Les brasiers de la colère

Star studded cast, including one of the greats of this generation, Christian Bale. The acting is phenomenal. Harrelson always makes a great psycho. Scott Cooper is undeniably one of Hollywood's more distinguished directors of intense movies, and just as capable as anyone at evoking emotional power through a camera.

With all of that said, 'Out of the Furnace' has a slow, yet constant pace. It never has a moment where it really picks up. I believe this to be quite purposeful, as it emphasis the hopelessness and depression of both the characters and it's setting.

A good sense of realism though out the film. Nothing was too exaggerated, and was really quite believable.

When I saw the cast list, I knew there would be some wonderful performances, but I was surprised at how they uniformly surpassed my expectations. I believe it's Bale's best work so far, and that's saying something. Likewise with Affleck, Harrelson and Saldana. The rest of the cast was wonderful as well.

There is one scene in particular (I won't spoil it here) where an actor lets loose in a way that careful directors and nervous producers would normally edit out. I applaud Scott Cooper for breaking the rule that films are meant to entertain (and earn millions), and raw emotion that feels too close to reality is to be avoided. It's inelegant, and not what we want to see from stars, especially attractive ones. Cooper lets people be people, and I find that incredibly refreshing.

I was immediately invested in the characters -- warts and all. As painful as many of their decisions were to watch, I went along for those very bumpy rides, because any other course taken would be untrue for these characters.

I recently saw "12 Years A Slave," and feel inclined to mention that I sense a new, somewhat subversive style of filmmaking emerge -- and maybe a wonderful new culture in Hollywood. (At least I hope so.) It's one where films about extraordinary hardship are treated a way that doesn't hold back, glamorize or otherwise mollify them.

In my opinion, when Hollywood slicks up violence (as it almost always does), it informs us that we shouldn't really be moved by its tragedy. We aren't shaken to the core and inspired to stop suffering wherever we can. That's shameful. So kudos to Cooper and to Steve McQueen for embracing a reality in their films that reconnects us with humanity instead of suggesting it's okay to blithely mock it.

If I have any criticism of this film, it's that two scenes where one plays out as a metaphor for the other may not have been necessary. Otherwise, I feel the writing is disciplined and at the same time very rich and rewarding.

The potential horrors of poverty and a lack of opportunity on display in this film are dealt with in a way that exempts political bias, and that in itself is a huge accomplishment.

A sense of hope exists amidst the heartache of this film. I will see it again.

To be honest, after watching the trailer, i watched this movie only cause it had Bale in it. But it turned out to be surprisingly good with strong performances from everyone involved. Casey Affleck and Zoe Saldana deliver good work on screen. Woody Harelson is also very convincing as the Red neck villain. The director has managed to paint a pretty vivid picture of the environment that he wanted to portray. The storytelling is very engaging. Thumbs up to the director and his team for this effort. In the end, no review can be complete without praising the man who continues to amaze with each performance, Christian Bale. Believable and heart warming in this one. He manages to accomplish the one thing which was most needed from anyone who played this character and that is being able to get the audience to empathize with it. Bale succeeds and then some. Clearly one of his best works till date, and he has an impressive resume already to choose from. A must Watch movie of 2013.

This film is carried my the fabulous actors that starred in it. Having said that, it's worth watching. It could have been better but it's a good, down to earth flick.

All star cast, probably one of the best that have come together in a film. Ever. Every one at the top of their game. Score fit perfectly. It's not a Hollywood action, Not over the top and not boring either. It doesn't fixate too much on anything in particular and just tells it's story coherently. You can't get too much better than that. A script with touch of sincerity, with a director whom knew exactly where to take it, and actors and actresses able to sink into the roles and bring it to life. It's not the most amazing movie I've ever seen but it's a masterpiece of sorts, for sure.