Read Mixed User Reviews for Out of the Furnace

5

analogkid280Dec 9, 2013

Real choppy for the first hour. I feels like each scene was cut short by a few seconds which made it a distracting sequence of introductions. Many of the actors in this movie seem like they are bored while giving out their lines. Also thatReal choppy for the first hour. I feels like each scene was cut short by a few seconds which made it a distracting sequence of introductions. Many of the actors in this movie seem like they are bored while giving out their lines. Also that steel mill. We get to see it from all angles at all times of the day for just about every other scene. Was this movie directed by a high school student? This is certainly one of those late in the year Oscar baits that will never catch the fish.… Expand

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6

moviemitch96Dec 10, 2013

The film boasts an undeniably talented cast. Unfortunately, they cannot save the film's uneven pace. The first half of this film started out pretty promising. However, once it reaches the second half, it quickly begins to heavily drag.The film boasts an undeniably talented cast. Unfortunately, they cannot save the film's uneven pace. The first half of this film started out pretty promising. However, once it reaches the second half, it quickly begins to heavily drag. Christian Bale and Casey Affleck worked great as brothers. Woody Harrelson manages to pull off yet another S.O.B. performance. Other supporting cast members that, in my opinion, deserved much more screen time were Forest Whitaker and Willem Dafoe. The film also had a really good story going for it, but the slow pace of the film kind of made it hard to enjoy, especially in the final ten minutes or so, which was dragged out for far too long. So overall, great performances and story, but you're definitely gonna need some patience for it.… Expand

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6

TVJerryDec 11, 2013

Christian Bale is the hard-working, well-meaning brother in a Pennsylvania steel town. Casey Affleck is his eternal screw-up younger vet brother. When he gets into serious trouble with a meth maniac (Woody Harrelson), older bro is determinedChristian Bale is the hard-working, well-meaning brother in a Pennsylvania steel town. Casey Affleck is his eternal screw-up younger vet brother. When he gets into serious trouble with a meth maniac (Woody Harrelson), older bro is determined to exact revenge. Actors love films like this. They get to be grungy, severe and rough around the edges. This is one of those serious dramas with intense characters, forceful emotions and inevitable tragedy all around. Director Scott Cooper's camera offers some interesting observations and the strong performances keep the film compelling. It does go on relentlessly too long and persistently grave.… Expand

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6

MetaVinceJun 3, 2014

Odd movie, excellent acting... boring and depressing as heck plot. About halfway into the movie, you check your watch.... not-a-good-sign. But I have to say, the actors (and there were some very good actors) knocked it out.

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5

theofficeDec 29, 2013

Overall the movie is pretty slow going with an OK but not great story and an unsatisfying ending. Not really sure it could have been better though because the story really just wasn't that engaging and I simply couldn't connect to the characters.

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6

SpangleDec 19, 2013

Awesome acting from the entire cast, but the four main guys; Bale, Affleck, Harrellson, and Defoe, in particular. Scott Cooper did really well in the director's chair, but damn, a little slow for me and the plot, if you can call it that, leftAwesome acting from the entire cast, but the four main guys; Bale, Affleck, Harrellson, and Defoe, in particular. Scott Cooper did really well in the director's chair, but damn, a little slow for me and the plot, if you can call it that, left much to be desired. Easily my biggest disappointment of the year. It's not horrible, but damn, it's definitely middle of the road.… Expand

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6

Nesbitt10Dec 7, 2013

In director Scott Cooper's "Out of the Furnace," characters clearly take precedence over plot while maintaining a subdued tone that highlights some fantastic performances. However, it's constrained by its meager, inescapable storyline ofIn director Scott Cooper's "Out of the Furnace," characters clearly take precedence over plot while maintaining a subdued tone that highlights some fantastic performances. However, it's constrained by its meager, inescapable storyline of vengeance that ultimately disappoints. "Furnace" is a much darker and less audience-friendly package than Cooper's Oscar-winning 2009 debut "Crazy Horse." His second film captures the essence of an America slowly crumbling amid economic decay. Events unfold in "Out of the Furnace" with a violent, unpredictable force that life often presents, as opposed to your standard, reassuring screenplay.

