Does the third act feel unfocused and scattered? Holy hell, does it!Overall, does the film push a little too hard on the sentimentality? It sure does, shamelessly at times.Does it suffer from minor inconsistencies and a couple of narrative plateaus the omission of which would have resulted in a shorter, more taut outcome? That would be another resounding "YES!".Do any of the above shortcomings ultimately matter? Hell, no, Rust and Bone is freaking stunning!And this coming from me, the person who dislikes both emotional manipulation AND Matthias Schoenaerts. Double whammy yet it still manages a very worthy 4 stars.Cheers for this Audiard, you're a good 'un, mate.

This is my very first review of a Non-English movie ever. I watched the movie like a year ago and I gave it a 7.5 but after viewing it again I gave it an 8 which looks more appropriate to this amazing movie.I just watched this movie cause I like Marion Cotillard the movie centers around a guy (Matthias Schoenaerts) who is a boxer and also in charge of his son living with his sister meets and develops bond with Stephanie (Marion) after Stephanie suffers a horrible accident. Alain according to me is a careless man and particularly lives life on his own term of a guy on the other hand Stephanie is the completely opposite of him. I totally love this movie the main thing that I like the most is the chemistry of these two its truly amazing. The scene I like the most is when Alain decides to go fight again and Shephanie was shocked. The direction was great and also the CGI which was remarkably marvelous.I would recommend this to everyone.

Rarely does a film use its source material (in this case, two powerfully devastating short stories by Craig Davidson) and transform it into something new and equally formidable. That, however, is precisely what Jacques Audiard has done with "Rust and Bone," a moving and raw look at how two rather ordinary people respond to extraordinary circumstances. Stephanie, a whale trainer played by the brilliant Marion Cotillard, must face life as a double amputee after a freak accident. Alain—played by the painfully handsome Matthias Schoenaerts—is a single father who must juggle his need to support his son while eking out a living for himself as a security guard. Stephanie's and Alain's lives intersect in unexpected but perfectly plausible ways, and their story generates equal parts despair and inspiration. This is an emotionally difficult but ultimately life- affirming film. And I sincerely hope that it helps catapult Schoenaerts to fame in the US. He embodies an atypical combination of ruggedness and heartfelt emotion rarely seen on film.

This movie has been recommended to me several times, so I thought I'd give it a watch. I have to say, I've spent two hours far more productively with my feet up on my desk and staring at my toenails.Rust and Bone tells the story of two damaged people that, in finding one another, heal themselves and go on with their lives.Except... that it doesn't. Whilst the male and female leads are damaged (she even before she suffers the loss of her legs), there is no noticeable character change in either of them. Oh... unless you count the sudden scene at the end - more later.The male is thuggish, boorish and uncaring almost to a sociopathic extreme. He feeds his child leftovers from strangers and barely seems to care about the boy.The woman is self-absorbed and dismissive of others, even calling her boyfriend "A small man" at one point early on when he is humiliated in his own home by the thug.Neither of them is remotely likable. He comes across as a dimwit. She as a narcissist.Then they meet. We are supposed to think there might be some chemistry between them but, frankly, I've seen more chemistry in a Christian Scientist's bathroom cabinet than these two conjure up. There's just nothing likable about either of them. They have sex. They discuss it in a horribly disinterested manner and basically agree to be each other's "friend-with-benefits".If there was any chemistry I was hoping to find, it was bleach. Bleach. Thrown into my eyes to prevent me from watching any more of these two's ludicrous antics. But it was not to be, so...I watched them heal each other. Or at least, I think that is what the story was aiming for. But it just fails dismally at this.After getting together, both people do not change in even the slightest. He is still a thuggish street-fighter. She is still a self-obsessed prima donna.The token concession to "everything-turning-out-alright-in-the-end" was the final scene, out of the blue. It shows the thug becoming a world champion martial artist whilst she stands by with the son by her side, his artful manager. A proper family unit at last! It is all ridiculously unbelievable and borderline insulting.I hate to say this, but if the two characters had been given an ounce more humanity, a smidgeon more personality, and made even slightly likable, then the film would have suceeded very well.Instead, the story focuses not on the relationship between the two, but on the two as individuals. It is utterly wrong. It's like someone asked Data from Star Trek to write a love story before he got the emotion chip!Don't get me wrong. I love foreign cinema. The original versions of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo are far superior to the Hollywood remake. Same with Let Me In. But this isn't in that league. Not even close.SUMMARY: Dull, focuses on individuals, not the relationship. Characters that won't grow on you no matter how much Baby-Bio you force feed them. If you are looking for a romantic drama, give this one a miss.