Out Of The Furnace

Out Of The Furnace tells the story of two brothers Russell (Christian Bale) and Rodney (Casey Affleck) Baze, one a hard working, salt of the earth furnace worker and the other a US serviceman spiraling out of control, following numerous tours in the Middle East.

Russell tries, as he seemingly always has, to look after Rodney, even at the risk of his own life, something that shows up regularly throughout the film.

Christian Bale, as with all of his roles, bring an authenticity to his portrayal of Russell. He never tries to inject him unrealistic intelligence or bravery. This is a hard working family man, who is looking out for his brother. He does what he thinks is best, even when at times we know it's the wrong thing to do. He is blinded by his desperation to help Rodney and the consequences of his actions just aren't at the front of his mind. A decision he makes towards the end of the film involving a phone call is the best example of Russell being too desperate to think of what could happen, or who could be be harmed as a result of his choice.

Russell is probably one of Bale's straightest characters. He is stoic and a genuinely good man. He treats people, I imagine, how he wants to be treated and the best work from the character comes when Russell pushes himself out of his comfort zone or has to push back against his normal behaviour, to be violent or go against and question the police.

Out of the Furnace is a film that definitely focuses more on its characters than it does its plot, which could be one reason for it's pretty stellar cast of character actors.

Willem Dafoe and Forest Whitaker are two that stand out in small but important roles. However, I would have liked to have gotten more plot, especially about the hill people and their own little world. A bit of mystique is great, but when it has that much potential, explore it more. Show us the difference in the two worlds.

Running at just under two hours, which for me flew by, I would have liked to have had more plot and seen or learnt more about Rodney and his time with the Army. There is a small prison section that occurs whilst Rodney is on tour, for me this would have been a a prime place to have expanded, maybe even bringing in the hill people as well, so we have three threads going at once. The characters and performances are easily the films biggest strength, it would have just been nice to have seen them do more.

As mentioned already, the cast is head and shoulders the best thing about this film and Bale goes a great job of leading them, but the supporting cast definitely shouldn't be overlooked, they all have the same amount of screen time and do much more than just fill out the world and give Russell people to interact with. They create a history and bring it to everything they do, they are a part of this world and belong to it, and at no point did I find any character forced or overblown.

Harrelson’s DeGroat is a great villain, a force of nature who lives by his own rules and governs the hills with an iron fist and is completely unafraid of any man. But I wanted more of him. Mystery is good, but when you have such an oddball character who is unafraid to do anything, then give us more of him. It certainly worked in No Country For Old Men.

One of the criticisms I have seen of the film the amount of references to other films, classics at that. The final shot, which clearly pays homage to The Godfather series, is probably the most notable. Although there are bits and pieces, such as narrative tricks or general look and tone that recall films such as Silence of the Lambs or The Deer Hunter, none of which are hard to spot, so maybe that is why the point has been raised so much.

The final shot is the only one that stood out, purely because of its length and the numerous other ways it could have been done. Move the camera, or the character away from the window and director Scott Cooper may have achieved the same meaning to the shot/scene, but without such an obvious of a comparison.

The other nod is a narrative trick similar to climax of Silence of the Lambs, but for me this is not something that is unique to one film. Lambs arguably pulls it off better, as it has a real sting with who is at the door when Bill opens, whereas in Furnace, you already know where the character is when you begin to put together the locations and timeframe. Used later in the film, it may have worked better.

I really looked forward to Out of the Furnace and I wasn't let down, if anything I wanted more from it, to spend more time there, to explore the world and build and bigger plot for all these great characters to interact in. There can't be many better comments about a film than seeing it and wanting more.

The one homage it could have paid to The Godfather or The Deer Hunter, is that it didn't was in this regard.

Director: Scott Cooper

Writers: Scott Cooper and Brad Ingelsby

American Hustle

Sometimes we build up films, books or music in our heads before it gets released. Heaping more and more pressure on to whatever it is we are waiting for. Anticipation is not a bad thing most of the time, however, if it goes unchecked or is increased by outside influences, then it can lead to severe disappointments. Something that can make even a passable or good piece of art, look like a load of rubbish.

