20s Movie Review - Train Dreams

Director: Clint Bentley
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 102 minutes
Year: 2025
Starring: Joel Edgerton, William H. Macy, Felicity Jones, Kerry Condon, Clifton Collins Jr.

Description: Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton) is a logger and railroad worker who leads a life of unexpected depth and beauty in the rapidly changing America of the early 20^th Century.

Review: “Train Dreams” is one of those movies that came out in 2025 that hardly anyone saw, but is heartbreaking, poetic and visually stunning. A film about loneliness, loss and the transience of life.

We meet Robert Grainier, who works as a logger and railroad builder, helping to carve infrastructure through the rugged Pacific Northwest in the early 20^th Century. His life finds central meaning when he marries Gladys and they have a daughter, building a modest cabin in Idaho.

The film has emotional depth and is a film that will stay with you. It’s heartbreaking and forces you to think about what is truly important in life. Grief and loss are a big theme in this film. The pacing is a bit slow, but it fits the film and the story its telling.

The visuals are stunning, the images of nature and the landscape. It’s an essential part of the story.
Joel Edgerton, who plays Robert Grainier, I can only praise for this powerful performance. It’s one of his best.

The film is a Netflix original and you can stream it at home. And you should, more people should be talking about this movie, because it’s so beautiful.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Warrior

Director: Gavin O’Connor
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 140 minutes
Year: 2011
Starring: Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison, Denzel Whitaker, Frank Grillo, Kurt Angle, Noah Emmerich

Description: The youngest son (Tom Hardy) of an alcoholic former boxer (Nick Nolte) returns home, where he's trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament - a path that puts the fighter on a collision course with his estranged, older brother (Joel Edgerton).

Review: MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) is a brutal sport for some. For others it’s the most exciting sport on the planet. If you think “Warrior” is a 140 minute long film about knock outs and bloody fighters, you’re wrong. This film goes much deeper.

Tommy, an ex-marine who fought in Iraq, returns to his home town Philadelphia after being absent for 14 years. There he is reunited with his father Paddy, a former alcoholic and the reason that Tommy fled with his mother. Tommy wants to restore his band with Paddy, by working together. Tommy wants to attend an MMA tournament where he can win 5 million dollars. Tommy’s older brother Brendan has the same idea.

I’m not going to compare it with “Rocky” or “Raging Bull”. That’s not fair,  unnecessary and “Warrior” is great on its own. The three leading men, Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton and Nick Nolte are all fantastic. Hardy manages to bring a certain intensity to the screen, but there is also some melancholy and aggression. The mixed emotions and him fighting with them is amazing to see. Nick Nolte adds up to that, by playing maybe his best role ever. Edgerton shows the same passion, but with more modesty.
The character development is so strong and there is a real good build up to that final fight. When we come to that final fight, you get chills all over your body. An amazing soundtrack, with a song from “The National” in the final scene, only helps the intensity of that scene.

Although “Warrior” maybe not the most original story, it’s the total package that counts. And that’s way above average. I love “Warrior” and its great performances.

Rating: 5/ 5

TV Show Review - Obi-Wan Kenobi (Mini Series)

Season: Mini Series

Genre: Adventure/ Action/ Drama/ Science Fiction

Number of episodes: 6

Year: 2022

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Jimmy Smits, Joel Edgerton, Moses Ingram, Vivien Lyra Blair, Rupert Friend, James Earl Jones, Kumail Nanjiani, O’Shea Jackson,

Description: Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) has to save young Leia after she is kidnapped, all the while being pursued by Imperial Inquisitors and his former Padawan, now known as Darth Vader.

