Jack O’Connell is in his villain era — or maybe his villain arc. The English actor’s recent roles, as a vampire in Sinners, and then as a postapocalyptic cult leader in 28 Years Later and its sequel, The Bone Temple, have seen him flex his sinister acting chops, but fans know that these aren’t the only times he’s taken a walk on the dark side.
One of O’Connell’s earliest onscreen roles was as a teenage psychopath in Eden Lake, and he later starred in Money Monster as a man holding a TV personality hostage over a bad stock tip, and then in Trial by Fire as an accused arsonist. But his résumé isn’t all horror and thrillers. He had his breakout roles with US audiences in 2014 in two very different war movies — 300: Rise of an Empire and Unbroken — and he has also carved out a space for himself as a dramatic actor in series like Skins and The Runaway, as well as in films like Seberg, Jungleland, Little Fish, Ferrari, and Back to Black. Whether he’s the bad guy or not, read on to learn about O’Connell’s movies and series available to watch on Netflix.
This historical romantic drama based on D.H. Lawrence’s novel stars Emma Corrin as the titular lady, Constance “Connie” Reid, who marries baronet Clifford Chatterley (Matthew Duckett). When her husband returns from service in World War I, he’s paralyzed from the waist down, and Connie becomes his sole caretaker. Their relationship deteriorates under the strain. Starved of affection and intimacy, Connie meets soft-spoken gamekeeper Oliver Mellors (O’Connell), and the pair begin a passionate, potentially life-changing affair.
After stealing the cash from his crew’s last job and riding off, outlaw Roy Goode (O’Connell) is on the run from his former gang in this Western drama miniseries created by Scott Frank (Dept. Q). Roy stumbles on a ranch near La Belle, New Mexico, a town made up of mostly women and children, and the ranch’s owner, Alice Fletcher (Michelle Dockery), agrees to help him with his injuries — only to learn that he’s being hunted by both sides of the law. A posse of US marshals have alerted the local sheriff about Roy’s whereabouts, and Roy’s former mentor, the treacherous Frank Griffin (Jeff Daniels), wants his head. Sam Waterston (Grace & Frankie), Scoot McNairy (Luckiest Girl Alive), Merritt Wever (Unbelievable), Thomas Brodie-Sangster (The Queen’s Gambit), Tantoo Cardinal (Wind River), and Kim Coates (American Primeval) also star.
The third entry in creator Alex Garland’s 28 Days Later film series — about people living in a postapocalyptic world overrun by a virus that sends those who contract it into a homicidal rage — takes place 28 years after Cillian Murphy (Peaky Blinders) wandered through a deserted London in the first film. This coming-of-age story is also a horror flick that follows a boy, Spike (Alfie Williams), who undertakes a dangerous journey out of his fortified town against his father’s (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) wishes in search of a cure for his sick mother (Jodie Comer). O’Connell plays Jimmy, a mysterious cult leader. Danny Boyle directed the film, which also stars Ralph Fiennes (The Dig).
This historical romantic drama directed by Justin Chadwick (The Other Boleyn Girl) follows a 17th-century artist (Dane DeHaan), who falls in love with a married woman (Alicia Vikander) after he’s commissioned to paint her portrait. Written by Deborah Moggach (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) and Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare in Love), it was adapted from Moggach’s 1999 novel, and stars O’Connell as a fishmonger who’s exploring the Dutch black market tulip trade, alongside an ensemble cast that includes Cara Delevingne (Paper Towns), Matthew Morrison (A Paris Christmas Waltz), Judi Dench (Red Joan), Christoph Waltz (Frankenstein), Zach Galifianakis (The Sunlit Night), and Holliday Grainger (Strike).
O’Connell stars as Olympian and US army officer Louis “Louie” Zamperini in this war drama based on Laura Hillenbrand’s nonfiction book Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. When Zamperini’s plane is shot down during World War II, he’s captured by Japanese soldiers and sent to a series of prisoner of war camps. While there, he undergoes maltreatment and torture, especially at the hands of officer Mutsuhiro Watanabe (Miyavi), who takes a special interest in Zamperini for his defiance. Angelina Jolie (First They Killed My Father) directed and produced the movie, which also stars Domhnall Gleeson (A Futile and Stupid Gesture), Garrett Hedlund (Mudbound), Finn Wittrock (Don’t Move), and Jai Courtney (Kaleidoscope).
