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In 2009, Scott Cooper directed Jeff Bridges to an Oscar for his role as a down-and-out country singer in the bleak drama, .nightsandweekends.com/articles/10/NW1000023.php>Crazy Heart. For his follow-up, Out of the Furnace, he offers up yet another grim story, told by yet another talented cast.
Out of the Furnace stars Christian Bale as Russell Baze, a gritty and responsible steel worker whose life revolves around his ailing father, his girlfriend, Lena (Zoe Saldana), and his troubled younger brother, Rodney (Casey Affleck). But when a tragic accident puts him behind bars, he loses almost everyone he cares about. When he gets out, all that’s left is Rodney, an aimless veteran who’s gotten caught up in the wrong crowd while his brother was away.
As Russell tries to get his life back on track, he tries to do the same for his brother—but Rodney’s involvement with a crime ring in the mountains lands him even deeper in trouble.
Out of the Furnace is the kind of character-driven drama that you can expect to see over and over again during the last couple of months of the year. It’s gloomy and depressing and heavy-handed—and it’s loaded with serious actors who are looking for some recognition for their performances.
There’s really nothing new or original to be found in this story about a responsible older brother who sacrifices everything for his wayward younger brother. We already know how this story is going to play out—but that doesn’t mean that what plays out here is even the slightest bit logical. Scott spends nearly half of the film developing Russell’s upright, respectable character. He’s a sweet, gentle man who cares for his sick dad, who loves and respects his girlfriend, and who does his best to keep his little brother out of trouble. When faced with situations that would send most of us over the edge, he remains calm and collected. He’s nothing short of saintly. Yet when his brother gets involved with some crazy backwoods crime boss, he goes against every one of the character traits that have been so meticulously developed by arming himself and his elderly uncle and heading for the hills. Sure, he loves his brother—but his reaction simply doesn’t fit the character.
The one thing that truly stands out about Out of the Furnace is its cast. Admittedly, some of the casting choices don’t make a whole lot of sense. Forest Whitaker seems out of place (and strangely gravelly) as the mild-mannered policeman who steals Russell’s girlfriend. But Woody Harrelson was perfectly cast as the dangerously unhinged bad guy—and Bale and Affleck work together in their performances as the two troubled brothers to give the film plenty of heart.
In the end, though, Out of the Furnace focuses more on characters and atmosphere than on action. The story is intriguing enough—and the cast is generally noteworthy—but it spends so much time developing the characters that there’s very little time left to build that careful development into a compelling (and believable) story. And the talented cast simply isn’t enough to set this slow-burning drama ablaze.
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