Furnace is certainly filled with dilemmas people across America STILL face on a daily basis -- and that alone is why it will hit too close to home. It is why some people will say it is "too" gritty, "too" depressing, "too" much of something. I'm a New Jersey native, and my state is filled with many towns that are run down and haven't seen anything positive happen in them in decades. A town not far from me lost its heart when a tea factory was forced out and jobs outsourced to China in the 90s. Just across the border, 20 minutes into Pennsylvania, is an old steel town not the one in the film that drove workers out of their mills in the 80s, the old blast furnaces still towering over the "south side" of town that is dotted with row homes. If you've ever driven through Michigan, at least a handful of cities there would paint the same picture as anything you'll see in Out of the Furnace. In Indiana, the same. I point this out because several moviegoers in the theater where I saw the film were saying that Out of the Furnace paints an unrealistic portrait of the "worst" parts of America, making them seem worse than they are. But until people have lived that lifestyle, it's easy to say that it doesn't still exist. What I appreciated about Furnace is that Cooper had the guts to make a gritty film that points out that there are towns filled with good people who can never get beyond their "hard times". Is it unrealistic, perhaps, to assume that bare-knuckle fighting rings are organized nationwide? Perhaps. It doesn't mean, however, that there aren't plenty of illegal activities happening at the hands of "desperate" men many of our nation's veterans are homeless, don't forget . Cooper chose Braddock as a great setting for this film, and he chose great actors to portray "everyman". And honestly, I see why he waited for Christian Bale to come around to making this film; nobody could have pulled off Russell Baze the way that Bale does -- with his quiet desperation, his eyes telling you everything that is churning in his gut, the weariness settled into his body making him sometimes appear aged beyond his years. Where Bale brings a quietness to Russell, Casey Affleck brings the loud emotive bursts and the scrappiness of his youth to Rodney Baze, and the two work wonderfully in balancing the "brotherhood" aspect of the film. While I fault Cooper for failing to tell us more of the relationship between the two, I feel that both actors worked hard to bring the familial bond to the forefront of the story. There are several aspects to the storytelling that are to be admired. For one, the juxtaposition between Russell out hunting while his brother is being driven to what could potentially be his death match -- a "hunt" of his own -- was brilliant in its pacing. The same can be said for the scene where we assume the "bad" guy Woody Harrelson taking a terrifying turn as the film's antagonist is going to finally be caught by the law enforcement swarming his home. And finally, the bridge scene between Russell and Lena Baze's girlfriend played admiringly well by Zoe Saldana is one that gives a heart to a film that is otherwise dark and depressing. It's because of moments like these that I was able to overlook the film's obvious flaws. There is patchy storytelling blame the script writers , but the actors all grab hold of the material they've been given and work well with it despite its shortcomings. What I ultimately applaud Out of the Furnace for is the fact that these characters could still represent many people in this country and throughout the world. How far would we ALL go, trying so hard to be "good" day in and day out, waiting for a break, trying to earn the extra dollar...before we got tired of the rest of the world getting ahead without us, and we take matters into our own hands?Out of the Furnace poses this thought-provoking question and lets the viewer see how you can go down either path. Everyone wants to say that they'd still stay on the straight and narrow, but until you can put yourselves into the shows of these characters, you just truly never know. Ask yourself what you would do if Rodney Baze was YOUR brother? How far would you go for family -- for a family member who had put his own life on the line for this country? How far would you go in a town where everything else had shut down around you? Cooper doesn't give us the best film of the year with Out of the Furnace, but he and this cast give you plenty to think about long after the credits roll.

