Joel Edgerton

Train Dreams (2025): One of 2025’s Most Atmospheric Films

Posted on by Jack Drees

Just a note before we begin this post…

For those who missed it, I finally announced the guests that are going to be featured in my upcoming video-based film review series, Movie Requests. In honor of Scene Before’s tenth anniversary, I asked ten people if they wanted to be in a ten second or so video where they request a movie for me to review. The ten guests you see here agreed and gave me their unique suggestions.

The guests are…

  • Rosario Dawson
  • Sandi Harding
  • Chris Hardwick
  • Bryce Dallas Howard
  • Jason Mewes
  • Joel David Moore
  • Brian O’Halloran
  • Michael Rooker
  • Katee Sackhoff
  • Amy Sedaris

I want to thank each and every one of these guests for participating in this series, it means the world. I cannot to watch all of your movies. I am also pleased to announce that this series starts Saturday February 28th and will feature Bryce Dallas Howard, as well as a review of the movie she requested! The video will be shared here on Flicknerd.com, but if you would like to see it as soon as it comes out, then please subscribe to my YouTube channel! I also recently put out a trailer for the series. If you would like to check it out, click the link here and give it a watch. I hope you are looking forward to the series, and now onto your regularly scheduled programming!

© 2025 Netflix, Inc.

“Train Dreams” is directed by Clint Bentley (Jockey, Sing Sing) and stars Joel Edgerton (The Gift, The Great Gatsby), Felicity Jones (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, The Brutalist), Nathaniel Arcand (FBI: Most Wanted, The Birds Who Fear Death), Clifton Collins Jr. (Jockey, Triple 9), John Diehl (The Shield, Miami Vice), Paul Schneider (George Washington, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford), Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin, Night Swim), and William H. Macy (Everyone’s Hero, Fargo). Based on Denis Johnson’s novella of the same name, this film is about Robert Grainier, a logger and railroad worker. Throughout the film we get to see the journey of his life, as well as his perspective of the world as it changes around him throughout the early 20th century.

This review is coming to you about a month before the 98th Academy Awards, which, per usual, will recognize 10 Best Picture nominees. Each and every year, I try to catch all the nominees before the show. My degree of success for such a task tends to vary from one year to the next. As soon as this year’s nominations dropped, “Train Dreams” was the one Best Picture nominee I needed to see. Flash forward to a little more than a week later, I am sitting in a theater to check out the film, presented on a 35mm print. I could have checked this movie out in 2025, but “Train Dreams,” for whatever reason, was never on my radar. If I had to guess a reason, it is partially because Netflix is not that good at marketing their content, unless said content is called “Stranger Things” or “Squid Game.” While I do not recall seeing any trailers or ads for the film, “Train Dreams” is one of those movies whose word of mouth from audiences would find its way into my social media feeds, all of which seemed to be positive. Plus, when it comes to streaming services, Netflix is not usually my goto, so there is that.

That said, “Train Dreams” is quite good. There is a lot to like about this movie. First off, the cast is amazing. Everyone is well placed in their role and plays their part well. Unfortunately, I do not think anyone from “Train Dreams” is going to win an Oscar following their performance. Although everyone here deserves their flowers. Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones in particular are standouts. Not just because they have arguably the most name recognition of everyone in the cast, but because they feel at home in their respective roles. As a couple, the two have great chemistry and I really enjoyed any scene where the two happened to be together. For the record, before seeing this movie, I did not look up a whole ton about it. If I did see the cast, I barely skimmed it. I have seen Joel Edgerton in other movies like “Red Sparrow,” and having seen him in projects like that, I felt a sense of shock based on my experience of watching “Train Dreams.” I could not believe this whole time I was watching him. One of the grandest compliments I can give an actor is to say that their performance is a transformation. I did not see Edgerton in Robert Grainier’s shoes. I just saw Robert Grainier.

Another thing I love about this movie is the general progression of the story. At times, this is not so much a movie as much as it feels like an extended journal. For whatever reason, it almost comes off like a documentary rather than a feature narrative with actors. It dives into several chapters of one’s life, with each chapter delivering something interesting in its own way. If anything, this film made me think about the beauty of life, and the magic of seeing the world change right before your eyes. Whether that change is good or bad is another conversation for another time. But this film takes me back to when I was 9, 10, 11, 12 years old and I would think about my future. I am pretty sure many kids within the last 50, 60 years have asked themselves when things like flying cars would exist. At times, seeing Grainier working in railroad construction had a vibe that basically screamed something along the lines of “the future is now,” even if this movie was set many years ago.

I have been a student of film going back to my teen years. In high school, one of the classes I had been blessed with taking for four years straight was TV production. One of the first things the teacher taught us in that class is about the rule of thirds. This is a traditional method used for framing subjects. A good example is when you see two people having a face-to-face conversation. In cases like these, you often see the main person in a shot on one side of the frame, with their head often nearing the top depending on how close the angle is. When the other person is on screen, this is also the case, but mirrored. This film manages to break that rule on a frequent basis. Several shots are set to the point where the subject is on the lower portion of the frame, allowing for images that focus more on the film’s natural beauty towards the top. Could this film have been done as well with a greater use of the more traditional rule of thirds? Perhaps. That said, I have no problem with the way this movie is shot. Every frame looks gorgeous and the way the shots are pulled off allows me to focus more on each scene’s environment. It kind of reminded me of seeing a movie shot on IMAX film like “Sinners,” which has a series of eye-popping shots that reveal more of the movie’s neat locations and sets.