 

Review: Ewan McGregor has never made a secret of his desire to don Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Jedi cloak and take up his lightsaber again. At first, there was talk about a standalone film, but eventually the producers of the Star Wars series opted for a six-part miniseries. McGregor is visibly enjoying himself, but  is actually reduced to a supporting actor. The story, in fact, revolves mainly around the ten-year-old Princess Leia and the rise of Darth Vader. Nevertheless, for fans it is still a feast of recognition.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi” is set between episode III and IV, thus forming a solif bridge between the original and the prequel trilogy. You might even tentatively conclude that this series makes that hated second trilogy more palatable, as “Revenge of the Sith” is tied to this first trilogy opener, A New Hope.

It is a few years after the battle on the volcanic planet Mustafar, where Anakin Skywalker, who had turned to the dark side, came away from the battle battered. With all kinds of artifice we see how he recovers and has the iconic Darth Vader suit hoisted, which provides him with an artificial face provided by James Earl James (in his nineties now). It will lead to cheers for fans, and this puts even more puzzle pieces in place. In particular, a fight scene in the final episode will be able to please many because it brings together nostalgia and new angles.

Whereas “The Mandalorian” had its main charm offensive in the form of Grogy (aka Baby Yoda aka The Child), the creators of this series got to work with a ten-year-old Princess Leia. Unlike the viewer, she has no idea who her real parents are or that she has a twin brother, who grows up in anonymity on Tatooine. Leia is played by Vivien Lyra Blair, who steals the show in every episode. She is smart, witty, but not pedantic or irritating, like a lot of children in movies are.

It's a nice touch that continuity with the movies has been provided by having all the actors still available reprise their characters, even though some have visibly aged and other appear in only one scene.

 

Unlike previous Star Wars series, all sex episodes of “Obi-Wan Kenobi:  were directed by the same person: Deborah Chow. She also directed tow episodes of “The Mandalorian”, and this time around her work shows consistent direction in a series is still most remiscent of the prequel trilogy in terms of looks.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi” is a better series then “The Book of Boba Fett”, but doesn’t manage to climb over “The Mandalorian”, but it forms a finely rounded story. It lacks a real soul like in “The Mandalorian”, but for a Star Wars fan it is still a must-see.

00s Movie Review - Star Wars Episode II - Attack of the Clones

Director: George Lucas
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Science Fiction/ Fantasy
Runtime: 149 minutes
Year: 2002
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Anthony Daniels, Samuel L. Jackson, Frank Oz, Jimmy Smits, Christopher Lee, Joel Edgerton, Rose Byrne, Ian McDiarmid

Description: Ten years after initially meeting, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) shares a forbidden romance with Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), while Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) investigates and assassination attempt on the senator and discover a secret clone army crafter for the Jedi.

Review: The sequel in this trilogy came out just a few years after “The Phantom Menace”, but is set 10 years later.
When Anakin Skywalker, now all grown up, reunites with Padmé, he falls in love with her. When an assassination attempt on her occurs, Anakin is send to protect her on a remote location. Meanwhile Obi-Wan tries to investigate and he stumbles upon a secret clone army.
“Attack of the Clones” is without a doubt the worst “Star Wars” film to date. And this is mainly because of the cringeworthy romance between Anakin and Padmé, with the absolute low-point being them rolling in the grass. That the two fell in love, I’m fine with that, but it’s anything but subtle. And the fact that Hayden Christensen’s performance is simple embarrassing in this film is also a factor.
There is enough action and that arena scene is really impressive. And I have to admit that the fight between Master Yoda and Count Dooku is pretty awesome. But overall the special effects aren’t always that great.
I actually rewatched “Attack of the Clones”, because I’m rewatching the entire series. But this is a movie I simply don’t enjoy much and it is really bad at some points.

Rating: 2/ 5

Movie Reviews - The King

Director: David Michôd
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 140 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Joel Edgerton, Ben Mendelsohn, Sean Harris, Lily-Rose Depp, Robert Pattinson

Description: Hal (Timothée Chalamet), wayward prince and heir to the English throne, is crowned King henry V after his tyrannical father dies. Now the young king must navigate palace politics, the war his father left behind and the emotional strings of his past life.