American Hustle loosely, and I mean loosely, tells the story of the Abscam scandal in the late seventies in America, in which a number of politicians were arrested in a sting operation by the FBI. That however, is more of a backdrop for what is, essentially a character piece. Our main characters are two con artists and an FBI agent looking to make a name for himself.

As it is a character piece, it‘s driven and interested more on the characters and performances than anything else and top of the list is Christian Bale. This is, to put it out there right now, one of Bale’s best performances ever, as Irving Rosenfeld the experienced con man who is forced into the FBI operation for reasons I won’t go into here.

Where other performances verge on parody or awards baiting, Bale keeps it understated, realising that with the already substantial amount of hair and make up he has on, that he too could become nothing more than a joke. Not only are his big scenes quite often the films strongest moments, he also manages to lift the smaller scenes, even when he may not have anything to say, with nothing more than a look.  This performance is the stand out reason for seeing this film.

With such a rich story and setting, it is a sad aspect of the film that the plot is pushed to the side. Yes, the performances are good, but they hardly drive the film forward. You could easily divide the films scenes up into two categories. Character and Plot quite easily. Despite the clear preference for character scenes, if is more often that not the more plot based scenes that are the best. Which makes it a shame that the ratio is heavily favoured the other way.

A quick note on the music, something that is often a strength of David O Russell’s films, he uses it to build the world and period, but also matches them perfectly to the scenes or sequences we are watching. The club scene between Adams and Cooper is made to feel even more intense and euphoric with the O Russell’s perfect choice of song. The deliberately cheesy early montage of Bale and Adams rise to prominence is a cheesy delight.

Some have argued that American Hustle is all style and no substance, that to me is an unfair and quite frankly inaccurate criticism to lay at this films feet. As it is a period piece, it will naturally attract comments on how it looks and if that attention to detail was at the expense of other parts of the film. With the characters it certainly wasn’t a detriment to them. But as mentioned, the lack of plot hurts the film and doesn’t leave you thinking about the film once the film has ended, which The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook did for me.

The easiest way for me to sum up this film is Scorsese light, it definitely takes inspiration from Casino and Goodfellas in particular, as far as films to have as an influence, these two are arguably the best to take ideas or visuals from.

Come awards time, I am sure we will see American Hustle dominate in all categories, but it will be acting categories where its greatest chance lies, in particular Christian Bale. Next to better-plotted films, such as Captain Phillips, it will be interesting to see how it fairs in the screenplay award, to see if the preference is character or plot.

By no means a bad film, more a victim of its own hype.

Worlds Finest?

Earlier this week a story broke regarding Warner Bros and their hopes for a Justice League film. Initially, with the throwing out of Will Beall’s script, that the project was dead, how wrong we could be, as El Mayimbe from website Latino Review broke news that the project was still alive, but looked a little different, it was no longer the full Justice League but instead a World’s Finest film (Superman and Batman). The obvious casting of Henry Cavill as Superman had long been accepted in any version of this project, but when the name of who would be picking up the Cowl came out, that was the big news. Christian Bale was returning and if rumours were true, Christopher Nolan and David S Goyer were coming back with him.

By the sounds of it, the cast would feature Bale as Bruce/Batman, Cavill as Clark/Superman and I imagine some sort of composite of the cast from the previous films, plus some new faces. I wouldn’t bet against a certain bald man turning up during this film. Behind the camera is where it sounds the most promising, early indications are that Zack Snyder will take the directors chair, with David Goyer writing the script and Christopher Nolan producing, although with Goyer and Nolan’s track record of working together, I’m sure we will see them both working on the story.

With Bale and Nolan returning and Batman being involved, it seems as though it will be their Bruce Wayne that is returning to the screen , bringing back their version of the character, whose arc was so perfectly tied up at the end of The Dark Knight Rises. Essentially what we are getting here is both a sequel to TDKR and a sequel to Man of Steel.

As The Dark Knight Trilogy was brought to an end and most of it’s storylines concluded, bringing back this world, which admittedly looks similar  (at least in the trailers) to the world ofMan of Steel, means opening up these characters lives once again and following them through some new ordeal.

