I'll get this out of the way first: this a great movie, with great characters. There's a theme that runs throughout the movie and interweaves throughout most of the characters - finding a movie with a solid theme now-a-days is hard but one that touches the characters of the movie is even harder. This movie also represents the working class people of American with respect and not in a joking, stupid way that Hollywood seems to think they are.
The cast list alone makes this movie worth watching - and let me tell you everyone in this movie does a great job of bringing this story to life. Christian Bale proves once again what a great, brilliant actor he's become, no matter what role he's playing. In all honesty he's almost touching the mountain top of Daniel Day-Lewis, and I'm not joking about that. This movie is directed by Scott Copper, whose last movie was Crazy Heart, starring Jeff Bridges, and Out of the Furnace proves Crazy Heart was no fluke. This is a great sophomore effort by Copper as he continues to create great characters and lets them move and breathe in his story. His stories are very character driven and are all the better for it as I can tell he really cares about them and he treats his character with respect as he doesn't let them ever get out of character but they stay true to the roots he's laid down for them. Just based on this I can tell you I'm looking forward to his next movie. This is a director, that right now, needs to be on the radar, his next movie will determine how much of his own hype he's swallowed. Here's hoping he hasn't taken that pill but remains true to himself as these first two movies proved what a unique voice he has.
A couple of things I really liked about this movie. The title of the movie Out of the Furnace lays down the theme, which I found to be getting out of whatever Furnace (heat/work/trouble/relationship) the character might be in. This theme is clearly woven into the lives of the characters in the movie. Bales characters works in the Furnace of the movie so his getting "Out" of the Furnace takes on a more literal meaning. Casey Afflecks character's Furnace deals with him getting Out of the Furnace that the war in Iraq has brought to his life and the means and measures he'll go to get Out of that Furnace. These are just two of the characters I found where the theme played in their lives. I won't go into more detail about the other characters but I'll let you find it in the other characters.
I really like the production of this movie. It really felt like a working class town. The clothes, the sets, the on location shooting helped to bring this story and characters to life. This movie has strings of The Deer Hunter and Winter's Bone running throughout it but didn't seem as if anything was stolen but more borrowed - paid homage to - inspired by - because this movie was its own beast in all ways, shapes, and forms.
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