Out of the Furnace

Two brothers live in the economically-depressed Rust Belt, when a cruel twist of fate lands one in prison. His brother is then lured into one of the most violent crime rings in the Northeast.

Out of the Furnace earned a mixed critical reception despite its stacked ensemble cast, with most of the fault landing on Scott Cooper's screenplay rather than the performances. Critics generally felt the film gestures toward serious, working-class tragedy without fully earning it — the material is grimly atmospheric but the plot mechanics are familiar, leaving several gifted actors without enough to do. Audiences were even cooler on it than critics, suggesting the gritty prestige packaging didn't fully deliver on its promise.