Celebrated for her versatility and her striking screen presence, Vanessa Kirby has been a revelation throughout the past decade, rising to prominence through her stage work in England before breaking out as an international star with her role as Princess Margaret in the hit Netflix series The Crown. As her career has continuously evolved, Kirby has become a major big screen actress, as her impressive filmography can attest to.
COLLIDER VIDEO OF THE DAY
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
To date, Kirby’s career has seen her earn dozens of accolades, including an Academy Award nomination for her starring role in 2020’s Netflix drama Pieces of a Woman. Having appeared in everything from delicate dramas to huge action blockbusters, period romances, and even sci-fi horrors, Vanessa Kirby’s best pictures in the eyes of Rotten Tomatoes cover a wide range of genres.
11 ‘Napoleon’ (2023)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 62%
Image via Sony Pictures/Apple TV+
A historical epic documenting the military and political career of the renowned French commander and Emperor, Napoleon sees Ridley Scott return to his ambitious, grandiose best. It stars Joaquin Phoenix as the notorious ruler Napoleon Bonaparte, covering his origins, his unquenchable thirst for power which inspired him to undertake many military campaigns, and his eventual downfall, all while depicting his volatile, obsessive romance with Joséphine de Beauharnais, better known as Empress Joséphine (Vanessa Kirby).
The film has proven to be quite a polarizing picture off the back of Scott’s divisive remarks concerning its historical accuracy, but no one can deny it offers a captivating spectacle imbued with a dazzling sense of style, some awe-inspiring battle sequences, and powerful performances from its two leads. While scatterbrained, Napoleon paints a fascinating picture of one of history’s most noteworthy figures with gravitas, punishing violence, and no small amount of comic venom to boot.
Napoleon
Release Date November 22, 2023
Director Ridley Scott
Cast Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby, Ben Miles, Ludivine Sagnier
Rating R
Runtime 157
Watch in Theaters
10
9 ‘Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw’ (2019)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 67%
Image via Universal Pictures
From humble, drag-racing beginnings, to being a major action franchise, the Fast & Furious films range from the delightfully, ridiculously extravagant to the uninspired and unwatchable. Something of an aside from the main thread of the series, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw functioned as a genuinely fun action flick which clicked with the surprisingly strong chemistry between Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, and Vanessa Kirby.
With John Wick director David Leitch at the helm, the film breezes by as a save-the-world epic comprised of gleefully absurd action sequences and a fun-loving self-awareness. Playing the part of Deckard Shaw’s (Statham) sister, Hattie, Kirby is able to lend plenty to the comedic punch of the film’s core character dynamic while never missing out on her time to shine in the action scenes as well.
Hobbs & Shaw
Release Date August 1, 2019
Director David Leitch
Cast Vanessa Kirby, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba, Eddie Marsan, Stephanie Vogt
Rating PG-13
Runtime 120 minutes
Watch on Fubo TV
8 ‘The World to Come’ (2020)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 74%
Image via Bleecker Street
A hidden gem amid Kirby’s filmography, The World to Come excelled as a forbidden romance period drama with a strong focus on female passion and the stoic men who would contain them. Set in 19th century America, neighboring wives Abigail (Katherine Waterston) and Tallie (Kirby) discover a powerful love for one another as they each struggle to overcome unique hardships with their husbands as their isolation and the punishing landscape takes its toll.
The film finds its central power in its spellbinding performances, with Kirby and Waterston both fantastic in the leading roles while Casey Affleck and Christopher Abbott are impactful in their supporting parts as well. The World to Come is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and boasts a healthy audience score on the website to boot.
The World To Come
Release Date September 6, 2020
Director Mona Fastvold
Cast Katherine Waterston, Vanessa Kirby, Christopher Abbott, Casey Affleck
Rating R
Runtime 98
Watch on Hulu
7 ‘Kill Command’ (2016)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%
Image via Vertigo Films
As a low-budget movie with aspirations of offering a big spectacle, Kill Command was impressive if not perfect as a sci-fi action horror movie which served as the directorial debut of Steven Gomez. Set in a technologically advanced future, a military training exercise on a remote island leaves a squad of Marines in a hellish fight for their lives when the advanced A.I. systems they’re up against start using lethal force.
Starring as a cyborg programmer who teams up with the Marines as she investigates an anomaly in the A.I. system, Vanessa Kirby is able to give the film a grounding presence while still getting involved in the action. Critics praised the film as being a smartly directed picture elevated by a tight, clean sci-fi story and outstanding visual effects which make the hostile drones an ominous threat.
Watch on Peacock
6 ‘Queen and Country’ (2014)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 76%
Image via BBC Worldwide
A period drama which, interestingly, divided fans and critics, Queen and Country saw veteran director John Boorman embarking on a deeply personal project. A distant sequel to the director’s 1987 film Hope and Glory, the 2014 drama follows an 18-year-old as he enlists for compulsory military service as the Korean War rages on, finding himself and his friend teaching typing in a local assignment where they clash with their authoritative superior officers.
