5 Best Carey Mulligan movies (ranked): where to watch Promising Young Woman and more

I have long been a fan of Carey Mulligan, whose breakout role in An Education came around the same time my passion for movies really kicked off beyond just the big blockbusters. In the 16 years since that role she has amassed a strong resume of movies (as well as three Oscar nominations), meaning there was plenty to pick from when considering what are the best Carey Mulligan movies.

Right of the back there were some tough omissions to the list. While her performance is strong, I omitted her most recent Oscar-nominated role for Maestro because I’m admittedly not the biggest fan of the overall movie. Her performance in Saltburn is fun, but it’s just too brief for consideration amongst her other, larger roles. Then there’s Shame, where she gives a memorably haunting rendition of “New York, New York,” but that movie is Michael Fassbender’s all the way and is a movie I respect more than love.

That being said, here are my picks for the five best Carey Mulligan movies.

5. Drive (2011)

The main relationship in Drive between Mulligan’s Irene and Ryan Gosling’s Driver isn’t an overly talky one, it’s built almost entirely on vibes. But boy do they work. Mulligan’s Irene finds a connection with the Driver, but what really makes Mulligan’s performance here special is what happens when it shatters as she sees just how dangerous this man really is. The look on Mulligan’s face says it all, which is why she likely earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Available via digital on-demand in the US; streaming on Netflix and Prime Video in the UK.

4. An Education (2009)

While I can’t put this up with the greatest movie debuts of all time because Mulligan’s first big screen role came in the Keira Knightley-led Pride & Prejudice (another movie I love), it is still a phenomenal breakout role that truly put Mulligan on the map. The May-December romance that Mulligan’s Jenny has in the movie may be a bit cringey, but Mulligan never allows Jenny to feel like simply a naive victim of a charming, shady man. It is an incredibly mature performance from Mulligan, going toe-to-toe with accomplished actors including Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina, Olivia Williams, Rosamund Pike and Emma Thompson.

Available via digital on-demand in the US and UK.

3. Mudbound (2017)

Mudbound is underrated, but it is for my money one of the best Netflix original movies made to date. Set in post-World War II Mississippi, it follows two men (Jason Mitchell and Garrett Hedlund) returning from the war and their families as they deal with trauma and racism. Mulligan plays the wife of Hedlund’s character’s brother, but she forms a closer relationship with Hedlund. She’s excellent as usual, but this movie is truly an example of all the parts (the fantastic ensemble, Dee Rees’ direction, the screenplay by Rees and Virgil Williams, and cinematography by Rachel Morrison) coming together to make an incredible movie.

Streaming on Netflix worldwide.

2. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

Like Drive and Shame, Carey Mulligan is clearly in a supporting role to a male character that drives the plot (in this case Oscar Isaac’s titular folk singer), and yet this is one of my favorite Mulligan performances ever. Definitely some of that belongs to the fact she is working with the Coen brothers and their razor sharp dialogue, but she nails it as Jean, another folk singer that cheated on her fiance with Llewyn and instantly regrets it, delivering memorable barbs. And, as we’ve seen in few of her movies (including the 2025 new movie The Ballad of Wallis Island), Inside Llewyn Davis proves she can carry a tune.

Available via digital on-demand in the US; streaming on Prime Video in the UK.

1. Promising Young Woman (2020)

Thus far, Promising Young Woman is the defining role of Mulligan’s career. In the movie, the debut for writer/director Emerald Fennell, Mulligan plays a woman, Cassie, on a mission to get revenge on men for taking advantage of women. This determined crusade gets played for dark comedy, but Mulligan (and Fennell) never lose the emotional thread of why Cassie is doing this. It all boils to a final act and ending that is one of the more shocking I’ve seen in some time. All due respect to the great Frances McDormand, but Mulligan should have earned her Oscar for this role.

Streaming free on Prime Video in the US; streaming on Sky and NOW TV in the UK.