1998–2003: Early career and breakthrough Farrell had roles in television shows and films, including
Ballykissangel and
Falling for a Dancer in 1998 and 1999. a drama about
child sexual abuse, starring
Ray Winstone and
Tilda Swinton as parents of a girl Farrell's character (Nick) dates. Farrell appeared in
Ordinary Decent Criminal with
Kevin Spacey and
Linda Fiorentino, a film loosely based on the life of
Martin Cahill. Michael Holden of
The Guardian wrote that Farrell was "too much the hero" to fit the classic
rebel archetype properly, but he still delivered a good performance.
Tigerland earned $139,500. His 2002–2003 films, including
Phone Booth,
The Recruit and
S.W.A.T. (all thrillers, with the former two his first starring roles), Philip French of
The Guardian praised Farrell's performance. In
S.W.A.T., Farrell starred in an ensemble cast including
Samuel L. Jackson,
Michelle Rodriguez,
Olivier Martinez and
Jeremy Renner; Renner became a friend. Alan Morrison of
Empire wrote, "Farrell can usually be relied upon to bring a spark to the bonfire. That's also true of [this movie]."
Elvis Mitchell of the
New York Times criticised Farrell's accent, writing that he "employ[ed] a wobbly American accent that makes him sound like an international criminal a step ahead of the authorities". Ebert and
The New York Times A.O. Scott disagreed on Farrell's effectiveness in
The Recruit; Ebert noted Farrell's likability, but Scott felt that Farrell "spends his time in a caffeinated frenzy, trying to maintain his leading-man sang-froid while registering panic, stress and confusion".
Phone Booth earned $46.6 million,
S.W.A.T. $116.9 million and
The Recruit $52.8 million at the box office. Farrell's supporting roles include an ambitious
Justice Department agent opposite
Tom Cruise as a "potential criminal" in
Minority Report (2002), and
Bullseye, the villain in
Daredevil (2003).
Matt Damon was originally offered the
Minority Report role, turning it down to appear in ''
Ocean's Eleven''. Farrell said "he had no problem" being the producer's fallback after Damon declined. Farrell was signed to the role in December 2001, although he was considered for the lead role of Matt Murdock (
Daredevil) until
Ben Affleck signed. Farrell was encouraged to keep his Irish accent, since this version of Bullseye is from Ireland. He read
Frank Miller's Daredevil comics to understand Bullseye "because the expression on the character's faces in the comic books, and just the way they move sometimes, and the exaggerations of the character I'm playing... he's so over-the-top that you do draw from that. But it's not exactly a character you can do
method acting for...you know, running around New York killing people with paper clips". In 2003, he was voted sixth World's "Sexiest Man" by
Company magazine.
2003–2008: Career progression In late 2003, Farrell starred as a criminal who plots a bank robbery with
Cillian Murphy in the dark comedy
Intermission, which held the record for highest-grossing Irish
independent film in Irish box-office history for three years. In 2004, he appeared in several other independent films receiving limited theatrical release in most countries, including
A Home at the End of the World (adapted from
Michael Cunningham's
novel of the same name).
Mick LaSalle of the
San Francisco Chronicle differed, saying that Farrell "is keen on making good...The effort is there, but it's a performance you end up rooting for rather than enjoying, because there's no way to just relax and watch". Farrell played the title role of
Alexander the Great in
Oliver Stone's 2004 biographical film
Alexander, which, while receiving some favourable reviews internationally, was poorly received in the United States. Its portrayal of the conqueror as
bisexual was controversial; the film was criticised by some historians for its treatment of the ancient Persians, although others praised it for its accuracy. An ancient history scholar at the
University of Nebraska wrote: The film grossed $167 million worldwide, just exceeding its budget of $155 million. Farrell's next film was 2005's
Academy Award-nominated
The New World, his second historical epic. He played the lead role of
Captain John Smith, the founder of 17th-century colonial
Jamestown, Virginia who falls in love with the Native American princess
Pocahontas (
Q'Orianka Kilcher). Director
Terrence Malick went out of his way to keep Farrell and Kilcher apart until they were filmed together. Although it was released in only 811 theatres worldwide and had a relatively low box-office gross, the film received a large number of positive reviews. In one of four reviews in
The Guardian, John Patterson described it as a "bottomless movie, almost unspeakably beautiful and formally harmonious".
