Belfast: Caitríona Balfe’s Best Movies & TV Shows, Ranked By IMDb

With the release of the independent feature film Belfast in November 2021, fans of Caitriona Balfe are excited to see her in a big screen starring role for the first time.  Belfast is a period drama set in Northern Ireland in the 1960s.  Her confident and fearless portrayal in Belfast should be familiar to fans of Outlander, soon to start its sixth season, as her lead character Claire exhibits those same traits.

Whether in a minor role, doing voice-over work, or in a starring role, the energy and boldness she brings to all of her roles has not gone unnoticed by her fans.  Throughout her career, Balfe has epitomized the strong female character.

10 Money Monster (6.5)

In the 2016 thriller Money Monster, Balfe takes on her first major film role as a public relations director who uncovers corporate corruption while trying to defuse a live-on-television hostage situation. For the role, Balfe was able to use her Irish accent to show the global reach of the company in whom she put all of her trust.

With this being her first major role, she was able to shine among a larger superstar cast. Her character had the biggest shift of all, and she was able to play not only the slick executive who blindly but skillfully towed the company line, but also the heartfelt and empathetic redeemed soul who helped topple avarice. This resulted in a real power switch with her male boss, which Balfe played seamlessly.

9 Escape Plan (6.7)

One of Balfe’s first minor film roles was this 2013 action thriller Escape Plan, playing a CIA operative who hires lead Sylvester Stallone to test a top-secret prison. Stallone and Schwarzenegger did the tough guy bits they always do, much to their fans’ enjoyment. The film was compared to ’80s action movies, but it spawned two direct-to-video sequels.

Although this was an earlier, smaller role for Balfe, her character was pivotal to the story when it is discovered that her father is a prisoner and she actually hired Stallone to plan his escape, thus double-crossing him. She was able to deliver a memorable role and performance despite being a minor character.

8 Super 8 (7.0)

Another of the first and minor roles for Balfe was Super 8 from 2011. In this monster thriller, she plays the young main character’s mother, who had just passed away in a tragic workplace accident as the opening events of the film take place. The main father and son already find themselves dealing with grief and anger. As a coming-of-age story, Super 8 reignites nostalgia for previous adventure films.

Although she only appears in home-video footage and in a locket around her son’s neck, her role is crucial because it sets the tone for where the main family finds themselves, living with their recent tragedy against the current horrific events of their town. Balfe was again able to create a significant and indelible performance despite playing such a seemingly small role.

7 Lost Angeles (7.1)

Balfe got a small role in the 2012 independent comedy-drama Lost Angeles. Shot over 32 days and by renowned cinematographer Phedon Papamichael, it tells the gritty tale of a released prisoner pretending to be a celebrity photographer. The film made its premiere at Germany’s Oldenburg International Film Festival.

The tagline of the film is “Everyone is lost.” The film certainly lives up to that, as does Balfe’s character, Veronique. Balfe finds herself in another minor role, yet she is able to match grit for grit in this comedy-drama, where everyone is trying to find their own version of the Hollywood dream. As usual, Balfe is able to peel back many layers, even with such a small role.

6 Angela’s Christmas Wish (7.1)

In 2020, Balfe appears in Angela’s Christmas Wish, an Irish animated film and sequel to Emmy nominated Angela’s Christmas. Although the film has some sad scenes, familiar in McCourt’s works, the overarching theme is that money does not buy happiness.

This role was a real change for Balfe. Although she had done voice-over work just the year before, this was the first time in an animated work. Using her natural Irish accent for a second time in film likely made her feel more at home. Although the role was, again, a minor one, as the mother of one of Angela’s friends, her tenderness really shines through during the holiday season.

5 Now You See Me (7.2)

Balfe had a minor role in the 2013 ensemble heist thriller Now You See Me, as the wife of the villainous Michael Caine.   In this flashy caper tale of magicians who pull off robberies during their show in a Robin-Hood-type feat for their audience.

Balfe’s character could have easily been missed because of her short screen time.  In reality, the sleight of hand stole the show with the fans. However, had her role been written with more dimension, Balfe could have easily made it amazing. Playing the four-decade junior of her corrupt insurance magnate husband who blindly denies solid claims, Balfe could have had a lot of fun turning on her husband and helping to make him pay.

4 Belfast (7.5)

In 2021, Balfe starred in the Irish coming-of-age drama that revolves around a child growing up during the Northern Ireland conflict of the 1960s.  The film is a semi-autobiographical depiction of the life of Kenneth Branagh. She plays the child’s mother, which is her biggest film role to date.

For her role, Balfe received much praise, and she was nominated for a British Independent Film Award and will be entered in the Best Supporting Actress category for the 94th Academy Awards. This role was also the closest to her real life, having grown up in Ireland herself. The great rating by fans rests squarely on her riveting performance.

3 Ford V. Ferrari (8.1)

In 2019, Balfe starred as the wife of a professional race car driver in Ford v. Ferrari, the period sports drama about dueling car moguls.  While much of the movie is based on history, Ford v. Ferrari does delve into fiction as well. Balfe is the only main female character in the film, other than very minor characters. Her role, however, is itself reduced, as she is limited to supporting her husband’s dreams while worrying about his wellbeing.

This film scores high, likely because of its stellar cast. However, had Balfe been able to dig deeper into her character beyond just the doting, stand-by-your-man role, and really experience the fear that had been bottling up inside her race by race, and finally comes to a head at her husband’s death, her fans know she could have met that challenge of playing immense grief head-on.

2 The Dark Crystal : Age Of Resistance (8.4)

In 2019, Balfe had another voice-over role, this time in the one-and-done season of this prequel to the 1982 cult fantasy original, considered Jim Henson’s best by many. In The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, she voices Tavra, one of the members of the rebellion against the evil rulers. For a second time, Balfe plays a character who meets a tragic demise in the story, being stabbed by one of the rulers.

Even though Balfe played one character in a sea of many fascinating creatures, she again plays a strong female role, helping to lead a resistance. Fans of this world over decades carried the series to this high position.  The series was even nominated for a Critics’ Choice Television Award, and won a Primetime Emmy Award.

1 Outlander (8.4)

In Balfe’s most well-known and most-loved role to date, she stars as Claire in the historical drama television series, Outlander. Balfe has played the lead as a time-traveling World War II nurse for all five current seasons from 2014 to the present, and she has received many accolades for this role, which is far and away deemed her best from all sides.

She has won a Scottish BAFTA award, the Irish Film and Television Award, two People’s Choice Awards, and three Saturn Awards. It’s clear her unabashed and thrilling performances have led to the show being a fan favorite.

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