When Rodney Baze mysteriously disappears and law enforcement doesn't follow through fast enough, his older brother, Russell, takes matters into his own hands to find justice. Out of the Furnace is a gritty, depressing and very much entertaining drama that elevates from excellent perfomances by Christian Bale, Casey Affleck and Woody Harrelson. This is a very slow paced movie and it's definitely not for everyone and i know that but if you give it the chance to move you and basically to entertain you you'll see that it was worth the price. (8/10)

Russell, an average guy, working at a steel mill in a remote village, gets arrested for causing an accident. In the meantime, his girlfriend dumps him and his brother, Rodney, gets involved in some nasty fights, not willing to work like a normal person.As you would expect, Rodney's "business" doesn't go as it was hoped, he gets involved with the wrong guy and gets murdered. As the police must follow procedure, thus taking a very long and agonizing time, Russell decides he must do something about it. But don't imagine here that he will go and beat the bad guy up, or shoot him, or something...nooo, he wastes his time waiting for the police until the movie is close to the end, makes a phone call, lures him in his village, takes revenge and the end. As simple as that. What a movie! It has two hours, one wasted on boring and mundane events, half of the other brings some drama, but not too much because it might hurt somebody, while the last part tries to make up for the lack of interest and excitement the movie inspired until that point by providing the much lusted revenge.To say this movie was a waste of time would simply be a compliment for it. Besides the fact that is as boring as it can be, it also features two big stupid and disappointing sequences, on which the movie bases, which make you scratch your head, to say the least. The only positive aspect about this movie is, as usual, the actors, who do their part very well. If it wasn't for them, I would have closed the TV after at most half an hour.

What an all star cast. Bale, Shepard, Affleck (Casey, the talented one), Harrelson, Defoe. What a waste. This story-line had great potential, but I guess the trend in Hollywood today is to depress the hell out of every viewer in a desperate tactic to be "edgy." Here's an question for Hollywood screenwriters: will it kill you to try make movies with a tad bit of hope included? Now, excuse me, because after watching this, I need to make an appointment with my therapist.

OUT OF THE FURNACE is a simmering story of revenge, betrayal, and murder, brought to life via a couple of volatile performances from the leading actors. Altogether it's rather familiar story and one which has been done time and time again in the cinemas, but then this film isn't really about the story at all but rather the mood, the ambiance of the thing. The director's goal is to realise some of the simmering tension of the likes of BADLANDS, charting a ruthless small town America where death and destruction are just around the corner and people are happy to turn a blind eye to such events in their midst.I was a bit disappointed with the lack of story in this film, which seems to drag out the most basic plot ingredients to double their real length. However, the performances more than make up for it. Christian Bale is saddled with what amounts to a rather basic character as the lead, but he does very well with it (unsurprisingly) and is 100% realistic. Casey Affleck is more of an actor I can take or leave, and I found I didn't really care about his predicament. However, Woody Harrelson is the scene-stealer here, portraying a man full of bullish aggression, a guy who you can feel the hatred coming off in waves. He's completely scary, the sort of person you would pray at never having to cross paths with in real life, and his performance alone gives this film an extra star.