Out of the Furnace is a 2013 American thriller film, directed by Scott Cooper, from a screenplay written by Cooper and Brad Ingelsby. Produced by Ridley Scott and Leonardo DiCaprio for Relativity Media, the film stars Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Zoe Saldana, Forest Whitaker, Willem Dafoe and Sam Shepard. The film received a limited release in Los Angeles and New York City on December 4, 2013, followed by a wide theatrical release on December 6.
| Out of the Furnace | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Scott Cooper |
| Written by | Brad Ingelsby Scott Cooper |
| Produced by | Jennifer Davisson Killoran Leonardo DiCaprio Ryan Kavanaugh Ridley Scott Michael Costigan |
| Starring | Christian Bale Woody Harrelson Casey Affleck Forest Whitaker Willem Dafoe with Zoe Saldana and Sam Shepard |
| Cinematography | Masanobu Takayanagi |
| Edited by | David Rosenbloom |
| Music by | Dickon Hinchliffe Eddie Vedder |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Relativity Media |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 116 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $22 million[1] |
| Box office | $5,327,000 [2] |
Plot
Russell Baze (Bale) and his younger brother Rodney Jr. (Affleck) live in the economically-depressed Rust Belt, and have always dreamed of escaping and finding better lives. But when a cruel twist of fate lands Russell in prison, his brother is lured into one of the most violent and ruthless crime rings in the Northeast – a mistake that will almost cost him everything. Once released, Russell must choose between his own freedom, or risk it all to seek justice for his brother.
Cast
- Christian Bale as Russell Baze
- Casey Affleck as Rodney Baze Jr.
- Woody Harrelson as Curtis DeGroat
- Zoe Saldana as Lena Warren
- Forest Whitaker as Wesley Barnes
- Willem Dafoe as John Petty[3]
- Sam Shepard as Red
Production
Development
The film was produced by Relativity Media, with Jeff Waxman, Tucker Tooley and Brooklyn Weaver serving as executive producers.[4] Director Scott Cooper read an article about Braddock, Pennsylvania, a declining steel industry town outside of Pittsburgh, and the efforts to revitalize it, led by mayor John Fetterman. After visiting, Cooper was inspired to use the borough as the backdrop for a film.[5] Cooper developed the story from The Low Dweller, a spec script written by Brad Ingelsby that had actor Leonardo DiCaprio and director Ridley Scott attached.[6] The studio offered the script to Cooper, which he rewrote, drawing on his experience of growing up in Appalachia and losing a sibling at a young age.[7] DiCaprio and Scott stayed on as producers of the film.[6] The story has no relation to Out of This Furnace, a 1941 historical novel by Thomas Bell, set in Braddock.[8] The Hollywood Reporter reported the film's budget to be $22 million.[1]
Filming
Principal photography began in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area on April 13, 2012, and wrapped on June 1, 2012. The majority of filming took place in Braddock, with additional filming in nearby North Braddock, Imperial, and Rankin.[9] Prison scenes were shot in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, at the former State Penitentiary in Moundsville.[4] Filming also took place in rural Beaver County, including a deer hunting scene in Raccoon Creek State Park, and a mill scene in Koppel.[10] Independence Township doubled for Bergen County, New Jersey.[11] The Carrie Furnace, an abandoned blast furnace near Braddock, served as the location for the film's finale.[5] Christian Bale wore a tattoo of Braddock's ZIP code, 15104, on his neck as an homage to the town's mayor John Fetterman, who has the same design on his arm.[12]
Music
The musical score to Out of the Furnace was composed by Dickon Hinchliffe. Originally, it was announced that Alberto Iglesias had reached an agreement to compose the score for the film.[13] However, Hinchliffe later took over scoring duties.[14] Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder will also record a new song for the film.[15] A soundtrack album featuring Hinchliffe's score was released digitally on December 3, 2013 by Relativity Music Group.[16]
Release
The film premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatre on November 9, 2013 in Hollywood, California as part of the American Film Institute's AFI Fest.[17] It received a limited release in Los Angeles and New York City on December 4, 2013, followed by a wide theatrical release in the U.S. on December 6.[18] Director Scott Cooper won the award for best first or second film for Out of the Furnace at the 2013 Rome Film Festival.[19]
Reception
Critical response
