Joel Edgerton may well be Mr Underrated in Hollywood. Here are his essential movies…
Joel Edgerton’s illustrious career has been anything but predictable. The Australian character actor has had a seamless ability to inhabit an eclectic range of characters.
Hollywood has increasingly leaned toward pretty boy actors and a focus on aesthetics over personality. Edgerton is certainly rugged and good-looking, but in a way that suits anti-heroes, villains, or complex protagonists. If the pretty, in-vogue young actors wouldn’t really convince as a hard-grafting logger from the early 20th century, then that’s where someone like Edgerton can be more convincing, with a face that tells a story.
However, roles like those are few and far between in a landscape where studios are more interested in recognisable intellectual properties with colourful and larger-than-life (if two-dimensional) characters. Maybe Edgerton has sidestepped any openings to be a Marvel or DC big swinger, in favour of smaller-scale, character-driven fare, or maybe he’s not been deemed the right, pliable fit for those films, where character actors don’t get a sniff.
So Edgerton has never been the big thing of the moment, the Glen Powell, for example. It means he hasn’t been oversaturated to the point of audience rebellion, of course, but if there’s one thing you could call Edgerton, it’s underrated. Many of his best works seem to be films that fly a little under the mainstream radar and often don’t get the kind of audience numbers they deserve. Yet, for many, there’s a cult legacy and a lasting power. He rarely steps into the content realm, preferring to ply his trade in interesting cinema, which might grow in stature across the coming decades. Here are the essential Joel Edgerton films….
Train Dreams
As Edgerton has often starred in films that aren’t box office bonanzas or Oscar bait, he’s tended to be overlooked come Oscar time. It’s not particularly fair given Edgerton’s consistent ability to deliver intense and compelling performances.
That may change thanks to Train Dreams, Clint Bentley’s richly philosophical, existential and beautiful film (based on the short story). Written with quiet nuance, it required a leading man who could convey so much without words. Edgerton’s introspective performance is arguably a career best, and he’s given great support in the shape of Kerry Condon, Felicity Jones and William H Macy.
The evocative cinematography and Malickian vibe make the film dreamy and cerebral. It’s one of the best films of the year and a perfect role to showcase Edgerton’s abilities as one of the most interesting actors of his generation.
The Gift
For many, The Gift was a film that made people stand up and take notice of Edgerton. Not just as an actor, but as a writer and director too. This brilliant, dark and surprising auteur work, sees Edgerton playing a complex antagonist opposite a protagonist (Jason Bateman) who isn’t a beacon of virtue.
The film came from nowhere and quickly managed to gather word of mouth among cinephiles. It still doesn’t quite have as much recognition as it deserves, either, with its cult following growing slowly and steadily. One of the early standout Blumhouse films, it’s got some depth to it and Edgerton mines a lot of tension and an enigmatic dynamic with Bateman.
It Comes At Night
Another film that quietly gathered some critical acclaim and a willing arthouse audience was It Comes at Night. An ambiguous low-budget post-apocalyptic film that might prove too slow-burning and evasive for some.
Trey Edward Shults opts for atmosphere over bloody genre payoffs, and Edgerton plays the head of a family keeping themselves disconnected from the fractured world outside and isolated, until inevitably another family seeking refuge breaks the peace. It’s another impeccably muted and skilful performance from Edgerton. The film also makes a great double bill with the similarly underrated The Survivalist.
The Green Knight
If Robert Eggers’ The Northman found it difficult to find a wide audience for 21st-century blood and swords fantasy, then David Lowery found it doubly hard to capture a big audience with The Green Knight (based on the Arthurian legend).
The A24 production had the hallmarks of the indie studio, with a preference for cerebral enigma over spectacle, but that’s not to say the film doesn’t have some spectacular visuals. Dev Patel heads up a killer cast, with Ralph Ineson delivering one of the memorable genre villain roles he’s had of late. Barry Keoghan also excels. Once again, too, Edgerton has an engaging role with room to steal scenes effectively. The film may have divided some, but if you’re into Arthurian legend and esoteric sword and sorcery, this one has plenty to enjoy.
The Stranger
Edgerton returned to Australia for this intensely dark thriller, written and directed by Thomas M. Wright, loosely based on a true story. Much like Train Dreams, it also represents a rare work of excellence for a Netflix premiere (among a largely sea of forgettable content).
Like Edgerton, his co-star Sean Harris is another actor who is always magnetic on screen, able to convey layers without needing words. There’s an enthralling complexity to both actors in a film that features characters with a hidden side, as well as their respective psychological struggles. It’s not exactly breezy fare, but it’s an impeccably crafted thriller with two powerhouses at their elliptical best.
Warrior
Gavin O’Connor’s gruellingly intense family drama about warring MMA siblings was a cracking film that got somewhat overshadowed by David O. Russell’s The Fighter (which saw Christian Bale walk off with an Oscar).
Boxing, as featured in The Fighter, may have more mainstream appeal than MMA, but still, Warrior felt more like a firm three-hander, where arguably, Mark Wahlberg found himself overshadowed by Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo. For Warrior, it rests firmly on three superb performances from Edgerton, Tom Hardy and Nick Nolte (who won an Oscar). Nolte aside, however, the film was a little criminally overlooked.
Loving
Jeff Nichols knows how to make engaging character-focused cinema with interesting protagonists. Whether it’s Mud, Take Shelter or more recently with Bikeriders. One film which doesn’t get quite the same love is Loving, which has Edgerton’s opposite Ruth Negga as an interracial couple in 1960s Virginia.
Based on the true story, it’s suitably powerful even if some critics felt it touched a well-trodden cinematic subject. Nichols’ atypically deft direction allows his actors the space to bring scenes to life and to show and not tell. It’s a skill Edgerton certainly has, as does Negga. She was deservedly nominated for an Oscar, whilst Edgerton did get a Golden Globe nod, but there was a feeling he was a bit unfairly overlooked by the Academy.
What’s your favourite Joel Edgerton performance? Can he win an Oscar for Train Dreams? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Tom Jolliffe
