Ewan McGregor

1996 · Danny Boyle · 93 min · Drama / Dark Comedy

Trainspotting took a subject that should have been unwatchable and made it impossible to look away. Danny Boyle's kinetic direction and Ewan McGregor's breakout performance turned a story about heroin addiction in Edinburgh into something vibrant, funny, and devastating in equal measure. The Scottish dialect is a barrier for some, and the film's refusal to moralize leaves it open to accusations of glamorizing the thing it's depicting. But Boyle and screenwriter John Hodge trusted their audience to see past the energy and recognize the destruction underneath, and three decades later, that trust has been rewarded. It remains one of the most important British films ever made.

2024 · 1 Season · Paramount+ · Drama

A Gentleman in Moscow adapts Amor Towles's beloved novel into an elegant limited series carried by Ewan McGregor's warm, witty performance as Count Rostov, an aristocrat confined to a luxury hotel for decades by the Soviet regime. The show captures the novel's charm and philosophical gentleness while occasionally struggling with the challenge of dramatizing a story where the protagonist cannot leave a single building. It's a handsome, graceful piece of television that rewards viewers who appreciate character over action.

2005 · George Lucas · 140 min · Sci-Fi

Revenge of the Sith is the prequel trilogy's strongest entry by a wide margin, delivering the tragic fall of Anakin Skywalker with genuine emotional power and the franchise's most impressive lightsaber choreography. Clunky dialogue and an uneven first act keep it from true greatness, but Ian McDiarmid's Palpatine and the devastating final thirty minutes make this the darkest and most dramatically satisfying prequel.

2022 · 1 Season · Disney+ · Sci-Fi / Action / Drama

Obi-Wan Kenobi delivers its strongest moments in the emotional confrontations between Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, but the surrounding series struggles with pacing, production issues, and a story that feels stretched beyond its natural length.

2003 · Tim Burton · 125 min · Fantasy

Big Fish is Tim Burton at his most sentimental and restrained, a father-son story told through tall tales that's more likely to make you cry than it is to dazzle you with visual spectacle. Ewan McGregor's sunshine charm and Albert Finney's stubborn warmth carry a film that prioritizes heart over Burton's usual gothic flair.