Alternate Best Actor 2013: Christian Bale in Out of The Furnace

Christian Bale did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Russell Baze in Out of the Furnace.

Out of the Furnace is a particularly frustrating watch as there is so much potential within it, however its missteps leads it to fall short of greatness, even goodness quite honestly.

Christian Bale's performance stands perhaps as the greatest testament to the potential of the film, in his portrayal of a Pennsylvania industrial worker Russell Baze. Bale's work here from the outset is fascinating as he's known for his transformative turns, often in a way that brandishes that idea. Now technically this is that, in his wiry frame, southern accent and general demeanor. Not a moment of Bale's work, however feels like a facade. The entirety of it has this deeply lived in quality within his work, a performance that just evokes years of a hard life in every harried breath and exasperated words. Bale's portrayal isn't that of a man who is tired of life, but rather evokes the idea of a man who has lived this hard life, and will continue to live this to do. The history he bares on his brow from the second we see him here, in his richly textured work that just makes Russell Baze evoke this place, and even poverty of its setting, far more so than is even achieved within the film's writing or direction. Bale is locked in within this character, and the depth of this performance is quite frankly this consistently compelling element, within a story that may not be worthy of it.

Well in that we have Bale here who just lives within this character in such a remarkable fashion, as Bale does play so close to the chest, fitting of a man of few words and even fewer prospects. One of the essential elements of Bale's performance though is that he doesn't portray a dismay over this, though does not hide the wear of this either. It is a particularly powerful juxtaposition all just within Bale's performance. In that we do see a man living his life with a real essentially stability, even within the hardship of dealing with his dying father, and generally poor means of existence. Bale's work is though with a contentment of the existence that in itself carries with it a definite power. He is able to convey a man who not only has settled rather has never even minded the idea of anything other than this place and time for himself. This is in Bale's performance that carries the weight of the life, but not with a shame within it. This is a carefully realized work that is downright marvelous, as he does express a certain, I wouldn't quite say joy, but there is a warmth even within the harshness that exists within the presence of Russell as portrayed by Bale.

Russell's life quickly becomes worse however through the first bit of unfortunate luck as he accidentally kills two people in an auto crash after having been drinking. This scene of this discovery is a testament of the strength of Bale's performance in the moment. This is as his reaction to the moment is not this big cry of anguish, but rather this beautifully internalized distress as in the scene he slowly conducts this slow realizes building in the man's painful realization of what has transpired. This lands Russell in jail, a plot point almost brushed by in the film, essentially to fulfill a plot point. Bale though does not treat it as a plot point, and is again terrific in portraying Russell's state of being in the prison. Again the restraint is so important in his performance portraying the man as again living it, with a bit more understated concern, however mostly with the same understanding of a man whose life hasn't exactly been anything life affirming to begin with. When Russell explains to his brother (Casey Affleck) that he barely even considers it a hardship, the hope in his voice Bale brings such a truth within it fitting to a man whose always known a similar state.

Russell is eventually released from prison which after he gets out he has more losses the protagonist of an old fashioned country song, as his girlfriend (Zoe Saldana) has left him, his brother has been traumatized by war and his father has died. That's a whole lot, and quite frankly the pace of how each of these is handled should have little to no effect. Bale's work however grants a weight to each and every one of these moments no matter how rushed they are. Bale's portrayal though intends to find the detail within it, even when the material itself rams it through within the narrative. Again Bale's work carries such a conviction of this person, that he manages to brings into the intimacy of the man's mind and the way he deals with the tragedy of his life. Bale brings such a calm nuance in his moment of hearing of his father's death that reveals the real heartbreak, but with also the resigned expectation of a man who has long sense known it was coming. Bale delivers this even with the far more superfluous element of the girlfriend who has left him for the local police chief (a laughably bad Forest Whitaker).

That is essentially made in a single scene of him randomly running into her. Bale's outstanding however he in bringing this hesitant energy, an excitement that he shows Russell almost doesn't know what to do with as he essentially pledges his love for her. Bale brings such an almost endearing unease by making this so genuinely disjointed as this quieter man where such an experience is almost against his nature. Bale in this moments reveals all the greater vulnerability of such sincere love, which is quickly stopped when she reveals she's pregnant from her new relationship. Bale's breakdown is absolutely heartbreaking, in one moment of more overt anguish, that Bale makes natural given his state of vulnerability. He plays it brilliantly though showing how all his losses hit him in this time of realization, granting in this breakdown as a moment of Russell essentially giving into all those feelings that lay dormant within him. I'll admit there is no reason I should've cared at all about this relationship based on the direction and editing of the film, however Bale made me care by offering such a sincere portrayal of what the relationship meant to Russell that he is able to overcome the shortcomings of the film.

The final loss though is in his brother whose experiences in war, a particularly poorly realized element overall, has left him traumatized and searching for a strange relief through bare knuckle fighting/gambling. Bale nonetheless grants a gravity to this situation through his effortless portrayal of his chemistry with Affleck. Bale has never been known as the warmest performer, and nor is Russell what one might say is a cheery character to say the least. It is then so very notable how Bale in these interactions is able to emphasize, in his eyes, and the absolute concern in his voice how much Russell loves and cares for his brother, as his brother goes to the void. There is a moment where his brother reveals all his pains, and though it theoretically should be Affleck's scene, Bale is the who leaves the lasting impression through nearly silent yet oh so poignant portrayal of Russell taking in each word while not knowing what to say. Eventually this leads to yet another loss when a series of events leads to his brother's death by the hand of essentially an evil hillbilly drug dealer by the name of Harlan DeGroat (Woody Harrelson).

When initially told of the news, Bale's performance again is excellent as these circumstances are not of the personal space, as manages to essentially tell it all within his subdued expression. Bale's work though again expresses wholly the anguish even as he does not shed a single tear at the news. His face though just carries that little bit more of wear as there is yet another burden placed upon the man. What follows is a rather typical revenge plot as Russell goes about first seeking out his brother, who he doesn't know is dead initially, then seeking revenge against DeGroat. Bale delivers the needed substance within his own performance, regardless of the material. Bale doesn't portray this as a typical anger, but rather with an intense, yet all the same, subdued conviction. Bale depicts the vendetta less as a personal need, but rather as this duty to his brother. Bale through this, finds a real emotional potency within this attachment to his brother at every point, and a real pathos within the act of violence as he goes to kill DeGroat. In the final moments of the film when he finally confronts DeGroat, Bale's eyes do nearly all of the speaking in his moment. There isn't an overt hate, but rather this incredible calm that evokes the remembrance for his brother more than any other emotion. It is extraordinary as Bale manages to bring the emotional turmoil within the moment of being this avenging angel, and finding a power in it, even with Forrest Whittaker being in the background of the scene and nearly sabotaging through his unintentionally hilarious delivery. This is an outstanding performance by Christian Bale as he delivers such a vivid work that exists beyond the trappings of the plot. His portrait of this man has a life and depth to it that exists beyond the confines of the film, He is able to realize Russell in a way that alludes to a greater potential of the material that is not realized within the film itself. Bale manages though to bring that potential to life within his own work, to the extent it overcomes those weaknesses through one of his most subdued and strongest turns.