Out of the Furnace

All star cast, probably one of the best that have come together in a film. Ever. Every one at the top of their game. Score fit perfectly. It's not a Hollywood action, Not over the top and not boring either. It doesn't fixate too much on anything in particular and just tells it's story coherently. You can't get too much better than that. A script with touch of sincerity, with a director whom knew exactly where to take it, and actors and actresses able to sink into the roles and bring it to life. It's not the most amazing movie I've ever seen but it's a masterpiece of sorts, for sure.

To be honest, after watching the trailer, i watched this movie only cause it had Bale in it. But it turned out to be surprisingly good with strong performances from everyone involved. Casey Affleck and Zoe Saldana deliver good work on screen. Woody Harelson is also very convincing as the Red neck villain. The director has managed to paint a pretty vivid picture of the environment that he wanted to portray. The storytelling is very engaging. Thumbs up to the director and his team for this effort. In the end, no review can be complete without praising the man who continues to amaze with each performance, Christian Bale. Believable and heart warming in this one. He manages to accomplish the one thing which was most needed from anyone who played this character and that is being able to get the audience to empathize with it. Bale succeeds and then some. Clearly one of his best works till date, and he has an impressive resume already to choose from. A must Watch movie of 2013.

This film is carried my the fabulous actors that starred in it. Having said that, it's worth watching. It could have been better but it's a good, down to earth flick.

Out of the Furnace (2013)

*** (out of 4)

Flawed but powerful drama bout a man (Christian Bale) who wants to go into the mountains and seek some justice when his younger brother (Casey Affleck) goes missing. I'm not going to reveal too much of the plot outside that basic information because there's actually a lot more to the film than what the trailer would have you believe. Director Scott Cooper certainly knows how to build up an atmosphere because this, along with the great performances, makes this worth seeing even with some of the flaws. I understand why this film is getting mixed reviews because I think a lot of people are going to be put off by how slow the build-up is and at the pacing the director uses. In fact, I thought that the pacing was a little bit off early on in the picture and I also thought that a few scenes could have been trimmed down a bit. With that said, there's no question that the setting and atmosphere are spot on and this is enough of a reason to recommend the film. The backwoods settings are perfectly captured by the director as is the desperation of this small town as well as the lead character. The Bale character suffers a lot of loss throughout the picture and as the events pile up it just makes the ending all the more clear. I thought the lead character was perfectly written as was the younger brother, although some of the war stuff is pushed a bit. Outside the atmosphere, the other big reason to see the picture are for the incredibly intense performances. Bale offers up yet another wonderful performance. Even though the character really doesn't say a whole lot, the way Bale's eyes and facial gestures look, you just know what he's feeling at all times. I thought Bale's intensity was perfect but so was the performance by Affleck. The character actor just keeps getting better. A "troubled younger brother" is something that has been played to death but Affleck finds a way to make it original. Zoe Saldana, Sam Shepard, Willem Dafoe, Forest Whitaker and especially Woody Harrelson are also very effective in their supporting roles. Another major victory goes to the music score, which perfectly suits the atmosphere and violence of the story. OUT OF THE FURNACE deals with a lot of issues that many other films have dealt with over the decades. With that said, even with its flaws, the director manages to slowly build up a rather powerful film that delivers characters that you care for as well as hate.

Star studded cast, including one of the greats of this generation, Christian Bale. The acting is phenomenal. Harrelson always makes a great psycho. Scott Cooper is undeniably one of Hollywood's more distinguished directors of intense movies, and just as capable as anyone at evoking emotional power through a camera.

With all of that said, 'Out of the Furnace' has a slow, yet constant pace. It never has a moment where it really picks up. I believe this to be quite purposeful, as it emphasis the hopelessness and depression of both the characters and it's setting.

A good sense of realism though out the film. Nothing was too exaggerated, and was really quite believable.