With all of the higher-profile Oscar bait movies coming out this fall, a lot of critics have been neglecting to talk about Out of the Furnace, an upcoming thriller which stars Christian Bale, Woody Harrelson and Casey Affleck. The film has flown somewhat under the radar in recent months, but now Relativity Media is turning the heat up on its marketing campaign with a new TV spot, which you can check out below.
In the film, Harrelson plays a nasty East Coast kingpin by the name of Harlan DeGroat. When tormented war veteran Rodney Baze (Affleck) returns to his impoverished Rust Belt hometown of Braddock, Pennsylvania, he is quickly drawn into DeGroat’s shady bare-knuckle boxing operation. When he disappears without a trace, Rodney’s brother Russell (Bale), an ex-convict struggling to create a new life for himself with girlfriend Lena (Zoe Saldana), descends once more into the criminal underworld in search of justice.
The trailer, which looks great, particularly highlights Harrelson’s menacing performance. I’m really excited to see what such a diverse, talented actor does with the chillingly evil role, and you can be sure that Academy voters are equally intrigued. When confronting Rodney at the very beginning of the TV spot, he growls, “I like this one, he’s tough. Makes me wanna jump in there with you. See who walks out.” Judging by the action-packed final seconds of the trailer, it looks like DeGroat might just get his wish.
Out of the Furnace has an extremely potent Oscar pedigree, despite looking certifiably more rough-and-tumble than the other contenders this year. Director Scott Cooper previously led Jeff Bridges to Oscar glory with 2010’s Crazy Heart, which took a similarly grimy tack to storytelling.
Out of the Furnace will open on December 6th, 2013. Until it arrives, you can check out the trailer above to whet your appetite.
Are you excited for this upcoming crime drama? Will it be a heavyweight contender on the awards circuit this year? Let us know in the comments section below.