Blu-ray Review: Out of the Furnace

Woody Harrelson and Christian Bale in Out of the Furnace

Disclosure: I am a Fox Home Entertainment Insider and was provided with a review copy of Out of the Furnace in exchange for this post. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own.

 I didn't get to see Out of the Furnace when it was in theaters, because it was not screened for the general public. It's been on my list for a while now, however, because the trailer looked good, and also because of its fantastic cast: Christian Bale, Woody Harrelson, Forrest Whitaker, and Casey Affleck, just to name a few. So I was excited when I received a copy in the mail from FHE to review.

The synopsis of this film from IMDb is: "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."

Christian Bale in Out of the Furnace

There were a lot of things I liked about this movie and some I did not.

Likes: Fantastic cast and acting. Christian Bale was totally believable as a man searching for his brother, and Woody Harrelson stole the show as a thug whom Bale's brother (Casey Affleck) worked for, as a street fighter struggling to pay off a debt.

Dislikes: It was very slow-paced, and if you're a longtime reader of my blog you know my feelings on slow-paced movies. (they're hard for me to watch/sit through)

Out of the Furnace movie posterAlso, SPOILER - Bale searching for his brother seemed a little redundant because we already see a scene where Harrelson's character shoots and kills the brother. It's when the film turns into a revenge movie that things start to get interesting again.

The Blu-ray edition has some neat stuff on it that you won't find on other versions. These include:
  • Featurette on the casts' inspiration for why they do what they do (acting)
  • Featurette on Scott Cooper
  • Crafting the Fight Scenes
  • The Music of Out of the Furnace

Ultimately, if you can stand the slow pace, I'd give this movie a Yes to see, because of the character development and acting. The ending was a little shocking to me as well, but I can understand the character's motivations for doing what he did (sorry for being vague ...). The scenery/cinematography and the music in the film were great as well. This movie was kind of overlooked at the box office, it seems, but it has a respectable 52% on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of this writing, and 59% from "Top Critics." 

Out of the Furnace is rated R with a runtime of 116 minutes. 3.25 stars out of 5.

Popular Posts

Review: Polar Pizza at Baskin-Robbins

Image
*Disclosure: I received a gift card to try the new Polar Pizza at Baskin-Robbins. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. Baskin-Robbins launched its Polar Pizza last month (July), as I talked about in my recent post about them, and because this past month was crazy busy for me, I didn't get to try the Polar Pizza until this past Sunday. My parents and I went to the combined Dunkin' Donuts / Baskin-Robbins near them, in Novi, MI, to split one of the ice cream pizzas.
Read more

Upcoming and GIVEAWAY: Mamma Mia! at the Fisher Theatre, Detroit, April 23-28 {ends Dec. 12}

Image
*Disclosure: I have an ongoing media relationship with Broadway in Detroit. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. MAMMA MIA! will be playing at the Fisher this April, from April 23-28, and I'm excited to see it—I'm a big fan of the movies but I've never seen the Broadway show. About the show: Since premiering in London in 1999 and on Broadway in 2001, the irresistible musical has captured the hearts of millions around the globe. The sunny, funny tale of a mother, a daughter and three possible dads on a Greek island paradise, all unfolding to the storytelling magic of ABBA’s timeless songs, has now been seen live on stage by 65 million people across the world and turned into two record-breaking movies – MAMMA MIA! The Movie and MAMMA MIA! Here We Go Again. To date, MAMMA MIA! has been seen in 50 productions in 16 different languages grossing more than $4 billion at the box office. MAMMA MIA! opened on Broadway in 2001 where it played for a record-breaking 14 year
Keep reading

GIVEAWAY: Duel in the D, February 10 at Little Caesars Arena, Detroit {ends 1/10}

Image
*Disclosure: I have an ongoing media relationship with 313 Presents. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I had a great time at Duel in the D last year—I'm a UM alum, but I had only ever seen ONE hockey game in my life at that point, and this was the second one.  I'm looking forward to it again this year, and one of my lucky readers will win a 4-pack of tickets to experience it as well! About the game: The return of college hockey is headed to Little Caesars Arena with the annual “Duel in the D,” presented by Meijer, set for Saturday, February 10 at 8:30 p.m.  The fans of Hockeytown will be treated to one of the most intense and exciting rivalries in college hockey, as the Michigan Wolverines and Michigan State Spartans men’s ice hockey teams will add another chapter in their storied rivalry and clash for the “Iron D” Trophy.  The “Duel in the D” matchup features the most-played rivalry in college hockey. The game will mark the 346th all-time meeting between the h
Keep reading