In fact, the film’s aspect ratio also falls into the rulebreak territory. The film is presented in 1.5:1, which is not quite widescreen, but it is also wider than the old school 4:3. Perhaps that is why the film reminded me of a true IMAX experience, because it is formatted fairly close to the ratio for IMAX film, which is 1.43:1.

“Train Dreams” does not exactly fall within the stereotype of what I consider to be a “Netflix movie.” This is not to say that Netflix cannot churn out an artsy title like “Roma,” but “Train Dreams” feels much less manufactured and reliant on star power than say “Red Notice,” which I do not understand why it is still popular today. Though I did recognize Felicity Jones as soon as she appeared. Also, the film has narration, which one could argue may serve as an aid to second screen viewers, or to the people who use the movie as background noise. That said, if I were a Netflix executive, and I were to think about this movie as a product of its streaming service, I would say one of the main reasons people would wind up watching the movie is due to its sense of atmosphere. It is a film in every other frame, sucks you in to the point where you end up being part of its world. The film, despite being eventful and sometimes packing a punch with its sound mix, feels like it is on the quieter side. It is a film that if it were late at night, that I could see myself putting on to help me fall asleep. I am not saying this in the sense that the movie is boring, but rather that it is soothing. I never use anything like the Calm app to put me to sleep at night, but “Train Dreams” sounds like a nice alternative as a sleeping aid. Heck, it literally has “Dreams” in the title! I guess you actually can judge a book by its cover!

In the end, “Train Dreams” is a superb movie. I have very few, if any complaints about it. There may be a scene or two that did not connect with me as much as certain others. Maybe some of the supporting characters are forgettable. Perhaps I would be able to appreciate those things more during a rewatch. Then again, this movie reminded me of life itself, and I admit, there are likely people in my life who may have stood out 10, 15 years ago whose names I would not be able to tell you now. The film, just like life itself, moves fast. There is not a moment in the movie’s runtime that feels like filler. The film is beautifully shot, terrifically acted, and Clint Bentley brought a killer vision to life. Not only did he do a good job directing the film, but he did just as good of a job writing it. I should not be surprised, as this is his latest screenplay collaboration with Greg Kwedar. Prior to this film, both of them penned the brilliant and emotional “Sing Sing.” While I am not sure that “Train Dreams” is going to have as big of an impact on me as “Sing Sing” did, I think this is yet another exciting addition to both writers’ resumes. If you have Netflix, or if this is playing somewhere near you, go check out “Train Dreams.” I recommend it. I am going to give the movie an 8/10.

“Train Dreams” is now playing in theaters and is available on Netflix for all subscribers.

Thanks for reading this review! My next reviews are going to be for “Arco” and “Solo Mio.” Stay tuned! Also, I want to thank everyone who read the 8th Annual Jack Awards, and I want especially thank those who read all 11-thousand words of it. You guys have earned yourself a much deserved pat on the back. Thanks for your support and I am honored to continue one of Scene Before’s traditions! If you want to see my upcoming reviews and more from Scene Before, follow the blog either with an email or WordPress account! Also, check out the official Facebook page! I want to know, did you see “Train Dreams?” What did you think about it? Or, here is a two part question… What movie do you think will take Best Picture at the Oscars this year? And… What movie do you want to see win Best Picture at the Oscars this year? Personally, I think “One Battle After Another” will take the win. It has a great lead performance, excellent technical aspects, an amazing supporting cast, and it is in some ways a relatable concept. That said, if I had to pick a favorite amongst the nominees, I would say that “Sinners” might be the one. The film has gotten a decent amount of replay value from me since I first saw it in April. Leave your comments down below! Scene Before is your click to the flicks!

Gringo (2018): I’ve Been Kidnapped!

Posted on by Jack Drees

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“Gringo” is directed by Nash Edgerton and stars David Oyelowo (Selma, Interstellar), Charlize Theron (The Fate of the Furious, Atomic Blonde), Joel Edgerton (The Gift, The Great Gatsby), Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia!, Ted 2), Thandie Newton (Mission: Impossible II, Crash), and Sharlto Copley (District 9, Chappie) and is about a guy by the name of Harold who finds himself in Mexico. As his life becomes a miserable wreck and while it seemingly couldn’t get any worse, his status eventually changes from law-abiding citizen to wanted criminal.

I’ve seen the trailer for “Gringo” some time before it came out in theaters on the 9th of March this year. From what I saw, I was rather intrigued. However, I never saw it in theaters. Funny enough, that same weekend, “A Wrinkle In Time” released, which actually features the actor playing this movie’s main character. I didn’t see that either. Instead I waited to watch that for free on a plane. Also, hilariously enough, I watched “Gringo” for free too. No, not on a plane, but at home. As an Amazon Prime member, I can watch all of the content made by Amazon with no cost. “Gringo” was just recently added to Prime for free. So while my expectations weren’t roof-raising, they were certainly existent. Going into “Gringo,” I just hoped my expectations would be fulfilled.