The main problem is that you have to essentially bring Bruce, as well as Selina, out of retirement in a certain way that doesn’t compromise the end of their story. As for how this could be done, I have no idea and thankfully that responsibility is not on my shoulders.

The other big issue, which the first would ultimately be tied to, is what happened to John Blake after he gets into the cave. Any continuation of this world has to deal with what became of him, as it promised so much possibility as to what kind of person he would become. In World’s Finest, we will need some sort of answer to this question, maybe he has failed, maybe he needs help, or maybe the threat doesn’t affect Gotham City.

Also, the belief that both Bruce and Batman are dead could be a problem, but one that would be fixed relatively easily. Especially considering that it’s easier to bring back Batman, than it is to bring Bruce back in the eyes of the world. We’ve also seen Bruce sneak around the world in each of the three films with and without his vast resources. Bringing back the Batman, would probably only add to his legendary status.

Finally, you would have the fallout from Bruce’s three surrogate fathers (or rather father and two uncles) in Alfred, Gordon and Fox. All of which would have something to say, all would be on different places on the happy and angry scale. In terms of character moments, these possible confrontations increase the potential for Bruce’s arc in this film. Although it could risk retreading some ground covered in The Dark Knight Rises.

As this speculation is all before most of the world has seen Man of Steel, it’s hard to judge what affect Worlds Finest will have on it. The biggest is that it could take the place of a potential sequel, or at least slow down production/release of one. But if the character arcs are carried across into Worlds Finest, then this obstacle may not be as big as we think it is. for example, Iron Man 3 seems to be attempting this, but in reverse, with the events of The Avengers affecting it’s story/characters in some way.

Most of the arguments against doing this come down to either personal preference in not wanting DC and WB to cram all their characters into film, or not wanting to damage The Dark Knight Trilogy. Both of which are valid concerns, THE trilogy was ended so that this world and it’s characters wouldn’t be run into ground like it was in the previous incarnation with no development on your main characters and a revolving door of villains.

Others would say that some characters are best kept away from the more fantastical characters, such as Batman and pretty much the rest of the Justice League. As it doesn’t suit Batman to have him meeting with these guys or interacting with them, he is at his most successful in a relatively realistic world, where he and his villains stand out all the more. There could be a risk of dwarfing or undermining his ability when you so closely put him next to Superman and eventually Wonder Woman, Flash, etc.

How do you pick a villain that caters to both characters and this new world, without going for the uninspired idea of simply picking a villain from each characters rogues gallery and putting them together. Yes (insert comma) there are ways it could work, but it would require more original thinking than going for each characters biggest or most prominent villain.

For the fans we get to spend more time with characters we have come to love and care for, this applies mainly to the Batman side of things. Anyone who doesn’t want more of Bale’s Bruce, Caine’s Alfred, Gordon, Selina, Fox or Blake are kidding themselves and at the moment it is the most exciting part of this project. Getting to spend more time with these characters. Given the cast of Man of Steel, I’m sure it will be exactly the same for those characters, but on a bigger more expansive canvas.

The biggest is obviously that we get to see Batman and Superman on screen together for the first time and see them clash, maybe not physically, but definitely in terms of their ideals and methods. Who is the scarier for a criminal, a god who by merely being there frightens you into submission? Or a man who is going to stop you, by any means necessary and undoubtedly painfully?

A film could almost be made without a villain, as their differences and similarities are so noticeable. As with all fictional characters, they have certain key relationships with other characters in their world (Batman has Alfred, Gordon, Joker. Superman has Lois, Jimmy, Lex Luthor), but in this case, their relationship with each other is so strong and important that it is more of the most vital

The Dark Knight Rises

Spoilers for this film as well as Batman Begins and The Dark Knight could crop up, so be warned.

