Review of Out of the Furnace (2013) by Familiar S — 14 Apr 2014

Out of the Furnace a revenge thriller that has talented casts but is left with a hollow script and a very slow punch line.

Russell (Christian Bale) is a hard working guy who works at a steel mill. His brother Rodney (Casey Affleck) gambles his money from making bets at horse races or illegal underground fights. He owes money to John Petty (William Dafoe). Rodney wants to go for the bigger shots with earning more money at another illegal underground fights arranged by Harlan (Woody Harrelson), a drug dealer and a sociopath. After Rodney has been missing after his last fight, his brother Russell takes matters to his own hands by hunting down Harlan.

The story had a gritty tone with the characters and the setting. The story was slow paced and it did not have any powerful emotional affect on the characters. The script written by Brad Ingelsby and Scott Cooper was shallow as a revenge story filled with many clichés. By the time, the climax happens it is hard to even care on what Russell actions are or the consequences that is affecting him.

Christian Bale, Woody Harrelson, Casey Affleck, and Sam Shepherd are great actors and gave good performances that are the only thing worth looking into the movie. Zoe Saldana character felt like a simple cliché of trying to show Russell's compassion side and emotionally impacting him. On screen, there chemistry felt shallow. Saldana is also a good actress as well but her character did not add anything to the movie.

The movie could have used proper editing in keeping up the pace. Otherwise, it felt like one long drag and the movies end payoff was not even worth it. It is a boring thriller film that just has a talented casts and nothing to show for.