Inception's emotional climax only really works because of Cillian. I also think a good chunk of Dunkirk's emotional weight comes from his scenes as well. Some of his scenes only last seconds, but he understands their importance and sells them so well.
Cillian Murphy Leads the Cast of Oppenheimer
Posts: 1230
Joined:
January 2019
I would argue that in Dunkirk, the scenes on the boat work mostly due to Rylance and his interactions with Glynn-Carney.
As for Inception, he's very good, but the heart of the climax is the scene between Di Caprio and Cotillard. Cotillard is more the make-or-break performance for me.
Make or break performance in Nolan's film(outside of the lead):
BB: Michael Caine
Prestige: David Bowie
TDK: Eckhart
Inception: Cotillard
TDKR: JGL
Interstellar: Foy & Chastain
Dunkirk: Rylance
Tenet: Debicki
Posts: 285
Joined:
March 2022
I love both the imagery (especially of the paper fan) and Cillian's acting in that scene, both are opposing but they come together well. One is just a trick to make Robert Fischer believe his father's last desire was for him to not follow in his footsteps, but it's very convincingly emotionally grounded in both words and what's shown onscreen. And Fischer's own catharsis in this is written on the page, but there's no big words and it is down to Cillian to sell it and he really does nail it perfectly.
Posts: 285
Joined:
March 2022
Looks like we will have another excellent performance to add to the Nolan Murphy canon. His eyes speak volumes.
This should be Cillian's magnum opus tbh.
I wholeheartedly agree. His reunion with his father is the absolute highlight of the film.
Posts: 1439
Joined:
October 2019
He has a very concerned look on his face throughout the trailer. Eyes wide open and he's doing something interesting with his jaw it looks like.
Best lead casting decision of his since Dunkirk, no doubt
Posts: 2148
Joined:
November 2012
