OUT OF THE FURNACE ends up something of an ironic title for Scott Cooper’s latest feature, as it never burns with intense drama. This isn’t to say that the film is stone cold, but it relies on great visuals and a superb performance from Christian Bale to turn up the heat.

Bale plays Russell Baze, a down-to-earth blue collar worker who takes his brother Rodney (Casey Affleck) – newly returned from several tours in Iraq – under his wing. The younger Baze is not the best decision maker, and when Russell returns to his rust-belt Pennsylvanian town following a drink-driving incident, he finds his brother on a self-destructive path – circled by Harlan DeGroat (Woody Harrelson) and a gang of bloodthirsty hicks from adjacent New Jersey.

There is much to admire in OUT OF THE FURNACE, but the problem is that a combination of familiarity and a lack of spark…

There is much to admire in OUT OF THE FURNACE, but the problem is that a combination of familiarity and a lack of spark leaves it feeling fleeting. Woody Harrelson, although watchable as ever, plays a template cinema psychopath that may as well have been labeled ‘Woody Harrelson Type’. It’s a role he plays with aplomb, but the typecasting has well and truly set in. There are no surprises here.

The film owes much to American cinema from days gone by, not least the measured tone. OUT OF THE FURNACE is not in a rush, and this gives rise to fair deal of touching scenes that are given space to breathe. A particularly well-managed scene between Bale and Zoe Saldana is both heartbreaking and understated – one of those scenes where the power lies in what goes unsaid.

However, when the film needs to kick into dramatic life it fails to do so. For an accomplished team on both sides of the camera, there is a simple lack of originality. Bale’s inability to shoot a majestic deer is not only clichéd but an unnecessary reference to fellow Pennsylvania-based tale of blue-collar despair THE DEER HUNTER.

The final confrontation is heavily signposted to the point of being an on-screen Sat Nav, and political nods are dealt with in a heavy-handed manner. Much like Andrew Dominik’s more overtly politicised KILLING THEM SOFTLY, the film resonates with contemporary politics via TV broadcasts in the background – in this case, an earnest speech from Ted Kennedy.

The good aspects of OUT OF THE FURNACE outweigh the less imaginative elements.

However, the good aspects of OUT OF THE FURNACE marginally outweigh the less imaginative elements. Masanobu Takayanagi’s cinematography is as effective as it was in the surprisingly thoughtful THE GREY in 2011, albeit we have the Appalachians rather than Alaska. It’s not until the closing minutes that Scott Cooper’s direction adds the dynamism needed to lift the story to the higher level that the acting and visuals often deserve; although accomplished, OUT OF THE FURNACE is unlikely to be branded onto the viewer’s conscience.

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