Out of the Furnace

[MacGuffin]

Release date: December 6, 2013

Starring: Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Zoe Saldana, Woody Harrelson

Directed by: Scott Cooper

Premise: When Rodney Baze mysteriously disappears and law enforcement fails to follow through, his older brother, Russell, takes matters into his own hands to find justice.

[MacGuffin]

New Trailer

[jenkins]

i think the table would be place beyond the pines and out of the furnace, and outside the window is atbs. i think atbs was the best crime thingy i saw this year. a sense of breath. its cinema was best. and the other two were these great portraits in perfect strokes, and it's hard for anyone to give a fuck. atbs has that tear trail to prove you just had to give a fuck. i admire the performances and craft of the furnace pines. they're tight proper, and thanks to everyone on the team. sam shephard is underused in furnace. atbs and furnace share casey affleck, with enjoyable overlaps to notice. all three movies have regional emphasis. clothes from the region. landscape of the region. people of the region. i admire people who remember these things

[Mel]

Didn't watch this yet - interview.

[Mel]

I would say that "Out of the Furnace" can be compared to "Killing Them Softly" as it goes for recent film. Both films take a look at post-crisis America in very bleak way, with similar commentary and without much wisdom coming out of it.

There are some great performances there, but I don't consider "Out of the Furnace" character driven - they don't develop in any meaningful way. What I found interesting is that characters have very little control over their lives - they are doomed from the start and they enter traps voluntarily, even when they are warned or know something is wrong. No one is happy either - happiness lasts 60 seconds or so (bed scene) and that is all. You won't find heroics here, we hear or get a glimpse of what could be developed into heroic story, but overall character are handled in way far from being romantic. There is only one character which I consider positive and with moral compass (I won't say strong), others falls into gray or black area.

"American Dream is lost or maybe it never existed?" - I would consider this question central to the film. I don't think Sam Shepard is underused, just in "Out of the Furnace" no one is of any importance: they live, they suffer, they die, end of it. This is a very bleak film, full of helplessness and stripped from any hope.

[jenkins]

i like your emotions. of course, i'm a character person, and i think sucking the dream thing and character thing out of the movie leaves you with nothing. at least give me the people!


"Maybe there really wasn't an America, maybe it was only Frank Capra." -John Cassavetes

^i've heard this was first said by orson welles. point is, the american dream has always been a story. if you can't believe it, please make a john cassavetes movie instead. however bleak, he didn't forget his people

[Mel]

i like your emotions. of course, i'm a character person, and i think sucking the dream thing and character thing out of the movie leaves you with nothing. at least give me the people!

This is almost universal complain in the most reviews of "Out of the Furnace": film is too thin, without the place for audience to throw an anchor. I agree with that as I find very few reasons not too like the film and at the same time very few reasons for loving it.