The first time I saw it, I got pretty choked up, but managed to hold it back, the second time I saw it was close and I could feel the tears coming but somehow they were kept back. The third time, if there is (there most likely will be) I can either see myself not being as affected or quietly weeping in the darkness, no doubt worrying the person next to me. This may sound like an exaggeration for a “comic book” film, but when you are as invested in the main characters, ones that you have spent three films following, then this kind of reaction to the last ten minutes of the film is understandable, at least to me.

Once again spoilers will follow. Also for those who haven’t seen the previous two films in the series (Batman Begins and The Dark Knight), they are essential viewing as a number of plot points, etc, are dependent on what occurred these two films.

The basic plot of The Dark Knight Rises picks up eight years after the lie, Batman has been gone for that time and Bruce Wayne has spent the last three years holed up in Wayne Manor, ala Howard Hughes. Gotham has eradicated organized crime as a result of the ‘Dent Act’, but the two men responsible for the city’s peace, Gordon and Wayne are straining under the pressure of what it cost them. Unknown to both of them, a revolutionary army led by the terrifying Bane is heading to Gotham, ready take advantage of a out of shape police force and an arrogant city.

As with these previous two films, The Dark Knight Rises would be nowhere without the central performance of Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne/Batman, one of the key aspects that has set this series apart. In what is being considered his best performance of the trilogy Bale takes the character of Bruce, who has always been the primary focus of the films, from his lowest point (twice), through numerous emotional revelations and weighty scenes, back up to his highest, giving us an arc in this film that parallels the combined one he goes through in the previous two films. Physically, Bale brings more to the character, as it is needed for the story, than we have seen before, especially early on as Bruce is still nursing what I assume is the affects of the events at the event of The Dark Knight. To be fair, so would you after that ordeal. Supporting himself with a cane and putting on a show for the world, despite barely leaving Wayne Manor where he has painted himself as the recluse.

Similar to the other performances he has given, some of his best moments are silent moments where he conveys the pain and loss that has dictated his whole life through his eyes and facial expressions, never over or underplayed, it is a performance that perfectly portrays both sides of the Bruce Wayne character. Will he receive the Academy nomination that some people have touted him for? It’s unlikely because of the film he is in and the way there are perceived, but this is a character that I personally have been pulled into and have invested in, both in terms of time and emotions, because of Bale’s three performances.

Visuals

Following in the footsteps of Heath Ledgers Joker was never going to be an easy task. Even picking a character from the rogues gallery who can match The Joker on a pure idea/concept level is difficult enough, without having to find an actor who can give a performance that was as engrossing as Ledger. Luckily Nolan and Goyer chose a character that couldn’t be more different from the Joker, in Bane. A massive physical presence, who is more than capable of matching Batman in a fistfight. Portrayed as somewhere between a modern revolutionary and a cult leader. Hardy brings a completely new take on the character to anything we have seen in any version of the character we have seen. Gone is the luchador mask and venom (a drug in the comics that cause Bane to physically increase in size and strength) replaced by terrifying mechanical mask that administers a pain medication constantly. Equally charismatic and frightening, Hardy shows the character as a man capable of convincing people to devote themselves totally to him, willing to give their lives in an instant at one of his commands, then switching to a cold killer who will go through anybody who stands in his way. He certainly isn’t as fun as the Joker to watch, but he isn’t supposed to, you are supposed to be scared of this character, to hate him, yet at certain times be enthralled by his personality. His is one thing that seems to have gained some sort of negativity. At times it can be difficult to hear, but this seems to be as much about the films sound mix as the cinema (I have seen it in two different cinema’s, one got it right and I could hear everything, the other didn’t and some lines were muffled), his accent is interesting, no doubt a mix of the mask and the characters history and the places he has been to. But ultimately the voice and how you feel about it and hear it, is a very subjective like or dislike.

She is never referred to as Catwoman, just Selina Kyle, but you would have been living in a cage to not know that this is Catwoman. One of Batman’s most important and long running characters, it was great to see her brought to life in an accurate portrayal, no dead cat zombie lady in this one. Many didn’t feel that great when Anne Hathaway was announced. How stupid they must feel, or at least should feel now. Like her character in the film, she does steal scenes in this; one bar sequence is so perfectly Selina Kyle that it blows any would be complainers away, not to forget her entertaining introduction at Wayne Manor with Bruce and Alfred. Like both Bale and Hardy, Hathaway brings a great physicality to the role, more than capable of holding her own against a few thugs, she also uses her body to convey her different personalities whenever she doesn’t say anything, once again, her first two scenes demonstrate this perfectly. Finally, yes she does look like Catwoman and Selina Kyle and there are “ears” as part of the cat suit.