Review: That Timothée Chalamet, after excellent performances as a passionately in love boy in “Call Me by Your Name” and drug addict lost soul in “Beautiful Boy”, can probably play everything with conviction, he proves during the motivational speech scene in the historical drama “The King”. Chalamet plays Henry V, King of England from 1413 until his death in 1422, and he braves his men before the Battle of Azincourt, a benchmark favourable to the English during the Hundred Years' War with France.
Such a speech requires the natural preponderance and persuasiveness and self-confidence that you would not normally expect from a 23-year-old actor who has so far mainly shown himself in vulnerable boyish roles, but Chalamet can do it. His Henry V doesn't feel much for it at first, waging war, and that makes his playing in this scene, if possible, even prettier: we're looking at a king who never seems to fully feel his nationalist war rhetoric and then only partially focuses on glowing acting - Chalamet fully masters the play.
The film by director-screenwriter David Michôd is actually a bit good and solid for the bursting talent of his protagonist. Michôd shows Henry's transformation from drunkard and devourer of women - his sick father Henry IV prefers his younger son Thomas as heir to the throne - to king with little fear, in images that look a little too familiar. Beautifully lit, finely played (note also Joel Edgerton, hidden behind a big beard, as Henry's right hand Sir John Falstaff), told in a calm tempo, with more attention to the threat of war than the war itself, but executed without surprise. The same goes for the final war in The King. There are TV series that depict a battlefield like the mud battle at Azincourt significantly better.
Robert Pattinson must have felt the same way when he took on the role of the French prince positioned opposite Henry V. Could he have forced some creative freedom on the director and producers? Pattinson said goodbye to his status as a teenage girl idol in recent years, thanks to his role as a vampire in the "Twilight" films. In a role with cult potential, in "The King" he puts on a silly French accent and then plays the insufferable Frenchman. In my opinion he comes off like a bit of a caricature. Most French character have certain stereotypical trades and aren’t pictures very positive, as for the British characters are mostly brave, heroic and righteous.
The film needs some time to get in to, but in the end it’s a solid historical drama, with beautiful shots of the environment, landscapes and battles (even if one moment in a battle looks exactly like a scene from “Game of Thrones”).

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Movie Reviews - Boy Erased

Director: Joel Edgerton
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 115 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, Joel Edgerton

Description: The son (Lucas Hedges) of a Baptist preacher (Russel Crowe) is forced to participate in a church-supported gay conversion program after being forcibly outed to his parents.

Review: Actor/ director Joel Edgerton always pick interesting projects. And “Boy Erased” is one of them. Edgerton directs this drama based on a true story, but also portrays a very important character in the film.
Jared is the son of a Baptist preacher. He is a kind and intelligent young man, with loving parents. When Jared tells his parents he is gay, they send him to a church-supported gay conversion program, to get ‘cured’.
“Boy Erased” is an unnerving story. As a naïve viewer, you watch this story with perplexity. It really touched my soul, deep, seeing how some circles dealt with homosexuality.
The cast is really strong. Lucas Hedges has showed his skills a few times before, but his performance in “Boy Erased” is fantastic. Joel Edgerton as well. But it’s Nicole Kidman who shines most, as Jared’s mother. A great performance.
“Boy Erased” never played in the Dutch theaters, because they thought it wouldn’t be interesting enough for the mainstream audience. I think more people should see this film, it’s excellent.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Movie Reviews - Red Sparrow

Director: Francis Lawrence
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 140 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Charlotte Rampling, Ciarán Hinds, Joely Richardson, Bill Camp, Jeremy Irons, Thekla Reuten, Mary-Louise Parker

Description: Ballerina Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence) is recruited to 'Sparrow School,' a Russian intelligence service where she is forced to use her body as a weapon. Her first mission, targeting a C.I.A. agent (Joel Edgerton), threatens to unravel the security of both nations.

