Barry Keoghan’s star has been rising since he appeared in bothDunkirkandThe Killing of a Sacred Deerin 2017. The Irish star had already done some interesting work in Britain, but these two films were his presentation to the world and Hollywood. He hasn’t stopped working since, always giving nuanced performances, and bringing humanity to every character, even if some of them could be absolute caricatures in someone else’s hands.
That’s one of Keoghan’s superpowers. He’s able to make audiences care about every character he imbues, even if they’re doing evil things, as the actor shows there’s always a realistic reason for why they’re this way and do those things. Theactor is having a moment, but this is just the beginning, as he already has six more projects waiting to be released, working with indie directors like Emerald Fennell, Cary Joji Fukunaga, and Andrea Arnold. While we wait for his newest film,Saltburn(releasing on November, 17th), here are Barry Keoghan’s 10 best performances, ranked.
10The Batman (2022)
The Batman
Batman is forced to investigate the city’s hidden corruption and question his family’s involvement when The Riddler starts killing key political figures. Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz and Paul Dano star.
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The Batmanis the latest iteration of the character, one acted by Robert Pattinson, that happens when Bruce Wayne is still learning to be the caped crusader. His first big villain is a creepy serial killer with a love for riddles named, obviously, The Riddler (Paul Dano).
What Makes it Great
Although his performance is more of an Easter egg and cameo, Keoghan gives enough of a creepy and deranged performance as the Joker. Although it’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it role, the actor already shows all the nuances and scariness he will bring to Batman’s most famous villain and foe, if he gets to revisit the character in a future sequel. Audiences can’t wait to see it, as a deleted scene proved how good Keoghan will be as the scariest clown in the whole DC universe.
Stream on Amazon Prime Video
9Eternals (2021)
Directed by Oscar winner Chloé Zhao,Eternalsmight be the most artistic film in the last few years of the MCU, and one with an incredible cast, including Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kit Harrington, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, and Barry Keoghan, and yet the movie didn’t work, as the telling of who the Eternals are and what they’re doing on Earth left most fans cold.
Keoghan plays Druig, the character with powers to manipulate humans’ minds and make them do whatever he wants. The character might be the darkest of all the Eternals (at least at first), and the one who shows more disdain for humans, being the first who leaves the group and goes out on his own. The actor is able to show how his character’s interest in humans is very low, but his love for his team isn’t, helping them the moment they need him the most. He also proves he’s much more charismatic and brave than it looked at first sight, especially in his interactions with Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), with whom the character has big romantic comedy energy. If the characters are ever back, that could be something to be explored, as Keoghan still lacks a rom-com performance on his resume.
Stream on Disney+
8Mammal (2016)
Mammalis all about Margaret (Rachel Griffiths), a divorcee, who, after learning the child she left when he was a baby has died, redirects her grief and lets a homeless teenager, Joe (Keoghan), move into her house. Their relationship starts as a maternal-kid one, before turning into something much more weird and sexual.
In another role where he plays a troubled, weird teenager, Keoghan nails the confusion, shame, fury, and sadness that his Joe has inside after a life where nobody ever gave him a chance. The whole cast is great, and the chemistry between Keoghan and Griffiths is what makes the film one to watch, as they both show how damaged, sad, and lost they are.
771 (2014)
71tells the story of Gary Hook (Jack O’Connell), a British soldier who is separated from his unit and must survive alone during The Troubles in Belfast, becoming enemy number to the IRA gunmen who learn of his existence and attempt to kill him.
Keoghan has one of the most important roles as Sean, one of the youngest members of Belfast’s IRA who is tasked to kill the soldier, and shows the conflict inside him perfectly, as he might believe in the cause, but not enough to become a killer. This is a role where Keoghan utilizes his silence and body, to express everything his character is feeling and thinking, and he’s able to play at the same level as O’Connell, not an easy feat for an inexperienced 22-year-old actor in one of his first big films.
Rent on Apple TV
6Dunkirk (2017)
Christopher Nolan’sDunkirktells three different stories happening on the island during World War II, and it’s based on some real events, where brave British civilians with boats went to rescue Allied soldiers stranded there, who were trapped trying to survive German bombings
For many people, this was the first time they saw Keoghan in a movie, as he plays George Mills, a young civilian who volunteers to join the rescue mission because “it’s the right thing to do”. His role might not be big, and he barely speaks, and yet the camera loves him, and his performance is so strong, showing pure goodness, that he jumps off the screen. What happens to his character makes him the most tragic figure of all of them, and that’s saying something, as there are many soldiers killed, making his performance a memorable one; the first of many.
