Out Of The Furnace

Rated R / 1 hr 56 min / Crime - Drama - Thriller

What is it about?

Christian Bale and Casey Affleck play brothers in rural America. Bale works at the local steel mill, and Affleck is in the military who is about to go to Iraq.  The movie follows the struggles of both brothers.  Both have tragedies that befall them, and their lives are never the same.  The tone of the movie changes half way through as Bale tries to find out what happened to his brother.  He doesn't trust the police to resolve the matter as the inbred hicks in the Appalachian mountains refuse to cooperate. 

You will like it if...

You like gritty dramas or revenge movies.  It moves at a deliberate pace.  There are several scenes that could have been edited out.  If you are prone to snoozing in the theater then you should bring someone with you to give you a nudge in case you start snoring. There are glimpses of social commentary, but there aren't any profound statements made about the issues displayed.  It ends up being an average drama that relies on it's stars to keep you interested.  It mostly succeeds thanks to a stellar cast.  Woody Harrelson is easily the most interesting character in the movie, but he's also sparingly used.  Affleck is also very good with the exception of one scene.  That one scene was so bad that half the theater laughed when I saw the movie.  Bale isn't given a chance to shine by the bland script, which is disappointing considering how great he has been in other movies.  I enjoyed the movie, but I would recommend waiting for it to come out on Redbox if you are interested in seeing it.