RANKED

Every Martin McDonagh Movie, Ranked

By Matt Oakes · November 1, 2026

Before he ever made a movie, Martin McDonagh was already one of the most celebrated playwrights of his generation, the London-born son of Irish parents whose savagely funny plays (The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, The Pillowman) made him a Broadway and West End sensation. His first short film, Six Shooter, won an Oscar, and his features have since earned a screenplay nomination for In Bruges, Oscars for Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and nine nominations for The Banshees of Inisherin.

Few filmmakers blend violence, profanity and heartbreak quite like McDonagh: his movies are full of foul-mouthed men behaving terribly who somehow they find their way to something resembling grace. Next up is Wild Horse Nine, a twilight crime saga set in Easter Islands starring John Malkovich and regular troop Sam Rockwell, in theaters November 6, 2026. I’ll add it to this ranking once my review is live.

Quick list:

In Bruges (2008)
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
Seven Psychopaths (2012)

Critics and Audience scores from Rotten Tomatoes; ratings from IMDb. Scores as of October 2026.

4. SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS (2012)

82%Critics 71%Audience 7.1IMDb

Seven Psychopaths (2012) still McDonagh’s meta follow-up to In Bruges reunited him with Colin Farrell, here a blocked screenwriter who gets tangled up with Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken’s dog-napping scam artists and the psychotic gangster (Woody Harrelson) whose beloved Shih Tzu they’ve stolen. Rockwell is a live wire and Walken is pure Walken, but the film is so busy winking at its own violence and screenwriting tropes that it never finds the emotional bite of McDonagh’s better works. A sophomoric follow-up that lost a little of his edge: enjoyable, but ultimately his most forgettable.

▶ Streaming on Kanopy and Hoopla

3. THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN (2022)

96%Critics 75%Audience 7.6IMDb

The year is 1923. In Inisherin, a small, remote island off the west coast of Ireland, the days are filled with an almost apocalyptic ennui. From across the bitter cold of the Atlantic, the report of gunfire and cannons signal the ongoing Irish Civil War. Ireland’s Civil War came on the heels of their War of Independence from Great Britain. And claimed even more lives. In its wake, a friendship breaks down.

The Banshees of Inisherin is a striking dark comedy brimming with thematic depth, boasting a strong cast and sizable ideas. Down to the name of the movie, it feels like an adaptation of some unwritten Shakespearean tragedy or Homerian epic. It’s a film that revels in its own riddles and demands multiple screenings to puzzle out what everything means. McDonagh’s strange little creation is quite unlike anything else. ▶ Streaming on fuboTV and YouTube TV · Read the full review

2. THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI (2017)

90%Critics 87%Audience 8.1IMDb

There are many words you can’t say on a billboard but in Martin McDonagh’s darkly comic and borderline brilliant Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri calling out the local sheriff for failing to bring to justice a rapist, arsonist and murderer is fair game. At least from a legal standpoint.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri has smacks of knifelike dark comedy, a handful of brilliant performances (all hail Frances McDormand!) and a director (Martin McDonagh) back on the tippy-top of his game, rounding out into a breathtakingly funny and confoundingly sad crime drama that was also one of the best films of 2017.▶ Watch on HBO Max · Read the full review

1. IN BRUGES (2008)

84%Critics 87%Audience 7.9IMDb

A jet-black comedy that gently reminded audiences at the time to never give up on Irish lug Colin Farrell (who just hit a string of misses), In Bruges has heart, wit and tension in spades. Following two bumbling hit men hiding out in the fairy-tale Belgian city of Bruges, Farrell and Brendan Gleeson make an unlikely onscreen odd couple, but their pitch-perfect chemistry works wonders. Whether they’re bickering about nonsense or sharing heartfelt moments, this mismatched duo speaks to the broken dreams in all of us. From unforgettable one-liners (“You’re just the rudest man, the rudest man!”) to shockingly gruesome showdowns (plus a cranky, drug-addled actor shooting a surreal dream sequence), In Bruges is full of unexpected surprises. McDonagh has spent the rest of his film career chasing its crazy highs.

FAQ

What is the best Martin McDonagh movie?

By my ranking, In Bruges (2008) is Martin McDonagh’s best film, followed by Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017).

What is the worst Martin McDonagh movie?

Seven Psychopaths (2012) sits at the bottom of my ranking. Enjoyable, but the least memorable of his films.

How many movies has Martin McDonagh directed?

Four features through 2022 (In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and The Banshees of Inisherin), with Wild Horse Nine arriving November 6, 2026. He also won an Oscar for his short film Six Shooter.