Out of the Furnace (2013, dir. Scott Cooper) ****/****

“Out of the Furnace” is a raw, gripping tale of individuals driven by their desires in response to circumstances beyond their control in a cruel, unforgiving environment.  It is a violent saga with blood spilled in bare-knuckled, back-room boxing matches and in acts of pure, desperate vengeance. 

The film stars Christian Bale as Russell, a second generation mill worker whose brother Rodney (Casey Affleck) is the aforementioned fighter and troubled gambler who can never seem to pay back his loans.  Russell has an African-American girlfriend, Lena (Zoe Saldana) who dreams of having children with him.  When Russell is jailed for killing someone while driving under the influence of alcohol his relationship ends, his father dies, and Rodney, no longer under his supervision, gets into further trouble.  Rodney, in his visit to Russell in prison elaborates on his bad memories of serving in the Gulf War and hints at PTSD.

Eventually, Russell is released.  We are, around this time, introduced to a character who is truly one of the most despicable, grotesque, and treacherous villains in the history of cinema.  The character’s name is Harlan DeGroat and he is played by Woody Harrelson.  This is a great performance by Harrelson in creating a monster.  In fact, all the performances in the film are phenomenal including smaller parts starring Sam Shepard and Willem Dafoe.   DeGroat lives in the backwoods five and a half hours away from where the main story takes place.  He is a vicious, drug-addicted hillbilly with a heart of pure evil.

Rodney is a proud, reckless young man who refuses to take falls when goaded by his loan-shark (Dafoe).  But, when DeGroat enters the picture things become more serious and lives are put at risk.  

This is a great film.  I won’t reveal anymore of the plot because it would be giving away some surprises.  This film is full of unexpected plot turns and interesting, multi-dimensional characters.  It is not your average, run-of-the-mill movie and will stay with you after it’s over.  2013 has turned out to be a great year for films and this is one of the better ones you will see this year.

The Book Thief (2013, dir. Brian Percival) ***/****

Brian Percival's "The Book Thief", based on a novel by Markus Zusak, is an poignant tale of a young girl's coming-of-age during World War II in Germany.  It stars Sophie Nelisse as Liesel, a girl who's widowed mother, a communist, gives up her daughter for adoption by a couple in a distant German town (Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson).   It is highly emotional, visceral and sheds lights on the harrowing and tragic circumstances faced by German citizens during the second World War.
    Liesel, it turns out, is the book thief of the title.  On her way to her foster family, she swipes a book titled "The Gravedigger's Handbook".  This will her first of many books in a life-long love-affair with the written word.  Liesel will affect in a profound way everyone she encounters in her new life.  She soon meets a neighbouring boy named Rudy (Nico Liersch) who's talent at running in foot-races lead him into trouble when he decides to imitate his favourite athelete, black American Olympic sprinter Jesse Owens.  Liesel and Rudy strike up an immediate bond that will sometimes get them into mischief and trouble.
   Liesel adopted mother does laundry for various people in the town.  One of these patrons is a couple living in a mansion.  When Liesel is assigned to drop of laundry to them, she is invited into the house by the woman to discover a vast library of a large collection of books.  Liesel is allowed to read here for a while but when the man of the house discovers this, he puts an end to it.  This forces Liesel to sneak into the house and steal books from the library (she does, however, return them).
    I don't want to give away the ending of this engrossing film.  All I can say is that it packs an emotional wallop and moves in unexpected directions.  The performances are great especially the lead, newcomer Nelisse.  This is a good film and is essential viewing for older children, young people, and adults alike.

All Is Lost (2013, dir. J.C. Chandor) ****/****

Robert Redford stars in “All is Lost”, a compelling tale of survival at sea.  In it, Redford is  the sailor of a yacht on a solo voyage of the Indian Ocean in a modern day setting.  When a shipping container ruptures the side of his boat, he must do what he can to mend the gaping hole and recover from a sudden influx of seawater into the vessel.  All sources of communication are lost and the whole movie basically consists of one survival game as forces of nature (a storm) and other mishaps force the protagonist to stare his own mortality in the face and do what he can to maintain calm and a last vestige of hope.  

  There is very little dialogue throughout this movie.  Only the occasional attempt at utterances over a faltering radio and one lone f-bomb.   The voice over narration at the beginning is the only back-story we are given in a letter that is read by Redford during the opening of the film.  We learn that he has a family but not much else and he apologizes to them for his predicament.  

  In the hands of another director or if another person were the star, this may have been a far less successful and more boring film but the resulting movie is so gripping thanks to J.C. Chandor’s expert direction and Robert Redford’s masterful performance.  Redford’s every gesture and movement is plush with meaning and emotion as he gradually realizes the dire nature of his circumstances.

The score by Mark Ebert is well-done as well and is highly evocative.  The score adds the appropriate foreboding atmosphere to the overall picture. 

This is one of the best pictures of the year and I highly recommend it.