Blue Ruin

Like everyone else probably has already said, there is something of the Coen Brothers about this film, but not in terms of humor or oddity, but rather in its stripped down violence that worked so well in Blood Simple. The plot here sees a homeless man learning that the man who murdered his parents has been released from jail. He sets out for revenge, but the attempt goes badly, putting his estranged sister and family at risk. Starting out mostly in wordless scenes, the film draws us in with Dwight revealing a lot of his life and what led him there, all with little touches and moment. We don't fully understand the ins and outs of it all, but the gist is clear and it is engaging. The steady pace of the start continues throughout, and it works well to produce tension and build-up within scenes, but also across the film as a whole. The stripped down feel to the writing, soundtrack, and production all add to that sense of tension - it doesn't feel forced for flamboyance or excessive (although the closing scenes maybe do a bit, to their slight detriment). There isn't a 'side' really, although of course we follow Dwight as our way in - but it is the spiral and lack of choice that draws the film along just like it does to him. Blair is the star here and he holds the film together. He is convincing in his simplicity, and delivers an engaging character whether he is on the beach at the start, making bad decisions, or dealing with a mess he has no way out of. The supporting cast are all good (and benefit from a lack of 'faces'), but it is Blair's film throughout. Writer/director Saulnier has a deft touch for tension, with good camera movement when it matters (tracking what isn't visible for example), as well as allowing nothing to happen at times when so much is at stake. Blue Ruin was a surprise find at a time when I knew nothing about it but the running time fitting my evening. It turned out to be a gripping but sparsely populated film, which played to its strengths from start to finish.

BLUE RUIN is a fine revenge thriller of the type that you thought America couldn't make anymore. These low-fi films are the opposite of the bloated and glossy Hollywood-style blockbuster and all the better for it. The film I can most liken it to is THE ROVER, a similar low-key Aussie story about the path of revenge and the unusual outcomes that one must face when embarking down it. To say too much about the plot of BLUE RUIN would be to spoil it, so I won't. What I will say is that this is a slow paced and spare film that keeps you gripped throughout, including in the moments where not much happens. It has a drive and consistency that makes it work. The suspense keeps you hooked to the ensuing events and the violence, when it comes, is brief but extremely hard-hitting. A squad of naturalistic performances enhance a film in which realism is key, and the result is one of the freshest American thrillers to be made in years.

Maybe I am missing something, but I consider this nothing more than a skin-deep, rather predictable revenge flick. The dialogue was poor, the plot was predictable, the characters were shallow and un-relateable,and there was little to keep me interested. The film seems like it tried, very loosely, to add depth through some notion of the importance of silence and direct action, but even this came off a bit contrived and shallow. The one character who could have added an interesting element is relegated to a "plot twist", rather than built on as a compelling "twist of fate" (I am avoiding a spoiler here with the ambiguity - if you've seen it hopefully you know what I mean). When all is said and done, if you have been looking for a watered-down Tarantino-esque romp, look no further. Otherwise, there are better uses of your time.

When asked about the title of the movie, just after the screening at the AFI Silver on Saturday, the writer/director/cinematographer answered that the title is a synonym for debacle, and sure enough, it was there when I looked it up. That about sums up what happens when a hapless grieving amateur seeks vengeance, a debacle. The writer director and the star of the film have been at this movie making thing since they were both 8 years old. It is just great to see they broke through. You should know that the movie is 8 out of 10 and climbing on the indie list on Itunes. While you can see this on VOD, it is best seen on the big screen, and it is well worth the trip.

"Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves." ― Confucius Blue Ruin is the way to make a thriller: suspenseful with a memorable protagonist and themes that apply to us all. This film chronicles the revenge of a nerd, Dwight (Macon Blair), who's living like a tramp and discovering the murderer of his parents has been released from prison. He's bound for revenge with the psychic damage from losing his parents on the loose with him. The suspense comes from Dwight's messy plans, driven by passion but no experience with the nuances of guns or justice. In other words it's the way you and I might bumble through such an enterprise without the faintest notion how to do it. The resulting bloodbath involves the rival Cleland clan in a bloodier version of the Hatfield-McCoy fiasco. Although Dwight initially appears to lack affect and generally remains inscrutable, the film quietly exposes his passion and humanity, especially as he tries to reconcile with his estranged sister, Sam (Amy Hargreaves), and save her family from the marauding Clelands. They have easily followed Dwight's trail with its clues that a better avenger such as those played by Charles Bronson or Liam would never have left. However, Sam is not impressed with his meager generosity: "I'd forgive you if you were crazy, but you're not; you're weak." A light interaction between Dwight and Cleland redneck Teddy (a fine Kevin Kolack) while Dwight imprisons him in the trunk of the Blue Ruin (Dwight's '90's bullet-ridden Bonneville) is an example of how director/writer Jeremy Sauliner can mix up the moods, from horrifying to humorous and not confuse the audience. The repartee between Teddy and Dwight is witty and revelatory because Teddy, facing Dwight's gun, has the gumption to upbraid Dwight and offer the painful information that maybe the recently-released Wade Cleland is innocent. The situation's absurdity lightens the revenge load and offers a new perspective on the theme that revenge is never nice and almost always unfulfilling. "An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind." ― Mahatma Gandhi