5American Animals (2018)
american animals
American Animalsisone of the best American heist movies, and, at the same time, one of the most ridiculous, and it is surprisingly based on a real story. This is the tale of Warren Lipka (Evan Peters) and Spencer (Keoghan), two friends who, with two other students, decide to steal some very rare and unique books from their college’s library. The film has an experimental touch, as it mixes the whole heist with interviews with the real people who did it.
Although this is Evan Peters’ movie, it wouldn’t work without Keoghan being the yang to Peters’ yin. His Spencer Reinhard is the shy friend who is not sure the heist idea is that great, yet goes along with it, because he doesn’t see another way to earn money. The actor is able to sell his American accent and the character’s incompetence and fear during the movie, including in the scene where he’s ridiculously using old-age makeup, creating a character audiences feel bad for.
4The Shadow of Violence (2019)
The Shadow of Violence
The Shadow of Violence, also known asCalm with Horses, is a small story about Arm (Cosmo Jarvis), a boxer who has become the muscle for an Irish gangster clan, the Devers, who are trying to raise his autistic son. When the clan’s mob boss asks him to kill someone, Arm has to decide if he wants to become a real gangster.
Keoghan plays Arm’s best friend, and member of the gang, Dymphna, the devil on the boxer’s shoulder, who is as violent as they come. TheDunkirkactor earned his first BAFTA nomination for the role, as his Dymphna is not just an agent of chaos who loves violence for the sake of violence, and the actor gives a layered performance, making the character someone much more interesting and complex, and who might be more bravado than real violence.
3The Green Knight (2021)
The Green Knight
The Green Knightis one of themost underrated films of 2021. This atmospheric movie, based on a poem of the same name, proves how charismatic Dev Patel is, and tells the story of Sir Gawain (Patel), as he leaves Camelot to fight the legendary Green Knight, and everything he finds, good and bad, during that journey, will prove his honor and his worth.
Keoghan plays the Scavenger, one of the first obstacles in Gawain’s journey, as he helps him at first, but after receiving what he feels is not enough payment, he comes back with some friends and steals his axe, horse, and other belongings, creating the knight’s first big test. The actor is able to sell both sides of his character, and starts with charm, before mischief and chaos make him a much more worthy adversary than Gawain had thought. Although it’s not the biggest of characters, Keoghan imbues him with enough humanity to make you believe he has a fully-formed personality, and has a history well beyond his interactions with Patel’s Gawain.
Stream on FuboTV
2The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
The Banshees of Inisherin
The Banshees of Inisherinis anincredible, slow-burn story, one about the friendship between two men, Pádraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Brendan Gleeson), and what happens when the latter decides to end their friendship unilaterally. The film was one of the best from last year, and earned nine Oscar Nominations (although it didn’t win any).
Keoghan plays Pádraic’s friend, Dominic, a simple man who is abused by his father. Although it’s in a supporting role, the actor is able to make audiences feel pity for him, as his character is a good friend with a gentle soul in an absolutely bad situation that he doesn’t know how to confront. This character is a testament to Keoghan’s talent, as he’s usually cast as much bigger and scarier characters, and here, everything is internal. Critics also agreed, as the actor won a BAFTA for the role and got his first Academy Award nomination for it, losing to Ke Huy Quan inEverything, Everywhere All at Once.
Stream on Max, Hulu, and DIRECTV
1The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
The Killing of a Sacred Deer
The Killing of a Sacred Deertells the story of a doctor, Steven Murphy (Colin Farrell), with a beautiful wife, Anna (Nicole Kidman), and children who welcome Martin (Barry Keoghan) into his house after his father died on Steven’s operating table. From there on, everything changes, as Martin is a weird guy, who starts to frighten the whole family.
This movieis still seen as a weird one, but it became Keoghan’s breakout role, as his role of Martin is creepy, scary, weird, and with every minute that goes by, gets more and more terrorizing. What starts as strange and unnerving becomes understandable once his whole plan for revenge is laid out, and he transforms into a scary villain, although one with moral righteousness (or so he believes). The movie works because of Keoghan’s performance, showing his entire acting arsenal and becoming an actor to watch for years in the process.
Stream on fuboTV
