Out of the Furnace, has Christian Bale playing a man attempting to track down his brother, played by Casey Affleck, after he disappears under mysterious circumstances. The film takes place in suburban Pittsburgh and features such prominent imagery of working class struggles that the town is the most important character throughout the movie. Then there is Christian Bale, Oscar winner, Batman and one of the best actors around. This performance emphasizes his strengths as he balances subtle intensity next to his usual brand of reserved acting. With that being said, Out of the Furnace is not the Taken derivative it has been billed as.
Supporting players Zoe Saldana, Woody Harrelson and Willem Dafoe do well, but Bale understandably dominates the screen time. Harrelson’s turn as the sadistic villain gives an instant reminder of the actor’s range before he became a tween celebrity in The Hunger Games. Saldana, who has had her share of big roles recently, (Star Trek) isn’t given much of a part to work with as Bale’s girlfriend. The same goes for Forest Whitaker, who plays the police chief looking for Affleck’s character and a romantic rival to Bale.
Out of the Furnace masterfully sets a tone from the dreary setting to a Pearl Jam heavy soundtrack and some gritty visuals. After showing restraint for the majority of the film, the climax leaves something to be desired with its brutality. It just seems that there is a rough reality to how most of the plot unfolds and everything is tied up too neatly in the final third. Christian Bale deserves a look for this performance from the award show voting masses, but it was probably disregarded in favor of his flashier turn in American Hustle. But American Hustle had a distinct lack of Pearl Jam. Doesn’t that count for anything these days?
Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.
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