Following in the footsteps of the previous two films, The Dark Knight Rises moves at quite a pace once it gets going, which results in them being able to get a lot of story into the films mammoth running length of 164 minutes, most of which would be hard to cut down or eliminate. As a result for the most part the story is engaging and considerably tight, this is probably the most loose and free flowing of the trilogy, the end game is set up relatively early on and obstacles put in front of the protagonists. There is one factual error involving the kind of stocks/options purchased by one character at a point in the story, which during the film doesn’t take you out of the moment due to what comes before and after it, but after the credits roll it does stick out at you. But the fact that they have tried to incorporate something like this in a “comic book” film should be praised, even if it is a little off and if this is the only issue I can really find in the film that I can say that I am completely happy with that.

Talking about the plot and building on saying that it is the most free of the trilogy is meant to be taken positively, as it allows them ask questions and introduce ideas into the narrative, much in the same way as The Dark Knight and Inception, allowing each audience member to takeaway different things from the film and being allowed to leave with their own answers, conclusion and meaning from the story and characters.

As with Bale, Gary Oldman’s Jim Gordon is one of the cornerstones’ of this series, his role is slightly diminished compared to the one in The Dark Knight, but not by a large amount, once again he proves to be one of Gotham’s heroes. Here, Oldman plays Gordon as man who has paid the price for the lie that he and Batman built together to save Gotham, now eight years on, without his family with a desire to resign and admit the truth to everyone. As with the previous two films, Oldman brings the character in a complete way, giving us a man who you can see is physically crumbling and who can’t stand what the people of Gotham think of his “friend” as he puts it. It’s hard to give more detailed praise of the performance of the character other than it is completely believable and that when you see him on screen it, is Jim Gordon you see, not Gary Oldman.

John Blake, what a mystery he was prior to the film, having probably even more speculation about his character and who he really was. Who he becomes is something that I won’t completely talk about; I will save it for another blog. When Gordon-Levitt was first announced, the way his character was announced made it seem like he would have a secondary role in the film, acting as Gordon’s assistant. But as the film plays out, we see his character grow in stature, especially after things in Gotham go wrong, Blake establishes himself as a vital figure not just to the resistance, but also to everyone in the city. In a role that could have been played awkwardly and arrogantly by a lesser actor and honestly after seeing Gordon-Levitt play the role, I cannot imagine anyone else in the part, one scene early on with Bruce Wayne, featuring a monologue of his, could have come across as more of a plot point than a genuine character moment that starts his and Bruce’s relationship and shows to us just what this police office is capable of. Some people may guess where his character arc will end, even without any knowledge of the Batman mythology. Without doing it, Nolan gave us his interpretation of a critical character to Batman, the only thing I would have changed is his name, but I will say no more.

One of the main issues some people seem to have with The Dark Knight Rises is the sound, certain lines of dialogue seem to drowned out at time by the score, but it seems to vary from cinema to cinema and how their sound system is set up. There were a few moments in The Dark Knight that this issue, but were subjective to the cinema, yet they were resolved for the DVD release. My biggest piece of advice would just be to give the film your complete attention and you should have no problem.

To sum up then, is The Dark Knight Rises as good as it’s predecessors? Especially The Dark Knight, well that depends on your own personally preferences and how much you are willing to invest in the film and its characters emotionally. It may not be as fun as The Dark Knight or as a tight as Batman Begins, it is more sprawling and asks bigger questions and with any ending, it will draw more attention and opinions good or bad, as is the problem when someone brings a conclusion to a character who has never had his story end before. I for one enjoyed it immensely; it is a great ending to Bruce Wayne’s story and Nolan’s trilogy. Go and see it, ideally watch all three films close together to really get the whole story, then make up your own minds, just don’t go in hoping for your ending, theirs’ is most likely better.

