Out of the Furnace (Scott Cooper, 2013)

[Luke M]

Christian Bale contemplates killing Woody Harrelson while Pearl Jam's "Release" plays in the background.

Trailer

[knives]

Misread that as Stuart Cooper. Hopes slashed.

[flyonthewall2983]

Got to admit, this looks pretty good. Not a genius work by any stretch of the imagination, but this cast can make the phone book compelling.

[domino harvey]

Christian Bale contemplates killing Woody Harrelson while Pearl Jam's "Release" plays in the background.

I hope TV Guide uses this as their synopsis for the film

[flyonthewall2983]

Out Of The Furnace should have a lot going for it, on the surface. Some of it's promise is met, but overall feels too stock for the talent involved. Bale and Affleck have good chemistry and Woody's a great villain, but it falls a little short despite those factors.

[Sonmi451]

I guess I'm the only one who was rather blown away by this. Part of that is because I really didn't expect a whole lot going in, and it's certainly not a perfect film, but I'll be damned if it isn't the best ensemble performance I've seen this year. Bale is simply fantastic.

[Jack Phillips]

Well, I wanted to see it, but it was in and out of cinemas so fast I didn't get the chance. I'm waiting for its home video release now, which I hear is March 11.

[DarkImbecile]

I guess I'm the only one who was rather blown away by this. Part of that is because I really didn't expect a whole lot going in, and it's certainly not a perfect film, but I'll be damned if it isn't the best ensemble performance I've seen this year. Bale is simply fantastic.

I had been meaning to reply to the unimpressed/nonexistent reaction to this one after I saw it around the holidays, but never got around to it (despite ranking it fourth on my top ten list for 2013).

I too was quite impressed, both by the excellent casting and performances and the gritty '70s crime drama atmosphere Cooper expertly evokes. Having lived in Pennsylvania for a while, I felt the depiction of a dying mill town was spot on, and mirrored the desperation of the characters beautifully while also providing a visually powerful backdrop to the action. The music was very well-chosen, and while the pace was measured (in a self-assured rather than distractingly slow way), the sense of inevitable tragedy and dramatic tension was constant and compelling.

It feels like this one got lost in the year-end pack, and might have been better served opening a month or two earlier to stand out from the rest of the awards bait; given their timely credibility-boosting performances in True Detective, it could have been both McConaughey and Harrelson giving acceptance speeches this evening (I certainly felt Harrelson would have been more deserving than Jared Leto), and I would have rather seen Bale nominated for this performance than his American Hustle role.