, the actor expertly shows grief, love, tenderness, terror, and rage in a multi-faceted role that allows him to showcase everything that he's capable of.

Sure, "28 Days Later" is best known because it reinvigorated the zombie sub-genre, but it's elevated by Murphy and the way the audience experiences the apocalypse through Jim's eyes.