Out Of The Furnace (18)

Directed by Scott Cooper

2 Stars

Out of the furnace and into the firing line - that's's the theme of Scott Cooper's film about working-class woes in the US.

It sounds good, and looks it, until it gets into its stride and marches to a monotonous, mannered and miserablist beat.

Set in Braddock, a former centre of the steel industry, it stars Christian Bale in mute mode as Russell Baze, a foundry worker trying to take care of his family.

His troubled brother Rodney (Ben Affleck) is just back from the Iraq war and secretly
bareknuckle fighting to pay his debts. He's on a downer because after a period in prison he returns to find his wife (Zoe Saldana) living with a copper (Forest Whitaker).

Enter Woody Harrelson as the frothing psyhco Harlan Groat, described as the leader of the "inbreds" living up in the Appalachians. They control contraband and the fight game, operating through fear and, when Rodney wants a big money fight, it turns out to be costly in every sense.

Given its "rust bowl" setting, this has been touted as a Marxist film. But in reality it has more to do with vigilante culture and its finale, directly referencing The Deer Hunter, confounds the idea of social interaction, never mind struggle.

Worse still, there's open product placement. The tattoo on Bales's neck is the zip code for Braddock, used by the real local mayor to promote gentrification and artists' lofts.

Cynical and ersatz, this is no Marxist metaphor.

Jeff Sawtell