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Category:    Home > Reviews > Drama > Crime > Murder > Character Study > Poverty > Drugs > Urban > Revenge > Out Of The Furnace (2013/Fox Blu-ray)

Out Of The Furnace (2013/Fox Blu-ray)


Picture: A Sound: A Extras: B+ Movie: A



Out of the Furnace is a powerful and gritty drama from Scott Cooper, the director of Crazy Heart. The cast alone is staggering - Christian Bale, Woody Harrelson, Willem Dafoe, Casey Affleck, Zoe Saldana, Sam Shepard, and Forest Whitaker to name a few. Oh and it was also produced by some guys named Ridley Scott and Leonardo DiCaprio. In my opinion it was one of the best films of last year.


The film is about struggle, brutality, loss, and hope and isn't for the squeamish. Out of the Furnace was primarily shot in Braddock, Pennsylvania and Moundsville, West Virginia and has a very realistic, gritty, and run down feel. Nothing is glorified but rather true to what you would actually see if you went to the locations. Due to the film's early December release, I feel as if it was overshadowed by The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and other Oscar hyped releases and didn't get the numbers it deserved in the box office. Luckily for us, Fox has released this great disc with some really cool extras and a great transfer and now the film should find its full audience in all its glory. If you missed this in the cinemas then you owe it to yourself to check it out.


Working hard at the local steel mill to provide for himself and his dying father, Christian Bale plays Russell Baze who is a man with both heart and dedication. He's in a loving relationship with his girlfriend Lena Taylor (Zoe Saldana), but has a soldier brother Rodney (Casey Affleck) who has a habit of getting himself in too deep. When Russell finds out Rodney is betting on horse races and is in debt way over his head with shady club owner John Petty (Willem Dafoe) he attempts to help him in any way that he can. But when Russell goes out drinking one night, he finds himself in an accidental DUI incident, killing an innocent child and thrown behind bars.


Convicted in a state penitentiary for several years, Russell finds out that his Father has passed and that his Brother has just come back home from a tour in Iraq. Once released from prison and put back out in the real world again, Russell finds out that Rodney has been making money by underground fighting in a desperate attempt to get him out of debt with John Petty. He also finds out that his old flame Lena Taylor (Zoe Saldana) has been dating a local Police Officer (Forest Whitaker) and is going to start a family with him. Times get tougher when Rodney disappears upon the appearance of the shady Harlan Degroat and leaves Russell on a desperate search to find him.


The antagonist of the film is Woody Harrelson who plays Harlan Degroat, and his performance is simply stellar. Harlan is a man you don't want to mess with, which is proven in the first scene of the film where he assaults a woman with a hot dog and beats the thunder out of a man at a drive in theater. His chemistry with Christian Bale in the film is fantastic and you really feel like they are both at each others throats during the film's final act. Especially after seeing True Detective on HBO and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire a few months ago and then Woody's performance in this you can really see his range as an actor. Another great addition to the film is the soundtrack, with a main theme by Pearl Jam and a haunting score by Dinkon Hinchcliffe that set the stage for the film's intensely realistic setting.


The 2.35 X 1, 1080p digital high definition transfer was shot on 35mm film and is full of deeply saturated colors and beautiful tones that are crisp and crystal clear throughout the film. The transfer is simply stunning and detailed- every fiber in the clothing is visible in the close-ups and dirty exterior shots are captured fragment by fragment. The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) lossless 5.1 mix is equal with beautiful sound environments including the busy steel mill sequences and much softer for some of the characters' more intimate conversations. Punches during the fight sequences hit you from all sides and makes you feel like you're in the middle of it all. Aside from the seeing the film in the theater, you really can't ask for a better presentation.


Extras include Inspiration as the stars of Out of the Furnace reveal what inspired them to become actors, A Conversation with Co-Writer and Director Scott Cooper, Crafting the Fight Scenes, and The Music of Out of the Furnace. Ultraviolet Digital Copy is also included.



- James Lockhart


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