A suburban factory worker in a region ruined by the economic crisis tries to save his brother, who returned traumatized from Iraq.

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In an industrial region of the US ruined by the economic crisis, Russell Baze fights to survive. Employed at the only factory still open, he is reunited with his younger brother, who’s returned from a tour in Iraq traumatized. In debt, the young man joins forces with Harlan DeGroat, a dangerous and merciless crime boss. To save him, Russell needs to go up against him and risk losing everything he has built up over the years...

The setting is very quickly established and easily recognized: a violent and dirty American town dominated by white trash, where a violent family tragedy takes place. A transparent drama that struggles to surprise the audience and take them to the necessary emotional heights. The upside is a stellar cast led by Christian Bale with dark circles under his eyes and a destructive streak, and a story told well enough to be interesting. What’s lacking is the intensity of Crazy Heart, Scott Cooper’s debut movie.