Out of the Furnace

Genre: Crime/Drama
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Christian Bale, Wood Harrelson, Casey Affleck and Forrest Whitaker. 
Running: 116mins

Out of the Furnace...wow! What a cast we have here. Director Scott Cooper has managed to gather a collection of fine actors who try so hard to make this movie stand out. It does, kind of. 

There is a big gap between Crazy Heart (2009) and even further back with Austin Powers: The spy who shagged me (1999). Jeff Bridges picked up an award for best actor in Cooper's Crazy Heart respectively.

Out of the Furnace is a bleak outlook on the economic crises and its impact on every character surrounding the small town of Rust Belt, Pennsylvania. Unlike his brother, Russell (Christian Bale) is proud to work in the old mill which seems like the only place willing to feed the majority of blue-collar workers. Russell is struggling to cope after losing his missus (Zoe Saldana) to Wesley Barnes (Forrest Whitaker) following a drunken car crash. Fresh out of jail, Russell is desperate to put the past behind him. On the other hand younger brother Rodney (Casey Affleck) is haunted by his servings in the Iraq war. Desperate for money, Rodney takes up bare-knuckle boxing through local gambler and money launderer John Petty (William Defoe).

When Russell finds out about Rodney's blood sport antics he fails in a bid to make him see straight. From there we follow Rodeny down a dark road which leads him to Satan himself Harlan Degroat (Wood Harrelson). Harlan offers Rodney some fights, however Rodney is unaware of the potential outcome of dealing with such an individual.

It is Prisoners all over again as Wesley informs Russell of Rodney's disappearance leading to a build of anger and worry. Destined to take the law into his own hands, Russell struggles to cope with the possibility of never seeing his brother again.

Out of the Furnace is smothered with different characters offering various angles to a film that struggles to hold down an official plot. The scenes are wonderfully shot with the old mill signifying the dirty setting of a troubled town. Far from warm, the woods are the haunting surroundings to an environment struggling to stay on its feet. It is the habitants that live amongst the existing villains of the town who are finding it hard to pack up an live a better life else where. And that is where Scott Cooper's movie tries reeling you in to find sympathy in the movie's protagonist Russell (Bale) when really there is none.

Out of the Furnace is a negative movie based on negative characters caught up in a time of financial crises. The only female in the movie is supposed to be relevant in the life of Russell but adds nothing to the movie. The movie is dominated by males, with Forrest Whitaker, Affleck, Dafoe all performing out of there skin. And that is the small problem with this movie; the method acting is so outstanding that it brushes aside any room for a plot resulting in an underwhelming story. Sure, Bale was ecstatic as always along with Harrelson who is terrifying and unforgettable. It almost suffers from the "villain disease",when a cast of excellences are out-shined by the antagonist; Lawless, Gangster Squad, it happens and this just happened. The scenes involving Harrelson are the most memorable with a climax that is merely satisfying but to look back at the movie you understand why Out of the Furnace was not one of the most talked about movies. It came in under the radar following the fantastic American Hustle which is probably a bit unfortunate for Scott Cooper but these things happen.

Out of the Furnace is not a bad movie (as some critics have labelled it) but you expect the director to create something more extravagant with the actors at hand.

Overall: It is watchable and enjoyable in parts. Christian Bale and Woody Harrelson are the heart and soul of a movie with no obvious plot - but when there is one (relating Casey Affleck) it's over before you know it.











Prisoners

Prisoners

Genre: Crime drama

Directed: Denis Villeneuve

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, Viola Davis and Terrance Howard.

Running: 153 Mins 

Following a thanksgiving gathering across the street, Keller (Jackman) and friend Franklin (Howard) find themselves calling their daughters names down a wet and windy suburban avenue. Alert of a suspicious van parked outside previously, Keller realises the daunting situation that both Anna and Joy's disappearance is subject to a double kidnapping. 

The streets become ever so lonely and the situation becomes a reality when the local police, including detective Loki (Gyllenhaal) turn up to gather some information regarding the daughters of both families. As Loki digs deeper into the possible characters involved, Keller struggles to maintain his peace, making matters worse for Loki, Franklin and everyone involved. While Loki is adamant and confident in finding the kidnapper, the circumstances become harder to accept with a plot revealing deeper answers as Loki thinks he has found the answer in Alex (Dano), only to unravel some loose ends in an investigation that becomes harder to tie up. 

Prisoners reels you in easily with a story that becomes ever so gripping but to say it is enjoyable may be the wrong word; more interesting and satisfying (in parts), with a gathering of dark scenes that leave a bad aura every time. Director Denis Villeneuve really hits home with this strong, relate-able topic, with its aggressive scenes and terrific performances from the cast, you could say the result is all too real to actually leave the cinema with a fine grin. It supplies a gritty, yet extremely depressive aura similar to that of David Fincher's Zodiac (2007) with its endless discovery moments yet as a member of the audience, it takes you back to square one every time.

The possibility of this happening quickly dawns on you from the beginning as Villeneuve's vision of relating it to factual kidnappings seeming all too real. Prisoners is a frightening tale of some wonderful, disturbing and dedicated characters that refuses any sense of euphoria from the very beginning.  

While Prisoners deserves much applause for its modern vision on a disturbing and quite existing society, Villeneuve assembles a great cast of actors to help create just that. It is one of the most nail biting atmospheric crime dramas of 2013 thus far. 

Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal maybe on the hunt for bragging rights at the Oscars this year, and while Jackman's performance is the most talked about, both men are countered for their own, personnel performances; ones that may stand a chance masterfully at the forth coming Oscars event. 

Prisoners is certainly not the most upbeat crime dramas of the year but its deep intentions are heartfelt. The performances from the all round cast are jaw dropping, with a plot seeking nothing less than sorrow from its audience. 

That's all for now guys, thanks for reading.