The Best and Worst of Joel Edgerton

The "Best and Worst" series profiles the best and worst work of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week I take a look at the filmography of "It Comes at Night" star Joel Edgerton.

Film starring Joel Edgerton that I've seen:
Star Wars: Episode II-Attack of the Clones 
King Arthur
Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith
Smokin' Aces 
Warrior
The Thing
Zero Dark Thirty
Exodus: Gods and Kings
The Gift 
Black Mass
Jane Got a Gun
Midnight Special

Best Performance: Warrior (2011)
While far from consistent, Edgerton is a force to be reckoned with whenever he really commits himself to a role. The most impressive display of his abilities came in Gavin O'Connor's MMA-based family drama Warrior. Edgerton's powerful performance was crucial in helping Warrior establish the dense emotional core that helped set it apart from other recent sports dramas. 

Worst Performances: Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)
If I were to make a video exemplifying how detrimental overacting can be in an otherwise stone-serious movie, at least half of it would center around Edgerton's performance in Exodus. With a puzzling appearance that resembles a heavily spray-tanned Mr.Clean and barrage of hilariously over-the-top, scream-heavy monologues, Edgerton turns Biblical antagonist Ramesses into a zany cartoon villain that wouldn't have been out of place in an episode of The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. 

Best Film: Smokin' Aces (2007)
Outside of Guy Ritchie's early work, blatant Quentin Tarantino rip-offs don't get any better than Joe Caranhan's Smokin' Aces. While the story is a complete clusterfuck that wraps up with one of the most ludicrous plot twists that I've ever seen in a movie, there's enough hyper-caffeinated action scenes, amusing dialogue and great performances here to make Smokin Aces' an absurdly fun ride that's worth taking over and over again. 

Worst Film: Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)
The 2000's haven't been particularly kind to Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner) on the whole, but in my shitty opinion, the agonizingly dull Biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings is by far the biggest stain on the iconic 79-year old director's post-Y2K resume. Scott turned the very straightforward story of Moses and Ramesses into a convoluted political saga full of horrible performances, cheap-looking CGI and more dead air than a poorly-ran public access channel. Crafting a film that's as universally inept as Exodus with the likes of Scott, screenwriter Steve Zaillian (Schindler's List, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and a gifted ensemble cast (Christian Bale, Edgerton, Ben Kingsley, Sigourney Weaver, Aaron Paul, John Turturro) on board is a legitimately mind-blowing feat that will be hard for any group of talented Hollywood heavyweights to top. 
 
Thank you for reading this week's installment of "The Best and Worst of". Next week, I'll take a look at the best and worst work of "The Book of Henry" star Naomi Watts.