One of my all time favorites.

hyped garbage

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

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. Out of the Furnace is a gritty, depressing and very much entertaining drama that elevates from excellent perfomances by Christian Bale, Casey Affleck and Woody Harrelson. This is a very slow paced movie and it's definitely not for everyone and i know that but if you give it the chance to move you and basically to entertain you you'll see that it was worth the price. (8/10)

What an all star cast. Bale, Shepard, Affleck (Casey, the talented one), Harrelson, Defoe. What a waste. This story-line had great potential, but I guess the trend in Hollywood today is to depress the hell out of every viewer in a desperate tactic to be "edgy." Here's an question for Hollywood screenwriters: will it kill you to try make movies with a tad bit of hope included? Now, excuse me, because after watching this, I need to make an appointment with my therapist.

Have you ever seen one of those movies where all the pieces are present but it just doesn't gel together like it should? "Out of the Furnace" is exactly that type of film. It SHOULD work, but it doesn't.For a basic plot summary, this movie centers on the events of two brothers. Russell Blaze (Christian Bale) is a factory mill worker representing the American "everyman" trying to survive in an economically depressed area. His job is no prize, to be sure, but it keeps him living. On the other hand, brother Rodney (Casey Affleck), a military veteran home in between deployments, doesn't quite share the views of Russell, not wanting to toil in a mill and turning to the bottle and gambling as a result. When Rodney (an accomplished street- brawler) gets in trouble with Harland DeGroat (Woody Harrelson), leader of the intimidating in-bred Appalachian mountain folk, not even the police will stage a rescue. It is up to Russell to see that his brother is taken care of.There are two primary factors that render this film decidedly average:First, it's themes are far too similar to other Bale films like "The Fighter" and even, albeit to a lesser extent, "The Machinist". Both are better flicks than this one, so it is tough for this piece to carve out its own place.Secondly, the casting (and directing from Scott Cooper) is so uneven. Bale is not nearly used to his full potential (one has to let him emote more), while other great actors like Forest Whitaker and William Dafoe are given bit roles unbecoming of their on-screen statures.Actually, the crown jewel of the entire film is Harrelson's DeGroat. From the opening scene of the film, it is clear that this is one of the most reviled villain characters to ever be put on screen. He steals every scene he is in.Thus, if you haven't seen any previous dark works like this (or any previous similar Bale roles), this movie might be a little better for you. For the more seasoned viewers, though, this is just "one of those movies" where the pieces don't snap together well enough. I can't call it "bad", but it isn't all that good.

OUT OF THE FURNACE is a simmering story of revenge, betrayal, and murder, brought to life via a couple of volatile performances from the leading actors. Altogether it's rather familiar story and one which has been done time and time again in the cinemas, but then this film isn't really about the story at all but rather the mood, the ambiance of the thing. The director's goal is to realise some of the simmering tension of the likes of BADLANDS, charting a ruthless small town America where death and destruction are just around the corner and people are happy to turn a blind eye to such events in their midst.I was a bit disappointed with the lack of story in this film, which seems to drag out the most basic plot ingredients to double their real length. However, the performances more than make up for it. Christian Bale is saddled with what amounts to a rather basic character as the lead, but he does very well with it (unsurprisingly) and is 100% realistic. Casey Affleck is more of an actor I can take or leave, and I found I didn't really care about his predicament. However, Woody Harrelson is the scene-stealer here, portraying a man full of bullish aggression, a guy who you can feel the hatred coming off in waves. He's completely scary, the sort of person you would pray at never having to cross paths with in real life, and his performance alone gives this film an extra star.