moment, a dreadful accident sentencing him to a stint in jail. while locked up, his father dies and Rodney is sent to Iraq. upon release five years later, his beautiful girlfriend, Lena Zoe Saldana , has moved on and into a relationship with the local sheriff forest Whitaker and Rodney, now home and haunted by his time over there, has only dug himself in deeper. so deep it involves Harlan DeGroat Woody Harrelson , a volatile maniac of a white trash criminal who is just aching for a reason to hurt someone anyone . all this leads to bloody results, inevitably leading to a confrontation between Russell and Harlan. i don't wanna say much beyond that. this movie takes its time unfolding and the more involved you are, the better the movie is. for Russell, it's just good to be home and when a world of drugs and underground fights threaten to destroy everything he loves, you feel the same itching he does, needing to see things through, even if it means the law has to be sidetracked. bale, as usual, is remarkable. in what could be one of his most underplayed performances he only has one scene where he really emotional explodes , we get everything we need to know about him, even in moments of complete silence. Bale's great at spreading his range and adding humanity to every role and this is no exception. whether it's a heartbreaking moment of being reunited with Saldana or a fun brotherly exchange with Affleck, he covers every base with the ease of one breath, making him a master of his craft. Affleck is good as the damaged Rodney, making us feel for him even when he's in the middle of doing something risky or just plain stupid. Rodney's connection with Russell carries a lotta weight and never for a second do you doubt their brotherly bond. the rest of the cast: Dafoe, Whitaker, Saldana, and the excellent Sam Shepard as Russell and Rodney's uncle are up to par and no one is really shortchanged. while some of them are there longer than others, everyone makes a mark and shares relaxed chemistry with their cast mates Affleck has some really great exchanges with Dafoe . as for Harrelson...well, when he does bad and intense, it never really gets any better. the film's opening scene tells you everything you need to know about DeGroat's violent nature, but Harrelson never lets you turn away. unpredictable, terrifying, and poisonous, i found myself entranced by the man, even if i knew what he was about to do was savagery at its worse. Scott cooper had me with his first film, crazy heart. this is all i need to stay an avid fan of a filmmaker who knows how to make you stay with characters, even if they're vile scum like DeGroat. cooper gives them human feelings and flaws. he envelops you in the setting, whether it's the sleepy streets of a northeastern small town or the thick country woods. he knows how to show you a place that feels like home. sure...there's blood. lot's of blood in certain spots. he knows when something needs to be violent and he knows how to use it without making it feel forced or cheesy. bottom line, out of the furnace is for true blue film buffs who want a real story with human characters. a story that will grab you and keep you hooked from DeGroat's first act of violence to bale's chilling final shot. it's not a CGI loaded dazzler. it's a film that makes you yearn for some old films that had accomplished more with less. see this movie. even if it doesn't completely do it for you, you'll walk away thinking about it later. you'll recall the things you did like. once you're done thinking, you'll know it was worth it. in closing, Bale and Harrelson are both Oscar worthy. there...just making sure i made that clear.

service. I have close friends who i would advise not to watch the film at all as it would more than likely send them into a fit of anger. Not at the film, but for whats happening in it. Overall, this is a highly underrated film and has great depth, unlike much over-budgeted films we see today with one two many explosions and poor acting in what i call less than artful.

that feels too close to reality is to be avoided. It's inelegant, and not what we want to see from stars, especially attractive ones. Cooper lets people be people, and I find that incredibly refreshing.I was immediately invested in the characters -- warts and all. As painful as many of their decisions were to watch, I went along for those very bumpy rides, because any other course taken would be untrue for these characters.I recently saw "12 Years A Slave," and feel inclined to mention that I sense a new, somewhat subversive style of filmmaking emerge -- and maybe a wonderful new culture in Hollywood. At least I hope so. It's one where films about extraordinary hardship are treated a way that doesn't hold back, glamorize or otherwise mollify them. In my opinion, when Hollywood slicks up violence as it almost always does , it informs us that we shouldn't really be moved by its tragedy. We aren't shaken to the core and inspired to stop suffering wherever we can. That's shameful. So kudos to Cooper and to Steve McQueen for embracing a reality in their films that reconnects us with humanity instead of suggesting it's okay to blithely mock it.If I have any criticism of this film, it's that two scenes where one plays out as a metaphor for the other may not have been necessary. Otherwise, I feel the writing is disciplined and at the same time very rich and rewarding.The potential horrors of poverty and a lack of opportunity on display in this film are dealt with in a way that exempts political bias, and that in itself is a huge accomplishment.A sense of hope exists amidst the heartache of this film. I will see it again.

