Out of the Furnace (2013)

When Rodney Baze mysteriously disappears and law enforcement doesn't follow through fast enough, his older brother, Russell, takes matters into his own hands to find justice.

Director:

Scott Cooper

Writers:

Brad Ingelsby, Scott Cooper

Stars:

Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Zoe Saldana

2 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Woody Harrelson	...	Harlan DeGroat
Dendrie Taylor	...	DeGroat's Date
Carl Ciarfalio	...	Man at Drive In
Nancy Mosser	...	Woman at Drive In (as Nancy Mosser Bailey)
Christian Bale	...	Russell Baze
Casey Affleck	...	Rodney Baze Jr.
Zoe Saldana	...	Lena Taylor (as Zoë Saldana)
Sam Shepard	...	Gerald 'Red' Baze
Bingo O'Malley	...	Rodney Baze Sr.
Tom Bower	...	Dan Dugan
Willem Dafoe	...	John Petty
Bobby Wolfe	...	Dwight Van Dunk
Charles David Richards	...	Chaplain
Forest Whitaker	...	Chief Wesley Barnes
John W. Kleer	...	Man at Trailer Park

Storyline

Russell and his younger brother Rodney live in the economically-depressed Rust Belt, and have always dreamed of escaping and finding better lives. But when a cruel twist of fate lands Russell in prison, his brother becomes involved with one of the most violent and ruthless crime rings in the Northeast - a mistake that will cost him everything. Once released, Russell must choose between his own freedom, or risk it all to seek justice for his brother.

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Plot Keywords:

drug dealer | ramapo new jersey | social decay | fight club | ambiguous ending | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes your battles choose you.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, language and drug content

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie playing at the drive-in theater during the first scene is The Midnight Meat Train (2008).

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Goofs

When DeGroat and Rodney Baze first meet, DeGroat is smoking a cigarette. DeGroat walks up to Rodney and the shot closes to an extreme closeup showing nothing but their faces. The next time DeGroat 's hand comes into frame, the cigarette has changed to a half eaten lollipop.

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Quotes

Russell Baze: It sounds like they're not doing a goddamn thing. Now, either you're all afraid to go in there... or, uh... you just don't give a shit.
Chief Wesley Barnes: You're walking down the wrong road. I said I'm into it, and I said I'll handle it. Don't make this personal. You need to stay out of my business.
Russell Baze: Stay out of your business. Stay out of your business. You know what? While I was away, it seems that all that you was into was my business.
Chief Wesley Barnes: So that's what this is, you got a problem with me.
Russell Baze: Yeah, I got a problem with you.

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits except for the title.

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Connections

Featured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #22.31 (2013)

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Soundtracks

Release
Performed by Pearl Jam
Written by Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Dave Krusen and Mike McCready
Courtesy of Epic Records
By arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

A powerful film with among the best screen performances I've seen

When I saw the cast list, I knew there would be some wonderful performances, but I was surprised at how they uniformly surpassed my expectations. I believe it's Bale's best work so far, and that's saying something. Likewise with Affleck, Harrelson and Saldana. The rest of the cast was wonderful as well.

There is one scene in particular (I won't spoil it here) where an actor lets loose in a way that careful directors and nervous producers would normally edit out. I applaud Scott Cooper for breaking the rule that films are meant to entertain (and earn millions), and raw emotion that feels too close to reality is to be avoided. It's inelegant, and not what we want to see from stars, especially attractive ones. Cooper lets people be people, and I find that incredibly refreshing.

I was immediately invested in the characters -- warts and all. As painful as many of their decisions were to watch, I went along for those very bumpy rides, because any other course taken would be untrue for these characters.

I recently saw "12 Years A Slave," and feel inclined to mention that I sense a new, somewhat subversive style of filmmaking emerge -- and maybe a wonderful new culture in Hollywood. (At least I hope so.) It's one where films about extraordinary hardship are treated a way that doesn't hold back, glamorize or otherwise mollify them.

In my opinion, when Hollywood slicks up violence (as it almost always does), it informs us that we shouldn't really be moved by its tragedy. We aren't shaken to the core and inspired to stop suffering wherever we can. That's shameful. So kudos to Cooper and to Steve McQueen for embracing a reality in their films that reconnects us with humanity instead of suggesting it's okay to blithely mock it.

If I have any criticism of this film, it's that two scenes where one plays out as a metaphor for the other may not have been necessary. Otherwise, I feel the writing is disciplined and at the same time very rich and rewarding.

The potential horrors of poverty and a lack of opportunity on display in this film are dealt with in a way that exempts political bias, and that in itself is a huge accomplishment.

A sense of hope exists amidst the heartache of this film. I will see it again.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [Japan]

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 December 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Low Dweller

Filming Locations:

Braddock, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,220,288, 8 December 2013

Gross USA:

$11,330,849

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$15,661,554

Company Credits

Production Co:

Appian Way, Energy Entertainment, Red Granite Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1