Out of the Furnace (2013)
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The story
Russell Baze, an ex-con steel mill worker in the Appalachian/Rust Belt region of Pennsylvania, lives with his brother Rodney, a United States Army veteran. When Rodney disappears after participating in an illegal prize fight arranged by a bar owner and a ruthless drug dealer, Russell sets out to find him. After a period of incarceration for a separate incident, Russell returns to his job at a mill facing closure. He eventually learns of Rodney's involvement in a more lucrative, dangerous fight and begins a desperate search for his brother, leading him into the dangerous territory of rural New Jersey.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Russell Baze, a steel mill worker in North Braddock, Pennsylvania, lives with his brother Rodney, a veteran of four Iraq War tours. Rodney owes money to John Petty, a bar owner who runs illegal games. After Russell is imprisoned for vehicular manslaughter, he returns home to find Rodney has entered a dangerous illegal prize fight to repay his debt. Rodney is forced into a fight against Harlan DeGroat, a sociopathic meth dealer from New Jersey. During the fight, Rodney takes a dive, but DeGroat kills both Petty and Rodney on the drive home. Russell, alerted to Rodney's disappearance, travels to the Ramapo Mountains with his uncle, Red. They are escorted by a deputy sheriff who warns them of DeGroat's violence. After learning of Rodney's death from the local police chief, Russell tracks down DeGroat. He sabotages DeGroat's van and shoots him twice at a bar. As the police arrive, Russell shoots DeGroat in the back of the head. The film ends with Russell sitting alone at a dining table, implying he avoided prison through an arrangement with the police chief.
- First release year
- 2013
- Runtime (minutes)
- 116
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Scott Cooper
- Writers
- Brad Ingelsby · writer; Scott Cooper · writer
- Genres
- crime drama; crime thriller; action drama; action thriller
- Themes
- revenge; poverty; deindustrialization; post-traumatic stress disorder; brotherhood
- Tone and mood
- noir; gritty; pensive
- Premise and plot tags
- crime; drama; thriller; revenge; veterans; steel industry; methamphetamine
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Low Dweller, a spec script written by Brad Ingelsby.
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics but was praised for its cast performances. It was a box office failure, grossing $15.7 million against a $22 million budget.
- Awards and nominations
- Satellite Award · Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture · 18th · Nomination; Saturn Award · Best Independent Film · 40th · Nomination; Rome Film Festival · best first or second film · 2013 · Win
- Production trivia
- Christian Bale wore a tattoo of Braddock's ZIP code, 15104, on his neck as an homage to the town's then-mayor.; The story has no relation to the 1941 historical novel Out of This Furnace.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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