Out of the Furnace

This is a hard-hitting melodrama about people living in an economically depressed steel mill town where in order to survive people find themselves in desperate situations. Christian Bale is Russel, a decent man who works hard in the mill and works even harder to keep his younger, Iraqi-war vet brother, Rodney (Casey Affleck) away from the loan-sharks and from slimy hoods like Woody Harrelson, who manages bare-knuckle fights. Harrelson is outstanding as a sadist who loves money, drugs and beating upon people. And Bale breaks your heart as an honest man trying to deal with a recent broken love affair, a terminally ill father and an unmanageable brother. All this leads to a pathway of violence and revenge. I hope this movie is not ignored by those enamoured with hobbits and other holiday spectacular entertainments. It's a gem. But, beware there are violent incidents. But, to see these great actors at work is well worth it.