10 Amazing Revenge Films That Are Really Bleak
8. Out Of The Furnace (2013)
The film Out Of The Furnace, the story touches on several subject matters, including Military PTSD, financial despair and even marital collapse. But the overarching theme of the film is the unnecessary violence that can flood the American frontier at the hands of the unapologetic and immoral.
Christian Bale, fresh off the success of playing Batman, plays Russell, an older brother to Casey Affleck's Rodney- who, after getting involved in fixed bare-knuckle boxing, is brutally murdered by an unhinged Harlan, played by Woody Harrelson.
The path Russell goes on throughout the film is one of a man who made a mistake and now seeks a new and redeemed life. Unpleasant matters ensue and his mission of vengeance against Harlan culminates in him hunting down his enemy like a wild animal.
The appropriate arc for a film such as this would be for Russell to take the high ground and not kill Harlan. Instead, he does the opposite and avenges his troubled brother.
The final shot is of a despondent Christian sitting alone at home; his crime of vengeance covered up, and audience members get a sense that maybe the avenging brother wasn't the right decision after all.