Plot
When Rodney Baze mysteriously disappears and law enforcement fails to follow through, his older brother, Russell, takes matters into his own hands to find justice.
Release Year: 2013
Rating: 7.4/10 (1,437 voted)
Director:Scott Cooper
Storyline
Russell and his younger brother Rodney live in the economically-depressed Rust Belt, and have always dreamed of escaping and finding better lives. But when a cruel twist of fate lands Russell in prison, his brother is lured into one of the most violent and ruthless crime rings in the Northeast - a mistake that will almost cost him everything. Once released, Russell must choose between his own freedom, or risk it all to seek justice for his brother.
Trivia: Leonardo DiCaprio was attached to play the lead role with Ridley Scott directing in the early stages of production. In the end both men opted to stay on just as producers. See more »
User Review
Author:
Rating: 9/10
When I saw the cast list, I knew there would be some wonderful
performances, but I was surprised at how they uniformly surpassed my
expectations. I believe it's Bale's best work so far, and that's saying
something. Likewise with Affleck, Harrelson and Saldana. The rest of
the cast was wonderful as well.
There is one scene in particular (I won't spoil it here) where an actor
lets loose in a way that careful directors and nervous producers would
normally edit out. I applaud Scott Cooper for breaking the rule that
films are meant to entertain (and earn millions), and raw emotion that
feels too close to reality is to be avoided. It's inelegant, and not
what we want to see from stars, especially attractive ones. Cooper lets
people be people, and I find that incredibly refreshing.
I was immediately invested in the characters -- warts and all. As
painful as many of their decisions were to watch, I went along for
those very bumpy rides, because any other course taken would be untrue
for these characters.
I recently saw "12 Years A Slave," and feel inclined to mention that I
sense a new, somewhat subversive style of filmmaking emerge -- and
maybe a wonderful new culture in Hollywood. (At least I hope so.) It's
one where films about extraordinary hardship are treated a way that
doesn't hold back, glamorize or otherwise mollify them.
In my opinion, when Hollywood slicks up violence (as it almost always
does), it informs us that we shouldn't really be moved by its tragedy.
We aren't shaken to the core and inspired to stop suffering wherever we
can. That's shameful. So kudos to Cooper and to Steve McQueen for
embracing a reality in their films that reconnects us with humanity
instead of suggesting it's okay to blithely mock it.
If I have any criticism of this film, it's that two scenes where one
plays out as a metaphor for the other may not have been necessary.
Otherwise, I feel the writing is disciplined and at the same time very
rich and rewarding.
The potential horrors of poverty and a lack of opportunity on display
in this film are dealt with in a way that exempts political bias, and
that in itself is a huge accomplishment.
A sense of hope exists amidst the heartache of this film. I will see it
again.
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