Review of Out of the Furnace (2013) by Chris M — 27 Jul 2016

This well-made, well-acted, well-shot film is gritty, deliberately paced and has something to say about the bleakness of declining steel-mill towns, the insidious pervasiveness of drugs and crime, and the impact of war on returning Veterans. But somehow it's less than the sum of its parts. The individual character stories overwhelm rather than illuminate the broader themes, which means it will not live long in the memory.

There's a stellar cast acting their socks off here - Christian Bale is especially terrific, and if you like your Woody Harrelson as a Backwoods version of Rampart, you'er in for a treat. But, but but... if I was going to recommend how you should spend a couple of hours, it would be to watch the first 2/3 of The Deer Hunter - by which point you'd want to watch the final hour as well.

This film is so indebted to The Deer Hunter in story, setting, tone and even specific scenes (hunting a deer, PTSD, lost love) it's almost a remake. And that inspiration and cast nearly make this a very good film. But not quite.