Out of the Furnace (Christian Bale)

[kvz5]

DVD comes out on the 11th.

I absolutely loved the bridge scene. There's something so natural and real about all the acting. IIRC, regardless of whether the review is good or bad, that scene was always singled out and praised in the reviews. It's definitely one of the most believable and heartbreaking scenes I've ever seen. I will also give props to Saldana there. She did her part in selling that scene to me.

 

[Tequilla]

DVD comes out on the 11th.

I absolutely loved the bridge scene. There's something so natural and real about all the acting. IIRC, regardless of whether the review is good or bad, that scene was always singled out and praised in the reviews. It's definitely one of the most believable and heartbreaking scenes I've ever seen. I will also give props to Saldana there. She did her part in selling that scene to me.

Incredibly natural. Its very rare that actors are able to capture that common behavior in a very naturalistic way. And he's able to build the whole film on that.

For instance when he leaves jail , no matter how good that scene is written on paper , Bale reaction simply sell the whole thing. I dont remember being so mesmerized by a performance since Rourke's work in Wrestler.

 

[kvz5]

Here's a great read where Scott Cooper (director) broke down the bridge scene between Bale and Saldana:

http://www.movies.com/movie-news/di...ut-furnacersquo/15159?wssac=164&wssaffid=news

He also mentioned that Woody Harrelson called it one of the best scenes ever performed.

 

[Bim]

DVD comes out on the 11th.

I absolutely loved the bridge scene. There's something so natural and real about all the acting. IIRC, regardless of whether the review is good or bad, that scene was always singled out and praised in the reviews. It's definitely one of the most believable and heartbreaking scenes I've ever seen. I will also give props to Saldana there. She did her part in selling that scene to me.

It's probably the most vulnerable performance i've ever seen from Bale. They just nailed it. I was so sad that they ignored them during awards season, because i thought they were definitely more worthy of nominations than American Hustle.

 

[ross2287]

Here's a review (more like a rambling essay) I wrote about the movie. Give it a read, if you'd like:

http://eleventhstack.wordpress.com/2014/04/10/burgh-on-film-out-of-the-furnace/

 

[Whiskey Tango]

Watched this tonight. Amusingly I was planning on mentioning how Bale nailed the scene with Zoe on the bridge and everyone is already going on about it. Harrelson was excellent as well. Great film.

And Casey Affleck... was Casey Affleck. I'm not much of a fan to be honest.

 

[Rowsdower!]

Just watched this. Absolutely loved it. This might be the best work Bale has EVER done and that's saying a lot. We've seen Bale play psychos, superheroes, drug addicts, con artists... but it speaks volumes about his talents as an actor when you see him in a film like this where he just plays a quiet, good-hearted, hard working guy who has fallen on some really bad luck and still absolutely wows you with his performance. It's a shame this film was ignored because it captivated me from start to finish.

As for the other performances... Woody Harrelson was brilliant as the redneck from hell. Definitely not a guy I'd ever want to run into. Casey Affleck was outstanding as the troubled vet who can't leave the fight behind. The scene between Affleck and Bale in the kitchen where he talks about all the sh** he saw in a Iraq is heartbreaking. And Zoe Saldana, though in a small role, really shines as a woman forced to live with the choices she made for herself. Oh, and I can't forget Sam Shepard and Willem Defoe, who are great in absolutely everything.

My only complaint is Whitaker and whatever the hell he was trying to do with his voice/accent. He sounded really strange. I'm not sure what was going on there.

The film as a whole also did a great job of capturing the Rust Belt feel. Being originally from Pittsburgh, I've known many people who watched the steel mills close and see their jobs sent overseas, and this was referenced in the film. All in all, this film was one of the best I've seen in a long time and it's a shame it didn't get more notice.

9.5/10