Out of the Furnace

Cast of Characters:

Russell Baze - Christian Bale

Harlan DeGroat - Woody Harrelson

Rodney Baze, Jr. - Casey Affleck

Chief Wesley Barnes - Forest Whitaker

John Petty - Willem Dafoe

Lena Taylor - Zoe Saldana

Red - Sam Shepard

Director - Scott Cooper

Screenplay - Brad Ingelsby & Scott Cooper

Rated R for strong violence, language and drug content

      Academy Award winners Christian Bale and Forest Whitaker, Zoe Saldana and Academy Award nominees Woody Harrelson, Casey Affleck, Willem Dafoe and Sam Shepard star in Scott Cooper's Out of the Furnace.

      Russell Baze (Christian Bale) has had a rough life. He's working a dead-end job at the local steel mill that will soon be shut down, he's caring for his terminally ill father and he's also served time for a car accident that resulted in the death of a child, which resulted in his girlfriend Lena Taylor (Zoe Saldana) leaving him.

      Now out of prison, Russell is reunited with his brother Rodney (Casey Affleck), who's back home from serving multiple tours of duty in Iraq. Rodney is deep in debt and earns what he can doing bare-knuckle fist fighting in various parts of the town, which leads him to Harlan DeGroat (Woody Harrelson), a vicious backwoods redneck that runs his own fighting ring. With Rodney falling deeper into debt and trouble with DeGroat and local police chief Wesley Barnes (Forest Whitaker) having his hands tied behind his back due to jurisdiction issues, Russell takes it upon himself to right a wrong with his brother.

      Average moviegoers might still see Christian Bale as Batman, and okay, deservedly so. The man played a great Caped Crusader. If you've never seen his Oscar winning turn in The Fighter, though, do so. That there showcased a turn that many thought was his movie more than the top billed Mark Wahlberg's. If The Fighter doesn't get you to believe Bale has the talent to escape the shadow of The Dark Knight trilogy, his Oscar worthy turn in Out of the Furnace will (he also has another anticipated movie, American Hustle, coming out in a few weeks as well). There's a scene between him and Zoe Saldana on a bridge that'll rip your heart right out of your chest, and never in a manipulative way. This is raw, genuine emotion emoting from both Bale and Saldana that has to be witnessed rather than me tell you. For a man who comes off so tough, this is when we see him at his most vulnerable and helpless state. As far as current actors go, no one can transition so seamlessly from smug, penthouse billionaires to flawed, down-to-earth, middle men with a heart like Bale can. Woody Harrelson plays his most ruthless and heartless character since Natural Born Killers and Casey Affleck turns in, what I believe, is one of his best performances to date. Along with those three, we get some strong turns from the veteran acting presences of Oscar winner Forest Whitaker and Oscar nominees Willem Dafoe and Sam Shepard. This is one hell of a cast, people! With only two films under his belt, following Crazy Heart, director Scott Cooper (who also co-wrote the film) is no stranger to crafting flawed individuals trying to set themselves back on the straight and narrow. This a bleak, gritty world with characters that have hit rock bottom, but will do anything to make things right. With Masanobu Takayanagi's cinematography and the score from both Dickon Hinchliffe and Eddie Vedder, Cooper makes all the right choices and sets all the right tones in this dark, "Rust Belt of America" world he's created.

      Some may find themselves underwhelmed by the ending. That's understandable. I myself felt a bit that way too. There are certainly moments where it appears to be style over substance, but I applaud Cooper for going against the grain, and that final shot of Bale stuck with me. Regardless of a few nitpicks, this is still a memorable film with some superb performances from the entire cast. It may be only Cooper's second film, but it marks another strong effort from a director on the rise. I give Out of the Furnace an A (★★★★).

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