Out of the Furnace – Review Emily Elphinstone

After some of the far more flashy films that have been nominated during awards season, ‘Out of the Furnace’ is a breath of fresh air with its understated portrayal of a dilapidated Pennsylvania town where people are trying just to get by, not to get rich. The film focuses on Steel-Mill worker Russell Baze (Bale), as he struggles to keep his war-veteran brother Rodney (in a wonderful performance by Casey Affleck) on an even keel while he finds his place in civilian life. Bale plays Baze with a subtlety that proves that you don’t need to hair pieces and huge ambitions to make an incredibly watchable character.

Shooting entirely on 35mm film, director Scott Cooper brings together an ensemble cast of wonderfully nuanced characters; from the gambling boss who tries to protect Rodney despite the money owed to him (Willem Dafoe), to Baze’s conflicted ex-girlfriend (Zoe Saldana). Woody Harrelson meanwhile, plays the menacing and unrepentant Harlan DeGroat, who could (and does) make even a lollipop look threatening. There’s a sense throughout that these are real multi-faceted people rather than just ‘characters’; so it comes as no surprise that some elements of the script apparently echo Cooper’s life, and even that there has been a lawsuit relating to similarities between DeGroat’s character, and real life residents of the Ramapo Mountains in New Jersey (many of whom have the same surname).

As even the town they live in seems on the brink of collapse with threatened closure of the Mill, there’s a frustrating inevitability of events taking a turn for the worse, which lessens some of the impact of ‘Out of the Furnace’. This clearly isn’t the sort of place where things turn out for the best. The film may not be an instant classic, but it is well worth a watch for its beautifully shot scenery, and stunning performances.

Out of the Furnace IMDB page.

Director: Scott Cooper

Stars: Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Zoe Saldana, Woody Harrelson, Sam Shepard, Willem Dafoe