Filmed in the working-class eastern Pittsburgh neighborhood of Braddock, Pennsylvania, Russell Baze (Christian Bale) has followed in his terminally ill father's footsteps by making a living at the town's steel mill. After serving a four-year sentence for a manslaughter conviction, Russell attempts to put his life back together. He keeps a low profile, but must contend with his old girlfriend Lena (Zoe Saldana), who is now living with police chief Wesley Barnes (Forest Whitaker). His brother, Rodney Jr. (Casey Affleck), is an Iraq War vet with PTSD and gambling issues, who chooses to enter a backwoods fight club as a means of earning money. Rodney and a small-time promoter John Petty (Willem Dafoe) screw things up and are unable to pay a ruthless criminal named Curtis DeGroat (Woody Harrelson). Refusing to acknowledge the dangers that lie ahead, Rodney finds himself in grave danger with unforgiving men. Russell, who is trying to reorganize his life, now sets out to protect his younger sibling.

When all is said and done, the movie boils down to a deceptively simple tale of two brothers coupled with a barebones tale of pure, unadulterated vigilantism. Though Cooper consistently uses formal parallelism to link the brothers' dual narratives, the last shot of the film may be its most telling, as it speaks to their constant, all-encompassing sense of imprisonment.

Cooper maintains the threat of violence with a guarded presence of despair from the beginning, which can get difficult for some and is often heartbreaking to watch. Cooper isn't exactly breaking new ground here with "Furnace," and he has a tendency to lean on contrivances and misdirection in place of suspense at times. However, his command is admirable, and the performances of Bale, Affleck, and Harrelson unquestionably warrant high praise. For those who like their revenge served cold, "Out of the Furnace" is the very essence of performance.… Expand

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6

PStakhivDec 18, 2013

A solid drama with great acting and average scenario! Movie is predictable and depressing, which in this case isn't really a weakness! Nothing special about it!

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5

LowbrowCinemaDec 27, 2013

OUT OF THE FURNACE is really perplexing. The film is pitch perfect in every way and yet, it has no resonance. When it's over it leaves you with a big feeling of just "Meh." Maybe it's too perfect for its own good.

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6

CitizenUnknownMar 14, 2014

Good cinematography, good acting, good everything... except story and characters. It all had so much potential, but they did absolutely nothing with it and, in the end, it all just feels like a pointless waste of time.

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6

DCEdmondsNov 13, 2014

"Out of the Furnace" 10 Scale Rating: 5.5 (Decent) ...

The Good: The cast is exceptional and delivered. Casey Affleck and Willem Dafoe were especially great in supporting roles. The film has excellent buildup and halfway through, you can't"Out of the Furnace" 10 Scale Rating: 5.5 (Decent) ...

The Good: The cast is exceptional and delivered. Casey Affleck and Willem Dafoe were especially great in supporting roles. The film has excellent buildup and halfway through, you can't wait to see how it ends. For the most part, a well directed and gritty offering that captures the rural tone quite well.

The Bad: The second half just can't keep the film's fast start as it slows down a great deal and becomes far less interesting. The ending was also very underwhelming and the last 30 minutes or so are extremely straightforward. The endgame just sort of ... happens. Very little payoff despite a great setup.… Expand

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6

amheretojudgeSep 17, 2018

the apt boost one always anticipates for..

Out Of The Furnace Out Of The Furnace is a character driven drama about the bonding between two brothers where nature tests it as it fluctuates with ups and downs. The first act where a series ofthe apt boost one always anticipates for..

Out Of The Furnace

Out Of The Furnace is a character driven drama about the bonding between two brothers where nature tests it as it fluctuates with ups and downs. The first act where a series of events takes places and the maker is checking the temperature of the water, is depicted with mesmerizing chemistry and notions that makes it flow fluently and gives it the apt boost one always anticipates for. The background score is decent along with cinematography and fine editing but its sharp sound effects, detailed art designing and manually handled camera work that offers a more personal touch stands out extraordinarily. Bale is a revelation as always with its reserved yet caring impeccably expressive natured portrayal that makes you root for it from the first frame. Parallel to him, Affleck is an equal opponent of his where he is supported amazingly by Dafoe, Harrelson, Whittaker and Saldana who is surprisingly amazing especially in a sequence when she breaks a heartbreaking news to Bale. Cooper's execution is what fuels this and his gut-wrenching rawness where he justifies offering each character the space and range to factor in effectively and meddle a cast of such caliber through it. This revenge based tale brimmed with negative dark innuendos and emotions seems like that a writer settled for a narrower vision, its first half had an amazing potential to make it dirty and yet sensible, it chose more dirtier one. The narration is gripping and adaptive, but the blurred line in here is that it fails to separate an elaborative structure to an overstretched one. The gritty not-so-practical puches that makes the viewers bleed, the insight of an emotional catastrophic events bred among multiple characters and Bale's achingly stellar performance that fuels it even at its pit are the high points of the feature. Out Of The Furnace hits out of the park on terms of bullets and gunpowders but no matter what writers might suggest it ain't layered.… Expand

