MovieGuy1990

The movie starts in a confession booth where the main character pours out his heart and talks about losing his faith in god while the priest's shadow disappears. I thought that was a fantastic way to start this movie, which becomes a horror movie as much as an examination of faith. There's a lot going on this fairly slow paced indie movie. It's not perfect, but it's good. Every scene is needed for the end game. It does get going after awhile but if you're looking for a studio slasher then I would suggest looking elsewhere. The score, sound, sets and cinematography are all top notch. Martin Harris is really strange and good, Bee Vang is great and the rest of the cast works fine. This is more Rosemary's Baby than Halloween or Exorcist for that matter. It's also certainly not the brainless horror we have all become so accustomed to. Check it out if you're looking for a creepy story with some unique surprises.

A young bachelor, James (Scott Speedmen), plans to propose to Kristen, (Liv Tyler). He's planned a night on the town in his hometown, which "uh oh" is a sleepy and dark haven in the woods. They stay at his family's old place. There is rose pedals and good champagne. Finally, he proposes and she says "No."

It's four in the morning when Kirsten says. "I'm just not ready." So, I guess, for this hopeful bachelor this may not be the end. The two begin to make love... Someone knocks on the door. It's a younger female, who sounds drugged out. She asks for someone who isn't there. It's disturbing, but it's already been one hell of a night. And they really don't think much of it. James leaves to get cigarettes. Kristen walks around in an abysmal daze. We're left to wonder about their future. It's a choice premise for any movie, really, and we forget we're watching a horror film. That's when the mask appears outside the window…

The ominous lighting captured by Peter Sova, (The Proposition), is essential to the execution of this film, as it not only narrates the troubling story of this couple, but also foreshadows the doom and terror that ensues. From here, more masked villains appear and trap her in the house. They taunt and torture her. We're left to wonder if James will return or if he's somehow behind this. Without giving too much away, that's basically the rest of the movie. The antagonists and their intentions might remain mysterious throughout which would be fine, but one problem is we never discover anything else about our heroes. Everything we learn about them is within the first twenty minutes…

The Strangers starts as a slow burn and then boils quickly. It wraps up within ninety minutes and while it isn't as a complex or tantalizing as say Funny Games, it's still absolutely watchable and a perfect rental for the Halloween season.

Scott Cooper takes a sharp turn from the school book tone of his last film Crazy Heart and brings us to a more dismal world in Out of the Furnace. Our hero, Russel Baze, (played smartly by Christian Bale), is a well intentioned and responsible man who in trying to protect his brother meets cruel and cold irony and is sent wayward in this ruined world. Meanwhile his brother returns from deployment with a terrible case of post traumatic stress disorder and brings his chaos into the "imbred" and lawless hills of New Jersey, led by the degenerate Harlan Degroat, (Woody Harrelson).

Now, the story in the vein of films like Deer Hunter and Winter's Bone, two films I personally admire for capturing the delicacy of people amid depressed communities. It's hard to say this film doesn't measure up. The lighting, sound, cinematography, editing, story, are all accomplished with the utmost professionalism. However, if the script fell into the wrong hands its flaws would easily be detected because the weakness of its integrity would show. The story takes too many short cuts to get where it needs to go. Some might already find it slow. It is after all a vignette of the decline of our hero.

However, what really made this movie work for me was the brilliant performances of the trait. William Dafoe as a local and smart small time boss. Sam Shepard as the uncle, a face of masculinity and integrity, Tom Bower as a complex and familiar bartender and gate man. Casey Affleck as the young and traumatized brother, Forrest Whitaker as the conflicted cop, Zoe Saldana as the girlfriend. Though, it's Harrelson who really steals the show, he's evil, beyond logic and powerful You can't wait to see him again and that antagonistic combination is rare and even more scarcely pulled off.

Out of the Furnace won't be nominated for best screenplay. However, in my eyes, it should get a nod for everything else.