Edward Furlong is most persuasive as a resourceful young man who remains vulnerable to other people. We value the emotional directness of his early performances, though it cannot compensate for writing that rushes the difficult parts.
Fi1m perspective
As John Connor in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Edward Furlong is a resourceful teenager who can hold his own beside established stars. He does not need to seem fully grown for the performance to work. The appeal of his early acting lies in that combination of capability and vulnerability. We believe he can manage the immediate trouble without assuming he understands everything around him. A run of supporting parts in dramas followed, including American Heart (1992) and Little Odessa (1994).
That directness serves Danny in American History X (1998), where Edward Norton's disturbing performance is the main reason to watch. Tony Kaye directs with force, but the writing is blunt and allows too little time for doubt or gradual change. We found Furlong affecting because Danny's feelings register even when the script is hurrying to explain him. Beside Norton, he gives us someone worth attending to without needing to match the force of the larger performance. His contribution helps make the film worth considering for its acting, though neither performer can supply the stages of development that the writing skips.
The leading parts are a reason to look beyond those supporting performances. Pecker (1998) and Detroit Rock City (1999) put him at the centre, with the latter taking him towards lighter comedy. The prison drama Animal Factory (2000) gave him another lead as Ron Decker. These are useful places to look for anyone interested in what he could do when a film depended more heavily on him, rather than treating John Connor as the whole story.
After 2000, the work moved towards smaller roles, with horror and independent genre films recurring more often. The brief return as John Connor in Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) need not be the place to start. We would go back to Terminator 2: Judgment Day, then try American History X for its actors, with fair warning that the writing makes some difficult changes look much too easy.
Biography
Edward Furlong is an American actor. He made his screen debut as John Connor in the 1991 film Terminator 2: Judgment Day and later played Danny Vinyard in the 1998 film American History X.
Furlong was discovered by casting director Mali Finn at a youth club in Pasadena, California. His performance in Terminator 2 earned him a Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor and an MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance. He has appeared in other films including Pet Sematary II (1992), Detroit Rock City (1999) and Terminator: Dark Fate (2019), as well as television series such as CSI: NY.
