Joel Edgerton
“Time...time and the world swallows events. And it's sad but that's how it is.”—Detective Carl Summer
By Sean Tuohy
Australian screenwriter, director, and actor Joel Edgerton is a triple threat. He is able to bring fully formed characters to life on the page, the screen, and from the director’s chair.
Edgerton’s credits include “Warrior,” "Smokin’ Aces," “Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones,” and his 2015 directorial debut “The Gift.” As a screenwriter, Edgerton as created some of the most tension-filled stories in recent memory. His characters are pushed to the brink and forced to examine themselves while the audience watches in wide-eye shock.
Edgerton’s 2013 script “Felony” presented us with a story that asked, “What would you do?” When a good-hearted police officer accidently hits a child with his car, he works with a cynical co-worker to cover up the crime while a rookie tries to uncover the truth. Edergton makes us feel for a man, who really isn’t a bad guy, ripped to shreds by a tragic mistake. It also doesn’t hurt that the dialogue flows smoothly out of his well-formed characters’ mouths.
Edgerton also wrote the screen story for 2014’s “Rover,” one of the best films of the year. “The Gift,” the film that marked Edgerton’s directorial debut, makes you squirm in your seat and brews a sick feeling at the bottom of the stomach. The story was well paced, the characters felt real, and the lingering moments of tension left viewers breathless.
As much as I like to watch Edgerton lighting up screen as an actor, I would love to see him stretch his badass screenwriting muscles more in the future.