December II, 20,3
Fortiani» (Obserucr
Page 9
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Alberta
North Portland
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Vancouver
East County
Beaverton
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photo courtesy R elativity M edia
Christian Bale and Zoe Saldana star in ‘Out of the Furnace, ’ the new feature film about working class characters chafing against the failure of the American Dream.
Rust Belt Dignity
O pinionated
J udge
Stellar cast gives ‘Out of the Furnace' much to savor
here is no shortage of films featuring
stories of working class characters chaf
ing against the failure of the American
dream. The elements of such stories are
familiar — there will be violence, male
characters will outnumber female char
acters (six to one is not unusual), and
someone is sure to spend time in the
military or in prison. "Out of the Fur
nace" contains these familiar elements,
and its plot and themes aren't particu
larly original or insightful. Where this
film rises above similar fare is in the
particularity of its characters; director
Scott Cooper ("Crazy Heart") evidently
knows how to elicit the most specific
performances from his stellar cast, and
the film's pleasures lie in experiencing a
familiar story told with dignity and reso
nance.
The film is set in the actual town of
Braddock, Pennsylvania, a fitting ex
ample of a rust belt city hit hard by the
decline of American industry. The streets
and houses look gray and worn; neither
energy nor resources have been invested
in their upkeep for some time. Russell
Baze (Christian Bale, never better), has
in Ji
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followed in his father's footsteps work
ing in the local mill, sometimes double
shifts trying to stay ahead of the gam
bling debts and other trouble courted by
his younger brother Rodney (Casey
Affleck). Rodney has served three tours
in Afghanistan and is headed for a fourth;
what likely seemed a reasonable, even
desirable alternative to hometown op
tions has clearly left him unhinged and
desperate to numb the memories of what
he has seen and done.
Each man's choices make sense in
their context. There's tenderness be
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tween them that wears like the connect
edness of brothers who made trouble
together and had bigger dreams than
what life offered them. You sense that
their choices followed their childhood
inclinations, that even as boys, Rodney
was the one who took foohardy risks,
and Russell, the more centered. Russell's
choices are the practical decisions of a
man of strong will; one works to live, not
to be satisfied; one does the tasks in front
of him. He faithfully visits his ailing
continued
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