Out of the Furnace (2013)

[baumer]

Discuss

[baumer]

I wanted to like this movie a lot more than I did.  I was disappointed in it given the cast and the trailer that completely reeled me in.  But it's slow, very anti-climatic and imo, there was so much more story to tell.  Even though the film runs at 2 hours, it would have benefited from another 15-20 minutes.  The Casey Affleck story is the best part of the film and he has a meltdown in front of his brother, which made me want to know this guy more.  The film really only touches on what he must be going through.  He did 4 tours in Iraq and like John Rambo in First Blood, he is scarred emotionally and physically.  I wanted to spend more time with him.  But the film spends more time on the dynamic between Bale and his ex girlfriend and so many other issues that were interesting but not compelling.  

 

7/10

[Sam]

Eh, I might be the only one, but I was bored by this movie. It offered, or tried to offer some interesting topics and commentaries; but in my opinion, mostly failed short of making them engaging and actually going somewhere.The cast did fine with what were given I guess, but I don't see any amazing performances either. I thought Zoe Saldana was wasted in her role, and Christian Bale was okay. The standout for me was Casey Affleck but too bad his character wasn't given much more to show.C+

[baumer]

I too was bored Sam.  I liked it more than you but if I see it again (doubtful) my grade my drop to where yours is.  

[Sam]

I too was bored Sam. I liked it more than you but if I see it again (doubtful) my grade my drop to where yours is.

I watched 3 movies back-to-back this morning and this was the last one. After the amazing Philomena and the somewhat disappointing but serviceable The Book Thief, I guess I was a bit tired by that point and the movie just wasn't interesting or convincing enough to pull me in. Edited December 6, 2013 by Sam

[Gopher]

Wow. This was an unexpected delight. Not the best of the year but certainly in my top 30. Christian Bale has never been better IMHO. 

[Cmasterclay]

I also really enjoyed it Gopher. I wasn't in love with the story but the performances and the tone/setting were absolutely nailed. They really, really made it feel authentic- Rust Belt economic struggles, dying small towns, white trash drug dealers...it all felt very real. And the acting....wow. Bale just knows how to transform himself and convey so much with just one look. Woody and Affleck are spectacular as well, and I liked Dafoe and Salanda alot. Like Gopher said, not my favorite of the year by any means, but well worth watching.

[Gopher]

The atmosphere was more compelling than the story itself but nothing in the film felt arbitrary. Casey Affleck's character made the decisions that inadvertently led to his death and I totally understood why he went into fighting in the first place. Likewise, Cooper went through the effort of establishing a relationship between Bale and Affleck so that Bale's vengeance felt motivated by more than just "he was my brother." 

 

It's a shame this was overlooked because Bale and the rest of the ensemble were given plenty to work with here and they really pull it off. 

[Hatebox]

Watched a screener. I can see why the director told Bale he wouldn't make the movie without him - the whole film hinges on his quietly tormented performance and doesn't offer much else besides Harrelson's memorable villain.

 

I'd stop short of calling it 'misery porn' because that's a lazy criticism for what's ultimately a slice-of-life movie, but to say it's a tough slog for not much reward would be an understatement.

Edited January 6, 2014 by Hatebox

[mattmav45]

It's by no means a bad film, but with the talent associated I can't help but I simply can't help but think that this is a bit of a disappointment.

 

Let's get this out of the way, I am a huge fan of slow-burn films.  There's nothing quite like a heavy dose of atmosphere driving the proceedings at hand.  Every word, every shot, every speck of light becomes epic in nature.  Unfortunately, while it hit in parts, I didn't feel that magic present here.

 

In a slow-burn the story really only needs to complement the proceedings, but here the story was simply overpowered by the atmosphere.  I didn't feel any crescendo or build to the proceedings, it remained a very stagnant experience.  I kept waiting for the story to pick up, but it never really happened.

 

Still, it's not a bad film.  Bale and Harrelson are both great here, and there are some great scenes.  The close-up of Bale's face at the end of the film is top-notch.  This is how the film should have ended instead of the inexplicable random shot of Bale sitting at the table before fading to black.

 

I would recommend this to fans of slow-burn films, but there's very little doubt this could have been a different kind of animal.

[DeeCee]

I can't believe I hadn't come across this before until I noticed it on TV last night.

 

Great cast who all give very good performances.  However, it's quite boring.