Review: “Red Sparrow” is an old school spy story, filled with betrayal, twists and strange accents. The film is almost completely set in Russia and Eastern Europe, but all characters are portrayed by non-Russians taking on a Russian accent. It doesn’t have the nuance of a John Le Carré film, but it’s a simplistic and entertaining spy thriller.
Jennifer Lawrence plays Dominika Egorova, a promising ballet dancer who is part of the Bolsjoi ballet. She has lived for dancing all her life, but due to a certain turn of events, has to end her career. Manipulated by her uncle Vanya Egorov, she starts working for him. He is an important man working for the SVR, the Russian CIA. Dominika is trained to become a Sparrow, special spies who use their bodies as a weapon.
“Red Sparrow” is an interesting spy thriller, that has more to offer than some cheesy and cliché twists or typical spy operations filled with betrayal and lies. But it doesn’t have the substance that movies like “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” have.

Rating: 3,5 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 32: Loving

Director: Jeff Nichols
Genre: Drama/ Romance
Runtime: 123 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Ruth Negga, Joel Edgerton, Will Dalton, Dean Mumford, Terri Abney, Alano Miller, Chris Greene, Benjamin Booker, Justin Robinson, Dennis Williams, Keith Tyree, Sharon Blackwood, Rebecca Turner, Christopher Mann, Mike Shiflett, Winter-Lee Holland, Karen Vicks, Lance Lemon, Marquis Adonis Hazelwood, Marton Csokas

Description: The story of Richard and Mildred Loving (Joel Edgerton, Ruth Negga), an interracial couple, whose challenge of their anti-miscegenation arrest for their marriage in Virginia led to a legal battle that would end at the US Supreme Court.

Review: It should be very simple: a man and a woman meet each other, fall in love en eventually get married. But if one of them is white and the other is black in the south of America in the fifties/ sixties, it’s against the law.
This happens to Richard Loving and his pregnant wife Milfred in the state of Virginia. The marry in 1958 and soon after that, they are taken by the police from their own house while they are sleeping. A smart lawyer manages to get them on parole, but they can’t live together in Virginia for at least 25 years. Years later, the couple takes this so supreme court, in the hope this ridiculous law will change.
The story is touching and it this insane true story makes you mad. But somehow the movie didn’t grab me as much as I thought it would. I really wanted to love this movie. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good movie. Especially Ruth Negga’s performance really impressed me. She says so much with just her eyes.
“Loving” is a movie with a strong message, but doesn’t have the emotional load I hoped for.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 111: The Gift

Director: Joel Edgerton
Genre: Thriller
Runtime: 108 minutes
Year: 2015
Starring: Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall, Joel Edgerton, Allison Tolman, Busy Philipps, David Denman

Description: A young married couple's (Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall) lives are thrown into a harrowing tailspin when an acquaintance (Joel Edgerton) from the husband's past brings mysterious gifts and a horrifying secret to light after more than 20 years.

Review: Simon and Robyn trade cold Chicago for sunny California, to build a new future and maybe even start a family. Simon isn’t the man to sit still and look back to at the past. His new job and their new house should only mean good things for them. Until they run into an old classmate of Simon. This Gordo has always been a bit weird, he leaves gifts for the couple and comes over unannounced. Quickly Gordo’s presence starts to affect Simon and Robyn’s life.
“The Gift” is a stalker film, a home invasion thriller and also a revenge film. A healthy relationship starts to show cracks after a man from the past comes into their lives. The film has an old fashioned thriller feel to it, like for instance “Fatal Attraction” did and it also has the suspenseful atmosphere that we know from Hitchcock movies. It’s clear that Joel Edgerton, who stars and directs, is a great Hitchcock fan.
The movie is never really surprising, up until the end. But there is always a threat, which makes it the thriller that it is. The glass house the couple lives in is used perfectly for this and the camerawork is also great. It all lifts the tension. Edgerton manages to create tension and build it, both physically and between the characters.
The characters are the strongest part of “The Gift”. Simon looks like a trustworthy man, but there is so much more to him. And it’s good to see Jason Bateman in something other than a comedy. Gordo is mysterious, he creates confusion, fear, awkwardness. Robyn looks like a strong, independent woman, but deep inside she is fragile and struggles with the past.
Joel Edgerton isn’t only a chameleon as an actor, but also did a great job as a director. “The Gift” is a true gift.

