Out of the Furnace

Bale has given a number of memorable performances, but this just might be his best work to date.

In the meaty bad guy role, Harrelson entertainingly goes all the way, putting him way out there on the ledge with any of your favorite loonies, psychos and unhinged nutjobs.

The film is luckily powered by a powerful trio of performances at its core, and a unique, unpredictable structure that constantly reframes the action in a compelling way.

Out of the Furnace could have been a starkly powerful human drama or a cheesy, vibrant action film. It splits the difference and ends up playing like a lesser Springsteen song.

Subtle performances — especially from Bale and Affleck, both growing meaner in the absence of hope — transcend any structural weaknesses. The bottom drops out early for them, but their endgame is savagely captivating.

Devolves from an electrifying character study into a disappointing tale of trackdown and revenge.

It shambles and ambles, seemingly without focus or pattern, from one thing to the next. Yet at the same time, it's predictable, not from moment to moment, but in its outlines.

This is movie is no disappointment for fans of Christian Bale, Woody Harrelson, Casey Affleck, Willem Defoe, and Forrest Whitaker. I am not a movie goer, never mind television, but this movie is downright captivating. A true to life portrayal of life in the New Jersey backwoods of Ramapo...Hats off to all involved in this project and thank you for making a film that's as powerful as it is meaningful; touching on the subjects of drug addiction, family, military service and PTSD, the proletariat of America and human relationships. Well done!

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

the apt boost one always anticipates for.. Out Of The Furnace Out Of The Furnace is a character driven drama about the bonding between two brothers where nature tests it as it fluctuates with ups and downs. The first act where a series of events takes places and the maker is checking the temperature of the water, is depicted with mesmerizing chemistry and notions that makes it flow fluently and gives it the apt boost one always anticipates for. The background score is decent along with cinematography and fine editing but its sharp sound effects, detailed art designing and manually handled camera work that offers a more personal touch stands out extraordinarily. Bale is a revelation as always with its reserved yet caring impeccably expressive natured portrayal that makes you root for it from the first frame. Parallel to him, Affleck is an equal opponent of his where he is supported amazingly by Dafoe, Harrelson, Whittaker and Saldana who is surprisingly amazing especially in a sequence when she breaks a heartbreaking news to Bale. Cooper's execution is what fuels this and his gut-wrenching rawness where he justifies offering each character the space and range to factor in effectively and meddle a cast of such caliber through it. This revenge based tale brimmed with negative dark innuendos and emotions seems like that a writer settled for a narrower vision, its first half had an amazing potential to make it dirty and yet sensible, it chose more dirtier one. The narration is gripping and adaptive, but the blurred line in here is that it fails to separate an elaborative structure to an overstretched one. The gritty not-so-practical puches that makes the viewers bleed, the insight of an emotional catastrophic events bred among multiple characters and Bale's achingly stellar performance that fuels it even at its pit are the high points of the feature. Out Of The Furnace hits out of the park on terms of bullets and gunpowders but no matter what writers might suggest it ain't layered.

this film was not very good. i like the actors and respect their abilities but this film left me wanting. The director was going for art house dramatic but ended up with long and drawn out. i'm my mind you cant draw out a movie that blunt because the fact is, its blunt and to the point.

Arguably one of the most boring movies of 2013, Out of the Furnace suffers from a laid back, I don't care tone that gives us nothing to care about all the way to the end. By the midway point, the movie becomes exhausting and extremely predictable.