Four new images have been released for Scott Cooper's drama Out of the Furnace.  The film stars Christian Bale as an ex-con steel worker who seeks vengeance when his brother (Casey Affleck) disappears after getting involved with a local crime ring.  The pic seems to be flying under the radar when it comes to awards prognostication.  Perhaps that's because of early buzz amongst Oscar bloggers (where's Adam when you need him?!) or because the plot doesn't reach for something as lofty as other contenders even thought it looks like a compelling character drama.  Perhaps its awards fortunes will change when it premieres at AFI Fest later this month.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  The film also stars Zoe Saldana, Woody Harrelson, Willem Dafoe, Sam Shepard, and Forest WhitakerOut of the Furnace opens in theaters December 6th.

Via CS.

Here's the official synopsis for Out of the Furnace.

From Scott Cooper, the critically-acclaimed writer and director of Crazy Heart, comes a gripping and gritty drama about family, fate, circumstance, and justice. Russell Baze (Christian Bale) has a rough life: he works a dead-end blue collar job at the local steel mill by day, and cares for his terminally ill father by night. When Russell’s brother Rodney (Casey Affleck) returns home from serving time in Iraq, he gets lured into one of the most ruthless crime rings in the Northeast and mysteriously disappears. The police fail to crack the case, so—with nothing left to lose—Russell takes matters into his own hands, putting his life on the line to seek justice for his brother. The impressive cast of Christian Bale and Casey Affleck are rounded out by Woody Harrelson, Forest Whitaker, Zoe Saldana, Sam Shepard and Willem Dafoe.