The New World was followed by
Ask the Dust, a period romance set in Los Angeles based on a
John Fante novel and co-starring
Salma Hayek. Reviews were mixed;
Manohla Dargis of
The New York Times favourably described Farrell's work, but Peter Bradshaw of
The Guardian found "something a little forced in both lead performances". With a limited theatrical release, it was not a financial success. Farrell was more successful in 2006 with his role opposite
Jamie Foxx in
Michael Mann's action crime drama,
Miami Vice. The film grossed $164 million worldwide on a budget of $135 million, and
TimeOut New York ranked it among the top 50 movies of the decade. The
DVD, released the same year, also managed to sell over a million copies (equivalent to $7.91 million in
pirated versions) in its first week alone, and, as of 11 February 2007, had grossed over $36.45 million in rentals. A. O. Scott criticised Farrell's work: "When he's not on screen, you don't miss him, and when he is, you find yourself, before long, looking at someone or something else." Conversely,
Peter Travers of
Rolling Stone was enthusiastic. Farrell appeared in
Woody Allen's drama ''
Cassandra's Dream, which premiered in 2007 and was distributed in the US in early 2008. Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle
praised Farrell: "Allen is notorious for not giving his actors explicit instructions, and yet somehow this worked wonders for Farrell, who has never seemed so naked, so clear, and so unencumbered as he does here." Manohla Dargis concurred in the New York Times'', adding that she thought Farrell was well-matched with co-star
Ewan McGregor. Farrell's next film,
Martin McDonagh's first full-length feature,
In Bruges, opened the 2008
Sundance Film Festival. While
The New Yorker and
TimeOut Londons film critics found co-star
Brendan Gleeson's performance the stronger of the two, Bradshaw of
The Guardian found Farrell (as hitman Ray) to be "absolutely superb: moody and funny, lethally sexy, sometimes heartbreakingly sad and vulnerable like a little boy". Farrell won his first
Golden Globe Award for his performance in the film. Shortly thereafter, he appeared in
Kicking It, a documentary following six homeless men from Kenya, Russia, Afghanistan, Ireland, Spain, and the US as they attempt to qualify for the
Homeless World Cup. Farrell appeared on screen and provided the narration, donating his earnings to a homeless shelter in Ireland. The film was released simultaneously in theatres and on television, airing on
ESPN2 in a very short window before its DVD release. Farrell received positive reviews for his involvement in the true story. Later in 2008, Farrell starred opposite
Edward Norton in
Pride and Glory, a police drama directed by
Gavin O'Connor. Roger Ebert disliked the film and A. O. Scott said that Farrell "once again indulges his blustery mixture of menace and charm, overdoing both," but Gregory Kirschling of
Entertainment Weekly liked Farrell's work.
2009–2021: Established actor On 11 January 2009, Farrell won the
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for
In Bruges, in which he co-starred with Brendan Gleeson. In the same year, he also appeared in
Terry Gilliam's film
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, starring
Christopher Plummer and
Andrew Garfield. Farrell was one of three actors (with
Johnny Depp and
Jude Law), who helped to complete
Heath Ledger's role when Ledger died before filming ended. They played "Imaginarium" versions of Ledger's character Tony, donating their earnings to Ledger's daughter Matilda. Farrell also starred that year in
Triage, directed by Oscar-winning Bosnian screenwriter and director
Danis Tanović, about the life of a war correspondent. He lost 30 pounds for the role. Farrell's work was described as "dedicated" by
Varietys
Todd McCarthy, However,
Triage was not widely distributed due to the marketing challenges posed by its difficult topics (including
PTSD). Mary Pols of
Time called the role "tailor-made for Farrell", saying that Farrell gave a "beautifully confident performance". Todd McCarthy of
Variety singled Farrell out, noting that he worked well as an ensemble actor "graciously allowing [child star Alison Barry] to steal every scene she's in".