They weren’t.

In fact, having seen the trailer one more time, I was instantly reminded of what exactly ruined the experience for me. For one thing, all of the funny parts (if this movie really had any) were shown in the trailer, and judging by the trailer, I was thinking this movie was going to go in a very predictable direction. And I don’t mind having my expectations be met with a different result, but something happens in this movie that is so different from what the trailers reveal that it’s just plain jarring! I’m not gonna get into spoilers, but the trailers made me think that this was going to be about a guy who gets kidnapped in Mexico. What the movie really does in terms of the main plot is completely different to the point of utter insanity! I don’t remember the last time I went into a movie that is just different from what the trailer shows as much as this!

Also, keeping spoilers away from everyone, one of the big things the trailer showed to me, an audience member, when it was shown in the movie, not only wasn’t funny, it was kind of painful to watch. And no, it wasn’t bloody or scary or anything, it was just cringeworthy in a dark way. Like, why did I have to see this? I was watching this movie in my bedroom while I was lying down on my bed, paying attention to whatever s*it is going on, as I’m witnessing one of the biggest diversions from a trailer in movie history, I was basically just uttering random noises, with my body against the wall next to my bed.

Also, I gotta say, this is marketed as a comedy, but there are barely any laughs in this. Granted, it’s a dark comedy, and the jokes aren’t mile a minute, which could mean you get less corny and forced jokes, but I was expecting some comedy that was faster than what we got here. And basically whatever attempt at humor I witnessed on screen was seen in the trailer. I usually never complain about that sort of thing because I see all of this stuff coming but even when I do, there’s usually SOMETHING I have yet to see in terms of comedy. Here, I felt like there was nothing. I did laugh on one or two occasions. But that’s like saying Pac-Man would only eat one or two dots on occasion at a party. Either he’s having a rough time, or the party planning has gone to s*it.

Let’s talk about the closest thing to a likable character this piece of crap has, and that is David Oyelowo’s character of Harold Soyinka. I say that because just about everyone else is either a douche or you just don’t care about them. Speaking of that, Harold is probably one of the finest examples of a “down-on-luck” character I’ve seen in recent history. Having seen this, I don’t even know what to think. On one hand, I gotta give props to the movie for at least trying to make Harold the one character to root for while everyone else is against him. But on the other hand I gotta say that having too many s*itty characters can only mean one thing. You have a s*itty movie.

And in a movie full of s*itty characters, you might as well make an excuse for one of them saying, “Hey, at least this bitch is played by Charlize Theron!” Don’t get me wrong, Charlize Theron is a great actress, she can play the very definition of a badass if you give her the right script. Just go watch “Hancock,” “Kubo and the Two Strings,” “Atomic Blonde,” and heck, I’ll even say “A Million Ways to Die in the West!” And out of all of the performances in the movie, I think Theron might just take the cake as top performer. But I hate her character, just like everyone else in this movie, so why should I even care at this point?

Another thing I should point out is that there are two people in this movie with the last name Edgerton, and yes, they are related. You’ve got Joel Edgerton (left) playing Richard Rusk, who is often in scenes with Charlize Theron’s character, Elaine Markinson, and you’ve got the director of the film, Nash Edgerton (right). A lot of you might know Joel Edgerton as an actor, but when it comes to his brother, he is mainly involved in stuntwork. When it comes to directing, he mainly has done shorts up to this point. I don’t know exactly how the two ended up in this movie together. Maybe there was a favor to be fulfilled with one sibling, the other, or maybe someone else involved. Perhaps Joel wanted to kickstart Joel’s directing career. I dunno, but in all seriousness, this reminds me of Melissa McCarthy and her husband, Ben Falcone. Basically, almost every single thing that Ben Falcone has directed or written has Melissa McCarthy in it. “Gringo” almost might be an excuse for a couple of brothers to make a movie together. And just like McCarthy and Falcone, the Edgertons and I need to have a little discussion on how to make a good movie!

In the end, “Gringo” most likely kidnapped me. If you watch the trailer for this movie before going into it and see something different out of the trailer or the movie then good for you. For me, this was a ripoff. I had SOME expectations for “Gringo,” not a lot, but some. Whatever little expectations I had, somehow were not even met. “Gringo” is not funny, it’s full of unlikable characters, the director might as well be there partially because of his brother, and it can show you how important it is to market your movies properly. When I saw the trailer, I was sold. Turns out what I was sold happened to be fraudulent and expectation-altering to the point of wanting to die. I’m going to give “Gringo” a 2/10. Thanks for reading this review! Pretty soon I’m going to have my review for “Eighth Grade” so look forward to that very soon! Be sure to follow Scene Before either with your WordPress account or an email so you can stay tuned for more great content! I want to know, did you see “Gringo?” What did you think about it? Or, what is a movie that was completely different to you than what you got out of the trailer? Let me know down below! Scene Before is your click to the flicks!