Joel Edgerton has begun to carve out an excellent niche for himself the mainstream cinematic world. He’s had bang-up parts in Warrior, The Great Gatsby, and Zero Dark Thirty, and will soon be seen as the Pharaoh in Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods and Kings. Now, the actor has returned to his native Australia for his most recent film, the tense cop thriller Felony.
Edgerton plays Mal, a celebrated detective injured in the line of duty who ends up in a struggle between himself and two other detectives (Jai Courtney and Tom Wilkinson) over the truth about an accident that has placed a child in a coma. The trailer tells us everything we need to know – possibly even a little too much, given the nature of the film. Nevertheless, it gives a complete picture of the film and the possible routes that the narrative could take.
Based on this trailer, Felony does not look like it will be your standard cop drama, featuring crooked police officers or good cops accidentally doing bad things. With a strong cast that also includes Melissa George, Felony appears to walk that fine line between what is right and what is good for everyone involved. We will have to watch the film to see how this all plays out, but so far I’m hopeful.
Like his Warrior co-star Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton has been taking on far more interesting roles than we might have expected after his initial appearance on the Hollywood scene. Shifting between secondary parts in big international films and domestic dramas like Felony, he’s creating a good case for himself as a consummate character actor. Felony will perhaps prove if he can anchor a film opposite an actor like Tom Wilkinson.
Felony will open in Australia on August 28 (no U.S. release dat as yet). You can check out the first international trailer below.