Peter Bradshaw of the
Guardian wrote that the film "uses up all its energy, wit and ideas in the first 20 or so minutes, before collapsing into a flurry of boring violence". Leslie Felperin of
Variety described it as "like a fancy, retro-styled pocket watch that someone accidentally broke and tried to reassemble with only a vague idea of clockwork". Felperin thought the stars' work was frail, with Farrell "mostly taciturn and vacuous."
The Guardians Mark Kermode wrote that although the film would have benefited from a tighter script, Farrell and Foxx had juicy roles which they "riff with panache". Michael Phillips of the
Los Angeles Times wrote that Farrell brought "massive, slobby relish" to his role as Sudeikis'
cocaine-fiend boss. Later that year, Farrell played the main antagonist in the
Fright Night remake, joining
Anton Yelchin,
David Tennant and
Toni Collette in the story of a charismatic
vampire who moves next door to a high-school student and his single mother. The film was released by
DreamWorks, with
Craig Gillespie (of
Lars and the Real Girl) directing a script by
Buffy the Vampire Slayer writer
Marti Noxon. Sukhdev Sandhu of
The Daily Telegraph wrote that Farrell "proves his comedy credentials once more....utterly seductive as the plushly eyebrowed carpenter-cum-bloodsucker", while
The New York Times A.O. Scott thought that Farrell played his role with "a wink and a snarl and a feline purr". Logan Hill of
New York magazine, on the other hand, was confused by Farrell's performance: "Sure, [it] may not make much sense, but neither do centuries-old vampires living in Nevadan subdivisions. So he goes for it." Farrell starred with
Kate Beckinsale in
Columbia Pictures'
Total Recall, a 2012 remake of the
1990 film, playing the role originally played by
Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was filmed from May to September 2011 in Toronto and directed by
Len Wiseman. Co-star
Jessica Biel appreciated Farrell's skills, calling him "surprising and exciting. He just has the ability to be trying different things all the time." Roger Ebert and
The New York Times said that although they believed Farrell the better actor, Schwarzenegger in the original was "more of a movie presence and better suited for the role". Farrell's second film with
Martin McDonagh,
Seven Psychopaths, premiered at the
Toronto International Film Festival and was released in October 2012. He starred as creatively blocked writer Marty in a
black comedy with
Sam Rockwell,
Woody Harrelson, and
Christopher Walken. The film broke even at the box office, with generally good reviews, including David Rooney of
The Hollywood Reporter writing that Farrell "serves as an excellent foil for Rockwell" and he "is in subdued mode... his performance largely defined by the endless expressivity of his eyebrows." That month, Farrell appeared on the cover of the magazine
Details. In March 2013, Farrell starred in
Dead Man Down, a thriller directed by
Niels Arden Oplev, appearing alongside
Terrence Howard for the first time since ''Hart's War'' 10 years earlier.
Noomi Rapace, star of Oplev's
The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo, starred as a facially scarred woman who blackmails Farrell's character into killing the man who disfigured her in a car crash. Reviews were mixed, with
Empire magazine calling the film "a pleasingly intricate double (or is it triple?) revenge plot anchored by excellent acting" and
The Hollywood Reporter saying that "[J.H.] Wyman's script and the measured pace don't lend themselves to the necessary escalating tension that would have resulted in a more rewarding climax."
