Out of the Furnace

****
UK Release Date: January 29th 2014

When Rodney Baze mysteriously disappears and law enforcement doesn't follow through fast enough, his older brother, Russell, takes matters into his own hands to find justice.

Director: Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart)

Starring: Christian Bale, Woody Harrelson, Casey Affleck, Forest Whitaker, Willem Dafoe, Zoe Saldana, Sam Shepard

Brothers Russell (Bale) and Rodney Baze (Affleck) have big problems, with both being on opposite ends of the spectrum. Russel is sent to prison after a horrific car crash whilst intoxicated. Rodney is traumatised by his past experiences in Afghanistan, and a short temper that will land him in a lot of trouble. Both take a path that is life changing and on the downward spiral.

Rodney takes their financial troubles in to his own hands by the only means he knows; fighting. Fist fighting, which feels so real we can feel the bruises he sustains. 

Out of the Furnace is set in a rough, rural area. Perfect locations that match its mood. Although some spaces are more open than others, there's little space to breathe, and no means of escaping the Baze brothers' woes. Woody Harrelson's psychologically distorted Harlan DeGroat is a brash redneck driven by violence, and a major problem in the Baze's lives. Harrelson impresses like always, culminating his violence from his Natural Born Killers' days with the strength in something recent like True Detective. Zoe Saldana is the girlfriend turned ex-girlfriend of Russell. She has little to do but play the angel on his shoulder.

Out of the Furnace is heavy going from the moment it opens its doors. It's deep, dark and powerful cinema, aided by the award winning actors. Bale, Harrelson and Affleck all have bold personalities fighting for our attention. Their method acting is obvious, but the film's loose, conventional narrative doesn't reflect their performances as well as it should.