Martin McDonagh has a small filmography, but it's enough to rank his movies in order from the worst to the best. Born in London to Irish parents in 1970, McDonagh writes and directs both movies and theater productions. He is known for his unpredictable storylines, finding humor in tragic circumstances, and weaving his Irish heritage into his work. His movies often feature top Hollywood talent, with the auteur frequently working with character actors Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Woody Harrelson, and Sam Rockwell.
Before his first feature, Martin McDonagh made Six Shooter, a comedy that won the 2005 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film and included many of the themes — including tragedy, violence, and dark comedy — that have become staples of his subsequent movies. While his limited filmography means he's often overlooked as one of modern cinema's top filmmakers, the quality of all of McDonagh's movies demonstrates that he is one of the most talented writers and directors working today. With that being said, here's a look at Martin McDonagh's four movies, ranked from worst to best.
Seven Psychopaths (2012)
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Seven Psychopaths is by no means a bad movie — it's easily one of the best comedies of 2012 — but given the quality of Martin McDonagh's other productions, this sharp satire goes down as his "worst" film. Led by Colin Farrell and the enigmatic Christopher Walken, Seven Psychopaths tells the unconventional story of a writer who struggles to write a new movie about psychopaths. For inspiration, he surrounds himself with real psychopaths, which leads to violent and dangerous consequences. McDonagh's movie leans into typical crime genre clichés in a self-aware style that borderlines fourth wall breaking, as certain characters almost know that they are in a movie.
Farrell plays Marty, the screenwriter looking for inspiration for his psychopath movie. The actor, a McDonagh movie regular, puts in an understated performance that allows the psychopaths, including Hans (Walken), Billy (Rockwell), and Charlie (Harrelson), to ham it up when delivering McDonagh's cutting one-liners. As with McDonagh's feature film debut, In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths finds the unlikely comedy in a criminal environment, with the hilariously talented Sam Rockwell a frequent scene stealer, and it constantly keeps viewers on their toes with its unpredictable storyline.
In Bruges (2008)
In Bruges is Martin McDonagh's most quotable movie and arguably his most loved, with the 2008 dark comedy having become a cult classic. In Bruges follows two Irish hitmen, Ray (Farrell) and Ken (Gleeson), who are sent by their boss, Harry (Ralph Fiennes), to hide in Bruges, Belgium, after a job goes severely wrong. In Bruges is a fresh take on the crime genre, with the focus being on the fallout of Ray's botched hit rather than the hit itself, and McDonagh's nuanced writing of Ray and Ken, who are simultaneously likable and unlikable, keeps the movie engaging throughout.
The chemistry between Farrell and Gleeson is the centerpiece of In Bruges, with their quick wit and sharp tongues making even the pettiest arguments — like Ray and Ken's bickering over the beauty of Bruges — wildly entertaining. The pair brilliantly portrays the student-mentor dynamic, albeit in a hitman setting, with Farrell's Ray being the young-tormented criminal while Gleeson's Ken is the wise teacher who wants the best for his troubled friend. Harry's late arrival in the Belgian city shakes things up and quickens the pace of In Bruges, leading to the dark comedy's twisted, graphic, and climactic ending. In Bruges was nominated for and won several awards, including the BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay, but it will be best remembered for its seemingly endless supply of quotable lines.
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
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Martin McDonagh's latest movie, The Banshees of Inisherin, reunites Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson for the first time since In Bruges. The dark comedy tells the story of Pádraic Súilleabháin (Farrell), who is left feeling broken and alone after his long-time best friend, Colm Doherty (Gleeson), says that he no longer wants to speak to him. As funny as it is sad, by its end, The Banshees of Inisherin descends into vengeful madness when the two former friends go to extreme lengths to get under each other's skin. The movie's bleak backdrop of the small Irish island of Inisherin during the Irish Civil War gives McDonagh's movie an appropriately suffocating feel as Colm cannot escape Pádraic despite his best efforts.
Farrell gives his best-ever performance as Pádraic in The Banshees of Inisherin, with his heartfelt and bitter monologue aimed at Colm not being a nice person perfectly summing up the movie's tone. Farrell and Gleeson’s on-screen chemistry here is on par with their In Bruges showing, and they are magnificently supported by Barry Keoghan, who plays Pádraic's friend Dominic, and Kerry Condon, who plays Pádraic's pitying sister Siobhán. Martin McDonagh's The Banshees of Inisherin is one of the best movies of 2022 and proves yet again that the filmmaker is able to expertly find humor in the darkest of circumstances.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
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Martin McDonagh's murder-mystery drama Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is his best movie to date, and his most heartbreaking. Three Billboards follows Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) seeking out justice for her daughter's unsolved murder and rape case — which has seemingly gone forgotten by the police — by renting three roadside billboards to draw attention to it. McDormand makes Mildred's immoral actions seem justifiable in a reliably excellent performance that earned her the second of her three Academy Awards for Best Actress. Given McDonagh's track record, the movie has comedic elements but is unsurprisingly dark, and the ending of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is easily McDonagh's cruelest finale yet.
The biggest strength of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri that sets it apart from McDonagh's other features is that every character feels like a real person. The relationship between Mildred and the target of her billboards, Ebbing Police Chief Bill Willoughby (Harrelson), exemplifies the multiple-dimensional nature of McDonagh's characters — both have their own problems and their own way of dealing with things, but both still show empathy and understand that they are going through challenging times. Jason Dixon (Rockwell), an Ebbing police officer, is the focus of McDonagh's Three Billboards redemption story arc, and Rockwell puts in a career-best performance that earned him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Three Billboards is one of 2017’s best movies. As for Martin McDonagh, his next movie has not yet been confirmed, but if his past work has anything to go by then a new dark comedy may arrive in 2026 or 2027.