Debating The 10 Best Joel Edgerton Movies

1. Warrior (2011)

• Director: Gavin O’Connor
• Writer: Gavin O’Connor, Anthony Tambakis, and Cliff Dorfman
• Key Cast: Joel Edgerton, Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte, Frank Grillo

I absolutely adore this movie. It really is one of the best fight movies ever made and carries so much depth as it tells the story of a guy who really just needs a win. Edgerton plays Brendan Conlon, a physics teacher forced back into the MMA ring to save his family’s home. While Tom Hardy provides the brute force, Edgerton provides the film’s heart and delivers a performance of quiet desperation and immense physical conviction.

2. Train Dreams (2025)

• Director: Clint Bentley
• Writer: Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar (based on the novella by Denis Johnson)
• Cast: Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, William H. Macy, Kerry Condon

Edgerton delivers what many critics are calling the performance of his career in this sweeping adaptation of Denis Johnson’s novella. I loved this movie so much, and love how Edgerton holds it together with his depth and nuance. He plays Robert Grainier, a logger in the early 20th-century American West. Edgerton anchors a story of profound loss and emotional survival.

3. Loving (2016)

• Director: Jeff Nichols
• Writer: Jeff Nichols
• Cast: Joel Edgerton, Ruth Negga, Michael Shannon, Nick Kroll

In this understated masterpiece, Edgerton disappears into the role of Richard Loving, a bricklayer arrested for his interracial marriage in 1950s Virginia. He delivers a masterclass in subtlety and devotion. It earned him a Golden Globe nomination.

4. Animal Kingdom (2010)

• Director: David Michôd
• Writer: David Michôd
• Cast: Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Jacki Weaver, Guy Pearce

The film that put Edgerton (and much of the Australian cast) on the global map. He plays Baz, the most level-headed member of a terrifyingly dysfunctional crime family. It’s a harrowing crime film that is criminally underseen.

5. The Gift (2015)

• Director: Joel Edgerton
• Writer: Joel Edgerton
• Cast: Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall, Joel Edgerton

Edgerton’s directorial debut proved he is a triple threat. He writes, directs, and co-stars as “Gordo,” a socially awkward man who re-enters the life of an old high school classmate. This felt like a Hitchcockian thriller. It perfectly subverts every expectation of the “stalker” genre.

6. Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

• Director: Kathryn Bigelow
• Writer: Mark Boal
• Cast: Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton, Chris Pratt, Jason Clarke

Kathryn Bigelow’s movie about the hunt for Osama bin Laden features Edgerton as Patrick, the squadron team leader of DEVGRU (SEAL Team 6). While Jessica Chastain carries the intellectual weight and the story, Edgerton brings the tactical, physical reality of the raid to life. He is the face of the brave human beings who go into battle for America.

7. The Great Gatsby (2013)

• Director: Baz Luhrmann
• Writer: Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce (based on the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald)
• Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton

Joel Edgerton felt like the definitive Tom Buchanan. He captures the hulking physicality, old-money arrogance, and underlying insecurity of the character. You can really see his range here, and his ability to both intimidate and also feel inadequate next to DiCaprio’s Gatsby.

8. Midnight Special (2016)

• Director: Jeff Nichols
• Writer: Jeff Nichols
• Cast: Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver

Reuniting with director Jeff Nichols for another perfect collaboration, Edgerton plays a state trooper who abandons his post to help a father protect a son with supernatural abilities. We get this devotion from his character, which feels special and like he’s a disciple. Edgerton provides the moral compass and grounded humanity amidst the fantastic elements.

9. Boy Erased (2018)

• Director: Joel Edgerton
• Writer: Joel Edgerton (based on the memoir by Garrard Conley)
• Cast: Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, Joel Edgerton

Stepping back into the director’s chair, Edgerton tackled the controversial subject of conversion therapy with nuance and humanity. He also stars as the program’s head therapist. He knows he’s a villain in this movie, but shows us a misguided human who’s lost his way, instead of a stock bad guy.

10. The King (2019)

• Director: David Michôd
• Writer: David Michôd and Joel Edgerton
• Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Joel Edgerton, Robert Pattinson, Sean Harris

Edgerton co-wrote this adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henriad. He plays Falstaff, the war-weary veteran and friend to young King Henry V. Edgerton brings battle-worn gravitas to the role that balances out Timothée Chalamet’s youthful brooding. It’s a determined and poetic role.

Summing It All Up 

Joel Edgerton is a great actor, and it’s been fun following his ascent in Hollywood. I love the touch he puts on every role and the thought and care he puts into picking them.

If he stars in it, I’ll watch it because I know he put time and effort into everything that’s on screen, especially if he directed it, too.