Out of the Furnace has received generally mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an average approval rating of 52% based on 118 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The general consensus for the site says: "While it may not make the most of its incredible cast, Out of the Furnace is still so packed with talent that it's hard to turn away."[20] The film holds a score of 64 (indicating "generally favorable reviews") out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 36 critics.[21] Town officials from Mahwah, New Jersey urged a boycott of the film due to negative depictions of the Ramapough Lenape Nation, an indigenous people living around the Ramapo Mountains.[22] Relativity Media responded that the film "is not based on any one person or group" and is "entirely fictional".[23]
Box office
Out of the Furnace was the only film which received a wide release in the U.S. on Friday, December 6, 2013, and earned an estimated $1.8 million on its opening day.[24] The film took in an estimated $5.6 million over its opening weekend. The Los Angeles Times and The Hollywood Reporter characterized it as a box office bomb.[25][1] The film came in third behind the animated Disney film Frozen, which brought in $31.6 million, and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which had $27 million in ticket sales that weekend. Relativity Media had pre-sold the film to foreign distributors for $16 million, which offset its costs.[25]
References
- ^ a b c McClintock, Pamela (December 8, 2013). "Box Office: 'Frozen' Tops 'Catching Fire'; 'Out of the Furnace' DOA". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
- ^ "Out of the Furnace". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
- ^ "Willem Dafoe joined the cast of Relativity Media's thriller currently entitled 'Out Of The Furnace'". Deadline.com. April 26, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
- ^ a b Wadas, Amy (April 13, 2012). "Moundsville Movie Great for Local Economy". WTRF. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
- ^ a b Corsaro, Louis A. (November 30, 2012). ""Out of the Furnace" shoot warm experience for Braddock". Pittsburgh Business Times. Retrieved July 12, 2013. Cite error: The named reference "corsaro2012" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b Fleming Jr., Mike (April 11, 2011). "'Crazy Heart's Scott Cooper Takes On 'The Low Dweller' For Relativity Media". Deadline.com. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
- ^ Fleming Jr., Mike (November 20, 2013). "Fleming Q&As 'Out Of The Furnace' Helmer Scott Cooper". Deadline.com. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
- ^ Corsaro, Louis A. (June 21, 2013). "Plot details emerge on 'Out of the Furnace'". Pittsburgh Business Times. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
- ^ "Film Crews Prepare Braddock For 'Out Of The Furnace'". CBS Pittsburgh. April 13, 2012. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
- ^ Tady, Scott (April 18, 2012). "Gun-toting Bale films in the area". Beaver County Times. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
- ^ Tady, Scott (December 4, 2013). "Local sites appear in 'Out of the Furnace'". Beaver County Times. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
- ^ "Academy Conversations: "Out of the Furnace"". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. November 17, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
- ^ "Three-Time Oscar®-Nominee Alberto Iglesias to Compose Original Score for Scortt Cooper's Currently-titled Out of the Furnace". Relativity Media. June 5, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
- ^ "Dickon Hinchliffe Scoring 'Hateship, Loveship'". Film Music Reporter. June 5, 2013. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
- ^ Zeitchik, Steven (January 31, 2013). "Eddie Vedder will contribute a song to Christian Bale's 'Furnace'". LA Times. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
- ^ "'Out of the Furnace' Soundtrack Details". Film Music Reporter. November 17, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
- ^ Vancheri, Barbara (November 10, 2013). "Red-carpet footage from Out of the Furnace world premiere". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
- ^ "'Out Of The Furnace' Headed To LA & NYC Two Days Before Wide Release". Deadline.com. November 21, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
- ^ Lyman, Eric J. (November 16, 2013). "Rome Film Fest: Italian Docudrama 'TIR' Wins Top Prize". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
- ^ "Out of the Furnace (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
- ^ "Out of the Furnace". Metacritic. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
- ^ Duffy, Christie (December 4, 2013). "'Out of the Furnace' under fire in Mahwah". FiOS1. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
- ^ Incalcaterra, Laura (December 6, 2013). "Ramapough chief denounces Christian Bale movie as 'hate crime'". The Journal News. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
- ^ Barton, Chris (December 7, 2013). "Box office: A chilly opening for 'Out of the Furnace'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
- ^ a b Kaufman, Amy (December 8, 2013). "'Frozen' tops 'Catching Fire,' but 'Furnace' generates no heat". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 8, 2013.