Kirby makes an immediate impact in her supporting role, playing Bill’s (Callum Turner) renegade sister Dawn with an enchanting effervescence as she charms Bill’s friend Percy (Caleb Landry Jones) amid the boys’ romantic pursuits. It’s a delightfully lively performance within a wonderful and graceful, yet somber movie, one which put Kirby on the map of a lot of filmmakers in Europe.
Watch on Hoopla
5 ‘Pieces of a Woman’ (2020)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 76%
Image via Netflix
A hard-hitting drama with an arresting, powerful, and harrowing opening act, Pieces of a Woman is one of the most underrated Netflix Original releases after the streaming service acquired it at the Toronto International Film Festival. It focuses on a young woman who loses her baby during a tragic home birth which leaves her in a state of mourning while her complex familial relationships are strained amid the emotional devastation.
Based on the deeply personal play by Kornél Mundruczó and Kata Wéber (who directed and wrote the film respectively), Pieces of a Woman runs with a gripping and heartbreaking drama which enabled Kirby to display the full scope of her acting talents. It netted the actress her first Academy Award nomination, with her performance revered by critics as a highlight even as the film struggled to live up to its compelling beginning.
Pieces Of A Woman
Release Date September 4, 2020
Director Kornél Mundruczó
Cast Shia LaBeouf, Vanessa Kirby, Molly Parker, Sarah Snook, Iliza Shlesinger, Benny Safdie, Jimmie Fails, Ellen Burstyn
Rating R
Runtime 128
Watch on Netflix
4 ‘Mr. Jones’ (2019)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%
Image via Kino Świat
A supremely underrated entry in Kirby’s impressive filmography, Mr. Jones functioned as a bleak historical/biographical thriller taking place in the Soviet Union during the 1930s. It stars James Norton as Gareth Jones, an ambitious Welsh journalist who uncovers the disturbing truth behind the Great Ukrainian Famine and attempts to bring it to light, meeting strong resistance in the process.
Kirby co-stars as British journalist Ada Brooks, a fictitious character amid the historical film who becomes an ally to Jones and informs him his contact in Moscow was murdered and helps him get into Ukraine to carry out his investigation. While the film has some flaws and jumbles its narrative a touch, it ultimately honors its subject to tell a worthwhile story buoyed by effective cinematography and production design.
Mr. Jones
Release Date October 25, 2019
Director Agnieszka Holland
Cast James Norton, Vanessa Kirby, Peter Sarsgaard, Joseph Mawle, Kenneth Cranham, Celyn Jones
Rating NR
Runtime 119
Watch on Starz
3 ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Part One’ (2023)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
Image via Paramount Pictures
The seventh instalment of the franchise, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Part One saw Vanessa Kirby become a recurring figure in the saga as the shady saleswoman Alanna Mitsopolis. With a runtime of 163 minutes, the action epic followed Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and the IMF as they embark on a dangerous mission concerning a highly sought after A.I. device which has compromising information on every government in the world.
With new heroes emerging and foes from Ethan’s past lurking in the shadows, the film offered an all-out action spectacle which proved Cruise’s appetite for absurd stunt sequences only grows as he gets older. It had some flaws in its storytelling, but with a score of 96% on the Tomatometer, it stands as the third-highest rated movie of Kirby’s career so far with critics and fans alike responding well to its elevated focus on women in action.
Rent on Apple TV
2 ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ (2018)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
Image via Paramount Pictures
One of the most exciting and magnificent action movies to have ever been released, Mission: Impossible – Fallout saw Tom Cruise’s action franchise soar to new heights. With a group of terrorists plotting to launch nuclear attacks on three different cities simultaneously, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and the IMF embark on a globetrotting mission to prevent the destruction, one which sees them work with multiple factions to achieve their goal.
Relentlessly heart pounding and featuring some of the greatest action sequences ever put to screen with a slick story and deft use of comedy to boot. One of the most memorable figures from the film was Vanessa Kirby’s Alanna Mitsopolis aka The White Widow, a black-market arms dealer with great influence who acts as a broker in the plutonium deal and tasks Hunt with extracting Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) from an armored convoy.
Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Release Date July 27, 2018
Director Christopher McQuarrie
Cast Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson
Rating PG-13
Runtime 147 minutes
Watch on Apple TV
1 ‘The Dresser’ (2015)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%
Image via BBC Two
Based on the 1980 play which was adapted to the screen in a film starring Albert Finney in 1983, 2015’s The Dresser saw cinematic icons Anthony Hopkins and Ian McKellen co-star as an old Shakespearian actor and his elderly assistant. Set amid WWII during the Blitz, the television film focused on the duo as the theater actor Sir (Hopkins) begins to show signs of dementia, while also exploring the figures in the play at large.
Kirby portrayed Irene, a young actress who appears in the play and becomes the object of Sir’s inappropriate advances, which are complicated by the actor’s ailing health. The film was heralded as a triumph of English cinema, with critics highlighting the acting of its two powerhouse stars and the immaculate supporting cast.
Watch on Starz
KEEP READING: The 25 Most Iconic Action Heroines of All Time