Jack O’Connell has been in the industry for over two decades now. Breaking out as the loveable bad boy James Cook in Skins, he quickly became known as the go to teenage psycho. From here, he displayed a penchant for playing volatile young men with a proclivity for violence.
As his career has progressed, Jack O’Connell has made a conscious effort to diversify, taking on more heroic roles in movies like Jungleland and Unbroken, and TV series like The North Water and SAS Rogue Heroes. However, now that he has established himself as a well-rounded thespian, he has begun to dabble in villainy once again, bringing his well-refined skillset with him. Here are all of his bad guy roles, ranked.
5. Tower Block as Kurtis (2012)
In this contained thriller, Jack O’Connell brought the bad boy swagger he cultivated with Skins and spliced it more menace and intensity. The plot centres on the residents of a London Tower Block who find themselves being picked off by a sniper several months after witnessing a murder. O’Connell stars as Kurtis, a local drug dealer who terrorizes the residents for property and protection tax, however, when a real threat looms, he must actually deliver on the protection.
Although this gritty British thriller slipped under the radar, it serves as an early example of O’Connell’s versatility. Starting out as a brutish thug, we witness Kurtis switch from villain to hero – and the transition is seamless. Although we don’t fear him by the end of the movie, he fills us with dread at the start before the real villain shows up.
4. Harry Brown as Marky (2009)
Led by Michael Caine, Harry Brown is a murky revenge thriller that deserves way more attention. The story follows the titular character played by Caine, a widowed ex-serviceman who lives on a rough estate in London. When his only friend is murdered by a gang of thugs, Harry unleashes his buried skills to exact brutal vengeance. Working is way through the gang one-by-one, Marky (O’Connell) is early on his hit list.
While only a small supporting role, O’Connell’s sequence with Caine is a standout moment in the film. Caine was so impressed by the young actor that he hailed his as the “star of the future”. As Harry tortures Marky, any glimmer of pity we feel for him is lost when he reveals his true self, switching from crying for his life to spitting in Harry’s face. O’Connell’s villainous turn as Marky is one of his more subtle renditions, but one of the most impactful. Marky is a broken young man who has chosen the wrong path after years of abuse, however, he is fully aware that what he is doing is evil. O’Connell handled the role with a delicate nuance, cementing his an eclectic actor early on.
3. Sinners as Remmick (2025)
Sinners is the movie that truly solidified Jack O’Connell as one the finest villainous actors working today. After avoiding such roles for a long time, he returned equipped with a body of work that aided him for a well-rounded performance that excels above menace alone. Remmick may be despicable, but there’s an eerie charm about him. He can sing and dance, and his motives aren’t as evil as the actions he takes to get what he wants.
Although terrifying in the right moments, O’Connell’s vampiric turn is multi-layered. Bringer of carnage he may be, we can’t help but want to know more about where he came from, what drives him, all while wondering what he will do next. To that, Sinners not only serves up one of O’Connell’s greatest villainous roles, but one of his best roles in general.
2. Eden Lake as Brett (2008)
Eden Lake is one of the most hard to watch British horror movies of the last two decades. With its unrelenting suffering, this is a true video nasty. While the entire cast is exceptional, Jack O’Connell is the sheer force of terror that keeps you hooked. At only 17-years-old at the time of filming, he effortlessly embodied a true psychopath in Brett, the leader of a gang of youths who orchestrate a torture campaign against an innocent young couple.
There is no let up in Brett’s actions, they simply get more sadistic as the film goes on. Today, this may be the kind of role O’Connell avoids – a character who seems to be evil for the sheer fun of it. On the surface, it could seem one-dimensional, but really it is total immersion into one of cinema’s most disturbing psychopaths.
1. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple as Sir Jimmy Crystal (2026)
Although O’Connell appeared as Sir Jimmy Crystal in the tonally-shifting bonkers ending of 28 Years Later, he technically arrived as a hero who saves young Spike (Alfie Williams). In 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, we learn that he is far from a hero. However, what makes his character so terrifying is that his warped delusions lead him to believe he is the paladin of the infected world.
From the moment Jimmy enters the frame, the tension is suffocating. As the leader of his sadistic cult, he has no qualms with hurting anyone he crosses. With Spike in his grasp and Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) in his path, we watch as an utter psychopath sets out to conquer and destroy. His actions are cruel, vile, and depraved, but O’Connell manages to bring a level of nuance that allows us to briefly try and decipher why he ended up this way. With The Bone Temple, O’Connell has once again proven himself as one of the most versatile actors working today.
Read Next: How Ryan Coogler Can Capitalize on Jack O’Connell’s Remmick and Why He SHOULD
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