Out of the Furnace | 2.5/5
It’s a story about violence and retribution that begins with seamless pacing, spot-on tone, crisp efficient visual storytelling and an unforgettable explosive opening scene. And then it drops the ball at the end. Scott Cooper’s examination of brotherhood, loyalty and revenge in Out Of Furnace rings incredibly similar to his debut movie Crazy heart about the downward spiral of a country singer, a role which won Jeff Bridges’s his Best Actor Oscar. And it shows Cooper’s commitment to the gritty explorations of the American blue-collar and backwoods communities .
It’s a story about violence and retribution that begins with seamless pacing, spot-on tone, crisp efficient visual storytelling and an unforgettable explosive opening scene. And then it drops the ball at the end. Scott Cooper’s examination of brotherhood, loyalty and revenge in Out Of Furnace rings incredibly similar to his debut movie Crazy heart about the downward spiral of a country singer, a role which won Jeff Bridges’s his Best Actor Oscar. And it shows Cooper’s commitment to the gritty explorations of the American blue-collar and backwoods communities .
Christian Bale and Casey Affleck are working-class brothers Russell and Rodney Baze in Pennsylvania. Rodney’s gambling problem gets him in debt and trouble with local bookie (Willem Dafoe), but everything escalates though, with appearance of hillbilly meth-head Harlan DeGroat (Woody Harrelson).
Harrelson is excellent, scary, unpredictable and electrifying in a role that taps into his dark side like never before. His wild-eyed bad-guy shtick is balanced by Bale’s quiet, macho performance as Russell while Affleck, Forest Whitaker and Sam Shepard all turn up and deliver more than commendably in their respective roles. But then it all goes to pot in the third act, where Cooper’s storytelling gets messy, heavy handed and meandering. It’s obvious he feels for his subject matter, but even with gorgeous visceral imagery to fit the overall mood, it feels like he’s fallen short pushing his story just that little bit further. The film is ultimately salvaged by the burly performances of its actors.- GENEVIEVE LOH
(M18,116min)