Passing the Cowl

Come this August we will see Christian Bale’s last performance as Batman and Bruce Wayne, and the speculation will be begin as to who will be the next man to don the cowl. Not only will the task of bringing the character himself to life in a new and interesting way, but they will also be following an actor who has arguable given us one of the definitive portrayals of the characters numerous different personalities in believable and engaging performance.

When looking at the role of Batman you have to consider, it could be argued that it can be broken down into three separate personalities or aspects to the character. These being, Batman, Bruce Wayne as only Alfred sees and the Bruce Wayne that the rest of the world sees and judges. For the sake of ease of reading, I will refer to the private Bruce Wayne, purely as Bruce, and the other public Bruce Wayne as Wayne.

Briefly going through these different aspects of the overall character, the Batman part of the character is self explanatory in what is generally expected. Next comes the Bruce character, the one which is arguably the true Bruce Wayne, and which he keeps secret only showing it to Alfred, as it gives us an insight to pain that he feels over the loss of his parents, and often shows us the extent of the burden of being Batman has taken upon him. This was one of the main strengths and stand out part of Bale’s performance. Finally, is the Wayne aspect, which is often used as a distraction by Bruce, to keep people from suspecting him, and for comic relief moments, as he is often portrayed as being arrogant and sometimes oblivious to the wider world.

As mentioned by David S Goyer in an interview for Batman Begins, it was easy to find an actor to play either Batman or Bruce Wayne, but very difficult to find many that could play both, which was why Bale was cast, a decision that was well received by almost everyone. So once again, the creative team will once again have to embark on a search for someone who can provide the physique of the character, but also show a wide enough range to make him believable.

When considering the kind of casting you would need for Batman, it would be easy to just merely claim that it should go with an unknown actor and end the argument. As unlike some comic book roles, Batman can easily attract the best actors around, both because of the weight and stature of the character, but also because of the instant boost it can give to a career. Looking back at the last four men to play Batman, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney and Bale, neither of them were unknowns, all of them were well known, with a solid body of work, maybe not necessarily in genres that normally preside being cast as Batman. I am referring mainly on how people reacted when Keaton was cast, after doing a number of comedies, something none of the other three have done many of.

Now I would like to mention a name of who in my humble opinion should be considered by the next creative team. Ryan Gosling. Now depending on what direction the next creative team want to go, in terms of story, be it a reboot, and picking up when Batman is established (there really is no need to go and do another origin film, Batman Begins has that taken care of), or if they change their minds of a reboot, and pick up after the end of The Dark Knight Rises, if it’s still possible, then Gosling physically can pull of each possible direction.

In terms of acting ability, Gosling is more than capable of portraying three different aspects of the character. The three roles that demonstrated this were Drive, The Ides of March and Half Nelson. In regards to Drive, a character who spoke very sparsely, only when it was absolutely necessary, and who demonstrated a violent physicality, which would he need for the fistycuffs that crop up in any Batman film. In Half Nelson, we saw a vulnerable and flawed man, who at times couldn’t control an addiction that had a control over him, and could ruin him. Finally, in The Ides of March, we saw the more arrogant and uncaring man who at times, I felt, thought himself better than those around him, something that the Wayne character possesses, and needs to keep his relevancy.

Obviously, there is a chance that Gosling would have no interest in the role at all, and I am by no means saying that he is only one capable of playing Batman. There may be some young actor out there, who after one or two great films will be propelled to the top of the list, or an actor everyone knows will suddenly show a jump in ability, and catapult himself into contention.

Finally, like Bale, having Gosling as the next Batman, would really help the new creative team to build a great cast around their leading man, like Christopher Nolan has done with his Dark Knight trilogy, bringing in the best actors possible to bring the world to life, and give characters a weight and presence to them.

Whatever happens, it’s unlikely that we will find out who will don the cowl for a good three to four years, and even then, that could be wishful thinking. But if I had my way, it would be Ryan Gosling, pulling it on and disappearing into Gotham City.