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This is an ultra violent crime drama that oddly channels "The Deer Hunter" at times. It even mimics the scene where the lead character turns down the opportunity to shoot a magnificent buck.
The cast is loaded with Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Willem Dafoe, Woody Harrelson, and others.
It is set in a gritty, dying Pennsylvania steel town (like the Deer Hunter). The entire movie is gray and dark and frankly depressing. Russell Baze (Bale) works in the steel mill which, according to younger brother Rodney (Affleck), helped to kill their dying father. Rodney tries to escape by joining the Army(Deer Hunter) and is heading back to Iraq for his fourth tour of duty over there.
Russell is content with his ordinary life. He's in love with a girl (Zoe Saldana) but won't take the next step in their relationship and marry her and give her the baby she wants. Unfortunately for him, time runs out when he kills a child in a traffic accident while driving drunk. While he is in prison, events begin to spiral out of control. His girlfriend marries someone else and little brother, who finally gets out of the Army, turns to illegal street fighting to make money.
Little brother becomes involved with Harlan DeGroat (Harrelson), a dangerous psychopath, and disappears, setting the stage for the big brother, who has nothing to lose once he is released from prison, to hunt down the people responsible.
It's a decent action movie, but the ending falls flat and is oddly unsatisfying. 2.5 out of 4 stars.
The cast is loaded with Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Willem Dafoe, Woody Harrelson, and others.
It is set in a gritty, dying Pennsylvania steel town (like the Deer Hunter). The entire movie is gray and dark and frankly depressing. Russell Baze (Bale) works in the steel mill which, according to younger brother Rodney (Affleck), helped to kill their dying father. Rodney tries to escape by joining the Army(Deer Hunter) and is heading back to Iraq for his fourth tour of duty over there.
Russell is content with his ordinary life. He's in love with a girl (Zoe Saldana) but won't take the next step in their relationship and marry her and give her the baby she wants. Unfortunately for him, time runs out when he kills a child in a traffic accident while driving drunk. While he is in prison, events begin to spiral out of control. His girlfriend marries someone else and little brother, who finally gets out of the Army, turns to illegal street fighting to make money.
Little brother becomes involved with Harlan DeGroat (Harrelson), a dangerous psychopath, and disappears, setting the stage for the big brother, who has nothing to lose once he is released from prison, to hunt down the people responsible.
It's a decent action movie, but the ending falls flat and is oddly unsatisfying. 2.5 out of 4 stars.