actors, especially Christian Bale and Woody Harrelson. This is a throwback to 1970 style cinema where story and acting trump anything technically. The story is generic but it never feels quite as stale when you're watching it because no matter how many times we've seen this story, we get lost in Christian Bale's performance. He is a man of many facial expressions and very few words and that really plays to his benefit in this film. It shows that, while Bale can be as goofy as Dickie Ecklund in The Fighter, he can also be as dark and ominous as Russell Baze. We really see that Christian Bale is becoming one of the best actors of this generation and with Out of the Furnace, he solidifies that. While Bale delivers a dark and gritty portrayal of a man with nothing to lose, it is Woody Harrelson that plays Curtis DeGroat, a sick, backwoods, meth- dealing, brute and Harrelson plays him perfectly. Without giving any spoilers away, there are a couple scenes one of which involves a prostitute that are so unflinchingly brutal that features DeGroat at his most nefarious. These are the roles that Harrelson relishes in, and this film goes to show that nobody can play a villain quite like Harrelson. He's the guy you love to hate and in Out of the Furnace, I have to say he plays DeGroat with a pitch-perfect tone that it makes you wonder where the line is drawn in his mind. You lose yourself in the scenes with Harrelson because he is just that good at playing a sadistic psychopath with murderous tendencies. The rest of the cast, including Casey Affleck, are outstanding. However, this film showcases Bale and Harrelson as definite Oscar hopefuls and it uses that to its advantage. While we see enough of Affleck, Saldana and Whitaker, the film belongs to Bale and Harrelson. This is a bleak and brutal film with fantastic performances across the board. It is far from the feel good movie of the year, quite the opposite, it is probably the most depressing next to Prisoners, but just because you won't leave the theater with a grin doesn't mean you should skip this.

actual star of the film. The entire cast is excellent and essential, however Christian Bale and Woody Harrelson absolutely steal the show. As the bad-to-the-bone "villain" of the script, Harrelson is awesomely despicable, his mere presence on the screen inciting anxiety. Alternately, Bale plays a good but troubled man, condemned to watch his life disintegrate one piece at a time. I caught the director, Scott Cooper, in an interview segment on Carson Daly. He mentioned a desire to impact and "immerse" the audience in his movies. In that regard, I would judge this effort to be an undeniable success. During certain scenes, I found myself echoing the actions and emotions depicted on screen, such as dread, liberation, uneasiness, tension, and particularly, a relieved breath of serenity. More drama than action, the tone for me was reminiscent of "The Place Beyond the Pines", another well-executed drama with a definite crime flavoring. Also, I felt that the Pearl Jam number that opens and closes the film was a perfect choice for the intended vibe, and deserves a special mention. Overall, this movie is very well done, despite lacking the glamour and flash of an action flick. As a drama, I highly recommend it to fans of the genre.

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.

the story in the vein of films like Deer Hunter and Winter's Bone, two films I personally admire for capturing the delicacy of people amid depressed communities. It's hard to say this film doesn't measure up. The lighting, sound, cinematography, editing, story, are all accomplished with the utmost professionalism. However, if the script fell into the wrong hands its flaws would easily be detected because the weakness of its integrity would show. The story takes too many short cuts to get where it needs to go. Some might already find it slow. It is after all a vignette of the decline of our hero. However, what really made this movie work for me was the brilliant performances of the trait. William Dafoe as a local and smart small time boss. Sam Shepard as the uncle, a face of masculinity and integrity, Tom Bower as a complex and familiar bartender and gate man. Casey Affleck as the young and traumatized brother, Forrest Whitaker as the conflicted cop, Zoe Saldana as the girlfriend. Though, it's Harrelson who really steals the show, he's evil, beyond logic and powerful You can't wait to see him again and that antagonistic combination is rare and even more scarcely pulled off.Out of the Furnace won't be nominated for best screenplay. However, in my eyes, it should get a nod for everything else.

Bale was jailed, how quick his woman left him and how little their relationship mattered to the plot. I want to care for the characters and Saldana got zero screen time to care for her, so much so that when she announced her 'big' news, who really cared? Sam Shepherd was woefully underused and in my honest opinion, I felt sorry for the talent not utilized, again showing no respect to the role or character, he may as well have not been there. Whitaker was OK, but again, lack of promotion of the character, why would Saldana choose him over Bale? why would she not visit prison? Prison time was a joke and may as well not have been there. Affleck, whose voice irritates, really stepped up as did Willem Dafoe, who I am really enjoying of late in his roles and finally Woody Harrelson was on fire in this role. What you have here is a film that concentrates its focus in the wrong areas, relying far too much on a good cast list to carry it through and considering it is nearly 2 hours long seems rushed at the end. I still recommend this film simply as watching Bale & Harrelson is like watching Tiger Woods or Ronaldo.....even if they have a bad day, they are worth the entrance fee alone.