Review of Out of the Furnace (2013) by John G — 25 Jan 2014

I WENT TO SEE THIS MOVIE BASED SOLELY ON THE REVIEWS LISTED HERE, SINCE IT WAS SHOWING AT THE $1.50 THEATER. WHY NOT? I hadn't heard a thing about this movie which is add with the cast and all. I deeply enjoyed this movie, I didn't feel at all that the violence was glorified, it was ugly and sickening and destructive.

I think we see the micro level of violence played out in the main characters as they suffer from macro forms of violence from the society (off sourcing, war, depressed regions written off) but this not a preachy movie at all.

This may have been my fave Christian Bale role, with the exception of American Psycho, and like it when he's understated and his characters have humility and grace. This is a very blue-collar movie, I think it might have been blacklisted, it's a bit to honest and on the mark about certain things society would like to gloss over.

I found Russel Baze to be heroic in many ways, duty to family, hard work, personal responsibility, values sold as "American" but not practiced by parasitic and predatory transnational corporations looking for always cheaper labor and seeking to maximize profit at human expense.

This was a serious and somber movie, the impending violence and tension almost made my body ache. I didn't find this movie to be macho or machismo, there were parts that were almost tender to counter the darkness.