“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.
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