The New York Times Manohla Dargis called the film a failure, but said of Farrell that "his sensitive, hardworking eyebrows help keep it from becoming a full-bore lampoon." Joe Neumaier of the
New York Daily News also disliked the film, writing that it contained "a lot to roll your eyes over" and that Farrell was "as stoic as a statue". In 2014, Farrell starred in a film adaptation of
Mark Helprin's ''
Winter's Tale''. The film was written and directed by
Akiva Goldsman and based on Helprin's
1983 novel, and co-starred
Jessica Brown Findlay,
Jennifer Connelly,
Russell Crowe, and
Will Smith. Farrell won the lead role over younger actors
Garrett Hedlund,
Tom Hiddleston and
Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Although the film generally received negative reviews,
Mick LaSalle of the
San Francisco Chronicle agreed, writing that Farrell "holds the movie together" and is part of "the most beautiful [love scene] so far of 2014." His role as
P. L. Travers' alcoholic father in
Saving Mr. Banks received contrasting reviews, with Scott Foundras of
Variety calling it "excellent" and Leslie Felperin of
The Hollywood Reporter deeming it "his best work in some time"; conversely, Peter Bradshaw of
The Guardian described his performance as "bland" and "uninspired", while Robbie Collin of
The Daily Telegraph found Farrell miscast in the role. Farrell starred in
Liv Ullmann's adaptation of
August Strindberg's
Miss Julie opposite
Jessica Chastain and
Samantha Morton. His turn as John, the serving man to Chastain's character's father, was described by
Stephen Holden of
The New York Times as the "strongest" of the three performances, though Ullmann's direction was deemed too flat by most reviewers. Farrell starred in the second season of the TV series
True Detective as Ray Velcoro, alongside
Vince Vaughn,
Taylor Kitsch, and
Rachel McAdams. The first two episodes were directed by
Justin Lin. He worked with a dialect coach to adopt a nonstandard Californian accent for his character, which he found challenging. Farrell starred in
The Lobster, a romantic science fiction thriller which was released in 2015 and directed by Greek director
Yorgos Lanthimos in his English-language debut. Its script was awarded the ARTE International Prize for Best CineMart 2013 Project at the 42nd
Rotterdam International Film Festival. Set in a
dystopian near-future in which finding a partner is a matter of life and death, the film tells an unconventional love story. The film also stars
Rachel Weisz,
Ben Whishaw,
Olivia Colman,
Léa Seydoux, and
John C. Reilly. Farrell received his second Golden Globe nomination for his performance. In 2016, Farrell starred in the
Harry Potter spin-off film
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them; a traced version of a licensed promotional photo of Farrell from the film was subsequently used for the character Nefarian Serpine on the tenth anniversary cover of 2007's
Skulduggery Pleasant, the first book in the
series of the same name. In 2017, he had leading roles in the films
The Beguiled,
The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and
Roman J. Israel, Esq. In 2018, he co-starred in
Steve McQueen's thriller
Widows, and then starred in
Tim Burton's 2019 live-action fantasy
Dumbo.
2022–present In 2022, Farrell co-starred in the film
Thirteen Lives, which chronicles the 2018
Tham Luang cave rescue of a Thai boys' soccer team that was trapped 2.5 miles inside the cave for eighteen days as a result of a flash-flood. The British cave divers
Rick Stanton and
John Volanthen participated in the rescue operation and retrieved the boys. During this production, Farrell and the other cast members did their own stunts and diving. In an interview about the film, Farrell admitted to suffering significant anxiety from the underwater work. He portrayed
Oswald "Oz" Cobb / Penguin in
Matt Reeves' 2022 film
The Batman. He continued to portray the character in a spin-off solo series
The Penguin on
HBO in 2024 with his performance earning critical praise and the
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film. Farrell will reprise the role in
The Batman Part II (2027). Also in 2022, Farrell reunited with Martin McDonagh and Brendan Gleeson for
The Banshees of Inisherin, which earned Farrell a
Volpi Cup for Best Actor from the
79th Venice Film Festival and a
Golden Globe, as well as a nomination for the
Academy Award for Best Actor. In February 2024, it was reported that Farrell would star alongside
Margot Robbie in
Kogonada's film
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey. Filming began in April that year. In March 2025, it was announced that Farrell was in talks to star in a film based on
Sgt. Rock for Warner Bros. and
DC Studios as part of their
DC Universe franchise. The film is being directed by
Luca Guadagnino and written by
Justin Kuritzkes. He played alongside
Tilda Swinton in
Edward Berger's 2025 movie
Ballad of a Small Player. ==Charity work==