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6

DawdlingPoetNov 27, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is a crime/drama/mystery film with themes including anger, revenge and distrust. It is quite a gritty watch, gritty and urban, with the criminal underworld, including drug use, being featured and it certainly doesn't hold back as far as strong language is concerned. The characters mostly have an element of bravado, presumably so their not bothered too much by others in their neighbourhood. I'd say this is a fairly character development heavy film, in terms of the plot - I found myself wondering what I presume Russell must have wondered, wanting to solve the mystery myself. Visually speaking, the film is quite dark, with many scenes shown taking place at night. It adds to the mysterious atmosphere, which is predominantly quite tense too, understandably so. I felt that the plot was a bit slow to build, with the first half an hour or so being a somewhat depressing-ly bleak view of the area and the presumably mostly working class inhabitants getting their kicks (literally) out of tussles and other shows of agression. The film features a number of well known actors, including Christian Bale as Russell, Woody Harrelson as Harlan, Casey Affleck as Rodney Baze and Forest Whitaker as chief Wesley Barnes. Zoe Saldana also appears, portraying Lena Taylor, who works at a local elementary (or, as we call it in the UK, primary) school. I thought that Bale probably gave the best performance, as he seems more naturally the 'mean and moody' type and indeed he does tend to go for roles in such gritty, crime based films, most of the time. Wood Harrelson portrays a different type of character to the roles I've seen him in, a more dark and agressive one.

Regarding the camerawork, there are some nice ariel shots featured, which show off the surrounding rural landscape of the area. I realise this clashes a bit with the whole 'gritty urban' description earlier - I was a bit surprised to see the setting not so far away but it seems thats the case. Given a fair few scenes are set in the dark, it surprised me when it would change to a new scene in a brighter area. Otherwise I thought the camera work was relatively blunt and 'to the point', for want of a better term. It was very slightly shaky in parts but not excessively so.

Music wise, some pieces played are relatively spooky in tone, slow instrumental pieces, although others have a twang of country, although there isn't a constant use of music, with the crowds present in different scenes making up the majority of background noise. Content wise, as I say it contains very strong language, scenes of drug taking and some bloody violence, plus sex references. It is a bit of a harsh watch in terms of content and for that reason its been given a 15 rating, understandably so.

I felt this film did well in presenting the viewer with very much a volatile tone throughout - we're left trying to second guess what might be discovered next, what various characters may do and so on. As I say its a gritty watch and its a relatively good character based film, apart from the fact that I couldn't help but wonder why I should feel especially sorry for some of the people, given various plot details, with the exception of perhaps one or two. I think a good word to describe this, in a sense, would be barren - both barren and bleak are terms that well describe the tone of this film. Overall I felt this was a good film, although probably not the best of its type. Its hard to entirely put my finger on why I wasn't more keen on it, other than perhaps it just seemed a little too bleak - I think the characterisations missed something, a bit of extra depth would have helped and its not as if there aren't enough films of this ones genres around as it is, though, as I say, it was a bit slow in terms of building up the plot. Well, it feature a good cast and it has a good sense of tension and some decent camerawork but the plot was a bit slow to build and it probably isn't the most original of such films ever, so I'm sort of 50/50 about it. Its a good enough film, in my mind but probably not the best of its type ever, so I suppose it boils down to whether your a fan of the cast or really like the sound of it, in which case I would recommend it but otherwise, perhaps not? due to that, I'll opt for the 'undecided' option and leave it up to you to decide for yourself.… Expand

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