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Before Oppenheimer drops on OTT, here's where to watch 5 Christopher Nolan-Cillian Murphy movies online

Here's a look back at Cillian Murphy's iconic roles in Christopher Nolan films ahead of <em>Oppenheimer's</em> OTT premiere on JioCinema.

Aishwarya Vasudevan

Mar 19, 2024

Christopher Nolan with Leonardo DiCaprio and Cillian Murphy on the sets of Inception

There has been an association for nearly two decades between Christopher Nolan and Cillian Murphy. This has resulted in them creating history with Oppenheimer by sweeping off seven awards at the Oscars 2024, including Best Picture, Best Director for Nolan, and Best Actor for Murphy. Now, JioCinema will host Oppenheimer's OTT premiere on March 21, 2024.

Despite Murphy's extensive history of collaboration with Nolan, the 2023 release is his first major leading role in a Nolan film. The actor has appeared in numerous films by the filmmaker, portraying characters ranging from minor supporting roles to iconic villains from comic books.

Ahead of Oppenheimer's release on JioCinema, let's take a look at the Nolan films featuring Murphy that are available to stream on OTT.

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Batman Begins (2005): Netflix, JioCinema, and Prime Video

Last year, it came to light that Cillian Murphy and Christopher Nolan initially connected professionally during the pre-production of 2005's Batman Begins. Despite not being a strong fit for the starring role, the actor impressed the filmmaker during his audition for Batman. Executives viewed Murphy's screen tests and cast him as Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow, resulting in Christian Bale's eventual casting as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the film.

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Both Cillian Murphy and the character Scarecrow experienced a slew of firsts in Batman Begins where they made their debuts. The Scarecrow made his live-action debut in the 2005 movie. It also led to Murphy having his first of many supporting roles in Nolan's films.

The Dark Knight (2008): Netflix, JioCinema, and Prime Video

As a follow-up to his victory over the Scarecrow in Batman Begins, Murphy returned in 2008's The Dark Knight. At the start of the film, Batman meets Scarecrow and his henchmen at a weapons transaction on the black market. However, he soon learns that the man posing as Batman is actually a regular guy. Because Scarecrow believes he is safe, he is unprepared when the actual Batman arrives and genuinely busts his organisation.

Murphy hides under the scarecrow mask in The Dark Knight except for one scene. The Scarecrow, however, becomes the first recurring villain in the Dark Knight Trilogy with his debut in the sequel; all of the other villains, with the exception of Ra's Al Ghul, played by Liam Neeson, appear only once throughout the franchise.

Inception (2010): Netflix, JioCinema, and Prime Video

Christopher Nolan's Inception one of the finest science fiction thrillers of all time, features a small but substantial performance from Cillian Murphy. The actor portrays the role of Robert Fischer in the 2010 film, who is Cobb's intended target—the heir of a huge firm. Cobb and his cronies break into Fischer's dreams to plant the seed of dismantling his father's company. Without understanding it, Fischer ends up helping the squad under false pretences.

Among Murphy's more interesting performances in Christopher Nolan films, the one he played as Robert Fischer stands out. Cobb and his crew's entry into Fischer's thoughts leaves the audience questioning their morality, as the character's genuine empathy fuels his inner anguish as he strives to win his father's devotion. The first time Murphy and Nolan collaborated on a film not including the Dark Knight Trilogy was for this part, which helped solidify their connection.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012): Netflix, JioCinema, and Prime Video

The Dark Knight Rises was Cillian Murphy's last appearance as Scarecrow, aka Dr. Jonathan Crane, after he had starred in the first two parts of the trilogy. Following Bane's conquest of Gotham City, the supervillain appears to assist in enforcing the new government by serving as a judge. Crane presides over the city's kangaroo court, which hears every case. The court then exiles the defendant after customarily crossing an ice-covered river. After rescuing Gotham, Batman goes back to capture Scarecrow and his henchmen.

Even though he made the decision to see The Dark Knight Returns in theatres following its premiere, Murphy didn't read the script until more than ten years after the film's release. The 2012 film marked Murphy's last outing as Scarecrow, but in 2019, he admitted that the supervillain is still alive, somewhere out there. Even though a fourth Batman film by Nolan is highly doubtful, Murphy's remarks suggest he may reprise his role as Scarecrow in a DC Elseworlds film.

Dunkirk (2017): Prime Video

Christopher Nolan directed Dunkirk a massive historical epic about the WWII evacuation of French and British soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk. Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branaugh, Michael Caine, and Cillian Murphy are just a few of the regulars from Nolan's film cast that make an appearance in Dunkirk. He portrays an unnamed soldier who emerges from the water after a German U-boat sinks his ship.

Murphy's career has gone far beyond playing anonymous supporting roles, so his role in Dunkirk comes as something of a surprise. However, as viewers observe Murphy's soldier struggle with the PTSD resulting from losing his entire crew, he remains one of the film's most captivating characters. Murphy even went on to say that Nolan and he had researched post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to get a deeper understanding of his character.

Oppenheimer (2023): Prime Video and ZEE5 (rent) JioCinema from March 21, 2024

A film about J. Robert Oppenheimer's life and work, Oppenheimer has been a box office smash in 2023. In his role as head of the Manhattan Project, the notorious team responsible for creating the first atomic bomb, Murphy brings to life the scientist's inner turmoil. The film also delves into the aftermath of Oppenheimer's scientific achievements and the subsequent portrayal of him as a Communist traitor by his own nation.

Cillian Murphy has worked with Christopher Nolan on five films before Oppenheimer although this is the first of his films in which Murphy stars as the protagonist.

According to an interview with IMDb, Nolan chose Murphy for the role of Oppenheimer after seeing a striking likeness between the actor and the historical man in a biography he was perusing. The filmmaker chose him as the lead because he had faith in the actor's ability to handle the part after working with him for nearly twenty years.

Well, as we say, the rest is history!

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