A struggle to survive the death throes of middle class values in a small Pennsylvania steel town forms the backdrop for Director Scott Cooper’s gritty drama Out of the Furnace.
The film stars Christian Bale as Russell Baze, a blue collar worker in a local steel mill, who just can’t seem to catch a break. His father is terminally ill, his younger brother Rodney (Casey Affleck) is having difficulty readapting to civilian life after seeing duty in Iraq, and a twist of fate lands Russell in prison. Upon his release, Russell tries to pick up the pieces of his life but finds things complicated, especially after Rodney ‑ who was lured into the underground world of street fighting by a vicious crime ring ‑ mysteriously disappears.
Cooper spoke about the making of the film in a conversation with Director William Friedkin (Killer Joe) after the DGA membership screening in Los Angeles on November 10, and Director Bennett Miller (Killer Moneyball) following the New York membership screening on November 20.
Cooper is also the director of the Independent Spirit Award winning feature film Crazy Heart. He became a DGA member in 2008.