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 66: Midnight Special

Director: Jeff Nichols
Genre: Science Fiction/ Thriller/ Drama
Runtime: 112 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Jaeden Leberher, Sam Shepard, Adam Driver, Bill Camp

Description: A father and son (Michael Shannon, Jaeden Leberher) go on the run, pursued by the government and a cult drawn to the child's special powers.

Review: Director Jeff Nichols has proven to be very promising. Look at “Mud” and “Take Shelter”. “Midnight Special” is very different from his previous films. It’s really hard to put “Midnight Special” in one genre. It’s a paranormal, science fiction, thriller, drama.
The movie follows the eight year old Alton. Alton is a member of a religious cult and raised by its leader. The boy has a special power, but isn’t benefiting from this ‘gift’. Alton also receives messages that tell him he should go to a swamp in Texas. His father Roy and Roy’s friend Lucas believe him and take Alton to that place. But the FBI is right behind them. What happens next is a cat and mouse game between the three, the cult and the FBI.
The story is not as clear, neither is the direction Nichols is heading. But there is still enough to enjoy. The cinematography is great. And so is the cast. Michael Shannon is very strong in his role as determined father.
The movie is captivating from beginning till end, but you can see the film is a bit adrift. You never really know what is going on exactly.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 133: Animal Kingdom

Director: David Michôd

Genre: Thriller/ Crime/ Drama

Runtime: 113 minutes

Year: 2010

Starring: Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Guy Pearce, Luke Ford, Jacki Weaver, Sullivan Stapleton, James Frencheville, Dan Wylie, Anthony Hayes, Laura Wheelwright, Mirrah Foulkes, Justin Rosniak

Description: A seventeen year-old (James Frencheville) navigates his survival amongst an explosive criminal family and the detective (Guy Pearce) who thinks he can save him.

Review: Director David Michôd gave his debut movie “Animal Kingdom” a bit of a misleading title. It sounds more like an accessible Disney movie of nature documentary, but instead it’s a film with themes like drugs, murder and crime. “Animal Kingdom” refers to the ‘beast’ in people and the hierarchy in the criminal world.

In the film we follow Josh “J” Cody, a seventeen year old boy who ends up under the pressure of his three criminal uncles. Josh gets into dangerous situations because of them and eventually has to choose between his loyalty to his family and the help of detective Leckie.

The story of “Animal Kingdom” is pretty simple and is about the choice between good and bad. This does give the movie some clichés and some choices and plot twist seem unrealistic. The movie does surprise though, there are some engrossing scenes that all have a great buildup. What makes “Animal Kingdom” special is the gloomy and dark tone that dominates. No bright colors, just cold hues. And then the contrast between the dark shadows and the bright lights. Sometimes when the ultimate bad guy Andrew ‘Pope’ Cody is in shot, he is in darkness surrounded by darker shadows. And the dramatic music also adds to that depressed atmosphere.

The film is also great because of the fantastic performances. Especially Jacki Weaver, as Janine Cody. Her charming yet devilish character draws your attention. James Frencheville, who plays J, plays his first role in “Animal Kingdom” and manages to keep up with the rest. Guy Pearce also gives away a solid performance.

“Animal Kingdom” is an acting film. The dramatic, sometimes cliché plot serves as a background for a grabbing performance by the cast. “Animal Kingdom” is not an accessible movie, but it’s a vibrant movie experience.

Rating: 4/ 5