Friday Top Five: The Cast of Out of the Furnace

I'm going to do something a little different this week, and instead of focusing on one individual actor, I'm going to focus on the entire cast of Out of the Furnace, a movie that opens today that I am pretty excited about. It stars Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, and Woody Harrelson, to name a few, three actors whom I absolutely love. So, here are the best films starring this cast:

05. Gerry (Gus Van Sant, 2002)
All right, this movie is most definitely NOT for everyone. Considered part of Van Sant's "Death Trilogy" (along with two other movies that I love that aren't for everyone: Elephant and Last Days), the film follows to friends (Affleck and Matt Damon) who get lost in the desert and have no food or water. It's not really about anything and nothing ever really happens. There is barely any dialogue, but if you love filmmaking, existential journeys and great acting, than Gerry just might be for you.

04. Crazy Heart (Scott Cooper, 2009)
Scott Cooper isn't IN Out of the Furnace, but he did direct it, as his follow up to Crazy Heart, which stars Jeff Bridges as a washed up country star. When you watch Crazy Heart and see all the beautiful panoramic shots then you'll know instantly what Cooper is capable of. Not to mention, he pulls Oscar worthy performances from Bridges, and co-star Maggie Gyllenhaal. I'm excited to see what he's done with the incredible cast of Out of the Furnace.

03. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Andrew Dominik, 2007)
This breathtakingly beautiful film stars two cast members from Out of the Furnace - Sam Shepard and Casey Affleck, who is absolutely riveting in this film. Yes, Brad Pitt stars as Jesse James, but this movie is about Robert Ford, and Affleck, who was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, should have been recognized as the Lead. Sometimes people wonder why I love long movies, this one clocks in at nearly three hours, but when you are constantly engrossed with such beautiful imagery and amazing performances, how could you not love long movies?

02. Rampart (Oren Moverman, 2011)
Honestly? I think Woody Harrelson is unbelievably sexy. I also think he doesn't get enough credit for what a great actor he truly is. Maybe it's because he mixes things up and does a lot of comedy, starring in waste of time movies like that one where he was a surfer who smoked a lot of weed (also known as: his life, probably). But, when he does a dramatic role, he always nails it and Rampart is absolutely no exception. He stars as a dirty cop, who also happens to be about as disgusting a man as you can imagine. He's sexist, racist, homophobic, and just plain vile. The fact that Harrelson embodies this man with such ease says a lot for his formidable talents as an actor. I'm excited to see him play the bad guy in Out of the Furnace.

01. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008)
How could it be anything else? How can any list including Christian Bale not include this? I consider The Dark Knight to be the single greatest comic book / superhero movie of all time. There is none better. I'm not sure there ever will be. Sure, I've grown up loving Batman for as long as I can remember. But I'm not playing favorites here. Nolan's middle entry into his Batman trilogy is everything you can ever want from an action movie - destruction, chaos, brilliant set pieces, bank robberies, piles of cash, pretty girls, hundreds of mobsters, and a villain who gives such a staggering, anarchy filled performance so good that it breaks your heart to think Heath Ledger is gone for good. Bale plays a damn good Bruce Wayne, charming and cocky, and his Batman is genius as well (I can ignore THAT VOICE, unlike most of America). Bale is one of our best actors, and I'm excited to see what he'll bring to Out of the Furnace. Barring any sort of weekend disaster, I'll let you know how it all shakes out on Monday.