A film you should see

Title: Out of the Furnace (2013)
Director: Scott Cooper
Writers: Brad Ingelsby, Scott Cooper
Starring: Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Willem Defoe, Woody Harrelson, Sam Shepard, Zoe Saldana, Forest Whitaker
Running Time: 116 min
 

Out of the Furnace may at first appear to be a crime drama set in the underbelly of a small American town, in the vein of classics such as No Country for Old Men, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead or Fargo. And it is that. And it's a very good film in this genre. But it's also a timely and poignant look at the state of America as it is today.

Christian Bale plays Russell Baze, a factory worker at the town mill, struggling to make ends meet but seemingly content with his lot in life, which includes his girlfriend, played by Zoe Saldana. His brother, Casey Affleck, is an army vet, returned from Iraq and gambling money he borrows from local crime shark John Petty, played by Willem Defoe. 

Russell's life quickly gets turned upside down. Fast forward a few years, and he is out of prison, his girlfriend has left him for the local sheriff, Forest Whitaker, and his brother is on the road to self destruction. Seemingly at the crossroads, his brother begins illegal streetfighting to make money, and engages Willem Defoe to organise a fight with a crime gang higher up the food chain, led by Woody Harrelson. When his brother goes missing, Russell Baze will stop at nothing to find him.

At face value this is a great noir crime-drama. The acting is superb, as you would expect from a stellar cast such as this. Woody Harrelson is particularly menacing as a psychotic crime/drug lord. But what gives this film that extra weight is the current climate that America finds itself in. This is a slice of life of millions of Americans today. Casey Affleck's portrayal of an Iraq War army vet is haunting. When Christian Bale mentions to him there is no shame in working for a living, he explodes. "I've given my life for this country. What has it done for me?" He has faced the horrors of war, sacrificed his all for his country, only to find nothing waiting for him when he returned. He is alone, broke, with no hope and no prospects.

Christian Bale's character seemingly accepts his lot in life. His father is dying, but he has a job and a girlfriend. However one mistake and the system strips everything from him. Now he has nothing. His dad dies while he is in prison. His girlfriend leaves him while he is in prison. He manages to get his old job back, but word is the factory will soon close, it's cheaper to import steel from China. As he drinks at the bar, the TV shows a politician shouting that it's time to elect Obama, for the country to change. The world on the screen is a million miles from the reality these people live in. 

Out of the Furnace is not a political film. The points are made subtly, and can be ignored as just scene setting, which is perfectly fine. It's a great crime/drama with a great story and wonderful acting. However, when taken as a whole it is a much richer experience. The constant feeling of foreboding in the atmosphere, the bleakness of the setting, the melancholy of the characters. This is a story of America. This is a quite brilliant movie.