In director Scott Cooper's "Out of the Furnace," characters clearly take precedence over plot while maintaining a subdued tone that highlights some fantastic performances. However, it's constrained by its meager, inescapable storyline of vengeance that ultimately disappoints. "Furnace" is a much darker and less audience- friendly package than Cooper's Oscar-winning 2009 debut "Crazy Horse." His second film captures the essence of an America slowly crumbling amid economic decay. Events unfold in "Out of the Furnace" with a violent, unpredictable force that life often presents, as opposed to your standard, reassuring screenplay.
Filmed in the working-class eastern Pittsburgh neighborhood of Braddock, Pennsylvania, Russell Baze (Christian Bale) has followed in his terminally ill father's footsteps by making a living at the town's steel mill. After serving a four-year sentence for a manslaughter conviction, Russell attempts to put his life back together. He keeps a low profile, but must contend with his old girlfriend Lena (Zoe Saldana), who is now living with police chief Wesley Barnes (Forest Whitaker). His brother, Rodney Jr. (Casey Affleck), is an Iraq War vet with PTSD and gambling issues, who chooses to enter a backwoods fight club as a means of earning money. Rodney and a small-time promoter John Petty (Willem Dafoe) screw things up and are unable to pay a ruthless criminal named Curtis DeGroat (Woody Harrelson). Refusing to acknowledge the dangers that lie ahead, Rodney finds himself in grave danger with unforgiving men. Russell, who is trying to reorganize his life, now sets out to protect his younger sibling.
When all is said and done, the movie boils down to a deceptively simple tale of two brothers coupled with a barebones tale of pure, unadulterated vigilantism. Though Cooper consistently uses formal parallelism to link the brothers' dual narratives, the last shot of the film may be its most telling, as it speaks to their constant, all- encompassing sense of imprisonment.
Cooper maintains the threat of violence with a guarded presence of despair from the beginning, which can get difficult for some and is often heartbreaking to watch. Cooper isn't exactly breaking new ground here with "Furnace," and he has a tendency to lean on contrivances and misdirection in place of suspense at times. However, his command is admirable, and the performances of Bale, Affleck, and Harrelson unquestionably warrant high praise. For those who like their revenge served cold, "Out of the Furnace" is the very essence of performance.
Filmed in the working-class eastern Pittsburgh neighborhood of Braddock, Pennsylvania, Russell Baze (Christian Bale) has followed in his terminally ill father's footsteps by making a living at the town's steel mill. After serving a four-year sentence for a manslaughter conviction, Russell attempts to put his life back together. He keeps a low profile, but must contend with his old girlfriend Lena (Zoe Saldana), who is now living with police chief Wesley Barnes (Forest Whitaker). His brother, Rodney Jr. (Casey Affleck), is an Iraq War vet with PTSD and gambling issues, who chooses to enter a backwoods fight club as a means of earning money. Rodney and a small-time promoter John Petty (Willem Dafoe) screw things up and are unable to pay a ruthless criminal named Curtis DeGroat (Woody Harrelson). Refusing to acknowledge the dangers that lie ahead, Rodney finds himself in grave danger with unforgiving men. Russell, who is trying to reorganize his life, now sets out to protect his younger sibling.
When all is said and done, the movie boils down to a deceptively simple tale of two brothers coupled with a barebones tale of pure, unadulterated vigilantism. Though Cooper consistently uses formal parallelism to link the brothers' dual narratives, the last shot of the film may be its most telling, as it speaks to their constant, all- encompassing sense of imprisonment.
Cooper maintains the threat of violence with a guarded presence of despair from the beginning, which can get difficult for some and is often heartbreaking to watch. Cooper isn't exactly breaking new ground here with "Furnace," and he has a tendency to lean on contrivances and misdirection in place of suspense at times. However, his command is admirable, and the performances of Bale, Affleck, and Harrelson unquestionably warrant high praise. For those who like their revenge served cold, "Out of the Furnace" is the very essence of performance.