The Furnace

Multi-racial Australian western. Unfortunately, it's also modern film, with the quirks and pet peeves that brings. Like "all" modern films, The Furnace (2020) is slow, floaty and mostly quiet. Certainly there got to be a rebellion against what these guys learn at film school soon?! Only then can modern film rise to anything significant. Until then we'll continue to have these meaningful stories feel utterly meaningless.

A pretty nifty concept for a gold-burglary concept, given they have the gold, but they need to melt off the Queen's emblem before using it at all. But the film is bland and derivative of previous Aussie films before it (The Tracker, Sweet Country), But The Furnace, despite its bagginess, does elaborate on a not-often-told part of Australian history, and for that it makes it feel at times fairly new.

The story has nuances upon nuances. The characters are unique and distinctive. The pace is slow, and it seemed to meander in many directions at once. The finale was unexpected to say the least. There are so many ways this could have ended, but watching the young protagonist opt for a simple life with nature and leave his wealth behind was touching but unrealistic. It was entertaining, albeit a bit confusing at times. Worthwhile