Out of the Furnace

Intense, violent dramas is a genre Hollywood has made a plethora of. Look at their resume and you'll see "The Godfather", "The Deer Hunter", "Goodfellas", "Raging Bull", "The Departed", even earlier this year's "Ain't Them Bodies Saints". This just scraping the surface of what Hollywood has produced, we have yet another gripping violent drama in the form of "Out of the Furnace".

Russell Baze (Christian Bale) and his younger brother Rodney (Casey Affleck) live in the economically-depressed Rust Belt, and have always dreamed of escaping and finding better lives. But when a cruel twist of fate lands Russell in prison, his brother is lured into one of the most violent and ruthless crime rings in the Northeast-- a mistake that will cost him everything. Once released, Russell must choose between his own freedom or risk it all to seek justice for his brother who mysteriously disappears by the hands of a psychotic back woodsman, Harlan DeGroat (Woody Harrelson) who's deeply involved in the violent and crime-ridden fist fighting underground.
When law enforcement namely Chief Wesley Barnes (Forest Whitaker) fails to follow through in investigating Rodney's disappearance, in Russell's way of thinking, he feels he has to take matters in his own hands to find justice.

Others to round out the cast are Willem Dafoe as John Petty, Zoe Saldana as Lena Taylor, Sam Shepard as Gerald 'Red' Baze, Russell and Rodney's Uncle, Tom Bower as Dan Dugan, Bingo O'Malley as Rodney Baze Sr., Dendrie Taylor as DeGroat's Date, Charles David Richards as Chaplain, Carl Ciarfallo as Man at Drive In, Angela Kauffman as Woman at Bar, and Nancy Mosser as Woman at Drive In.

There have been several newer directors that have come along that have been called 'naturals', and I believe the director of this, Scott Cooper ("Crazy Heart" '09) has fallen onto that list. The emotion he was able to pull out of these characters was nothing less than perfection. With the exception of a couple of confusing non-cohesive places in script, this was equally well written by Brad Ingelsby and Cooper. The slight imperfection certainly wasn't enough to take away from the storyline, and with that, it'll keep you glued to your seat.

If you've enjoyed watching the aforementioned films, you will certainly be riveted to this dramatic yarn, but even not, the incredible acting, especially by Bale, Harrelson and Affleck will keep you glued at the same time asking for more.

Lastly, I would like to dedicate this review to the life and film legacy of actor Paul Walker. His unfortunate untimely death was a shock to his family, work associates, and fans alike. Being cut in his prime at the age of 40 years was not only tragic for his family, but for all of as well. He will be sorely missed for entertaining us on the big screen and for his charitable attributes. So long Paul.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                        Rated: R                        116mins.