I saw this film at the Ghent (Belgium) film festival 2013. Overall I found the scenario a bit confusing, due to not all mutual relationships being clearly outlined. But the core story was perfectly clear, though leaving me in a depressed mood due to all the unnecessary bloodshed, in spite of the driving force of our main character was abundantly clear and understandable too. He added his fearless attitude inherited from his earlier existence as a vagabond, where that was key for his survival. A nice example was that we saw him using the bathtub in a random house, where he had to be on guard constantly for owners coming home, in which case he needed a quick escape, with or without his own clothes. Our main character made a surprising transformation after his first killing, changing from a melancholic Jesus-like look with long hair and ditto impressive beard and mustache, into an average law-abiding citizen without a beard, no mustache, and his hair trimmed short. It is a necessary change, because his former outfit would draw too much attention and constantly hamper his hunting mission. From the outset of his first killing, it is abundantly clear that he was a complete layman in crime. His lack of expertise haunts him throughout the story until the very end. But with an overdose of luck and sheer determination, he comes much farther than we ever had imagined. The tables turn very quickly, however, and expect a lot of surprises along the line. I think the latter is the most important asset of this film, fully compensating for aforementioned unclarities in the scenario that would normally (in a whodunit or thriller) be unacceptable.

One of the coldest and most distance inducing films you're likely to watch in quite some time, Jeremy Saulnier's low budget and dour effort Blue Ruin is a film that can be appreciated for craft overcoming budget constraints but goodwill towards its effort can't help it get over the hurdle in what is a very arduous journey and one that is not all that original. In speaking about Blue Ruin it must first be noted that the story behind the film is a lot more interesting that what happens in it. Saulnier gathered crowd funding through the Kickstarter program which allowed him to have sufficient finance to make this movie which was obviously a passion for him. It's an interesting time in the movie making business and an exciting one where passionate directors and storytellers can garner help from film lovers and film backers the world over and get enough support to make ideas into reality. Blue Ruin is a testament to this process and its production is of a high standard and acting often very strong but the films story on camera is nowhere near as interesting as it was behind it. As mentioned previously the tale of Blue Ruin invokes feelings of distance and coldness that cannot be overcome. Our protagonist here is Dwight (who it must be said is very well acted by Macon Blair), a man at first unkempt and feeding himself with food from trash cans, it's an imposing sight and a intriguing one but as the film enters more typical revenge like fair the film loses steam fast, right through to a completely unsatisfying conclusion. Saulnier's tale is deliberately light on hard facts or back story but with that comes a sense of a missed opportunity to really make us feel connected to Dwight. As a character that barely speaks and appears in nigh on every scene of the film it's not good enough to have us invested in such an un-relatable figure. Blue Ruin is an at times quite horrifying picture with some extremely brutal acts of violence punctuating a film that otherwise lacks energy and often heart. Blue Ruin has succeeded in showcasing the virtues of a new tool available to filmmakers in the form of Kickstarter yet also showcases that the most important thing at a filmmakers disposal is not only a believable story but a story inhabited by characters we can care for and root for no matter how dark a journey they may be about to undertake. 2 gun loving friends out of 5 For more movie reviews and opinions check out - www.jordanandeddie.wordpress.com

One of the strongest achievements in recent years in independent cinema is "Blue Ruin". It's brilliantly written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier who just a few years ago was making his own amateur monster movies with his friends, some of whom were involved in this inspired revenge thriller that is the antithesis of the usual commercial revenge thriller. Shot on a less-than-shoestring budget, it stars Macon Blair (best friend of Saulnier since childhood) as Dwight, an apparent homeless drifter housing a grudge against a convict about to be released from prison whom he feels had murdered his parents. Dwight is obviously unaccustomed to violence (he's never fired a gun) and, as in the best of the Noir classics, makes one bad decision that plunges him way over his head into a harrowing murder plot that'll keep viewers on the edge of their seats. What makes this film so unique is how its suspense comes from slow, quiet inexorable tension punctuated with a few acts of violence that seem authentic, bearing none of the sensationalism or tired clichés one gets in garbage like "Taken" and its tiresome ilk. The triumph of "Blue Ruin" is even greater when one realizes that its director used his own family house and his family car making it, and managed such a height of verisimilitude by using cinema in its purest form. Here an 'amateur' outdoes the Hollywood pros in making a superb virtually perfect thriller that won't easily be forgotten.

A loner and outsider gets alarmed when informed of someone's release from prison and sets out to find him. Following this, a series of killings take place but since the main character is not a professional hit man he seems to be getting into deeper and deeper trouble. This is for the most part a moral tale. One is convicted for a committed crime and the family of the victim feels it appropriate to murder him upon his release based on a fear for reprisals. When you think you have a justifiable cause to kill another human being, a Pandora's box opens and you better be prepared for the consequences. Edgy and intense it has confirmed my affection for independent cinema and despite some flaws in its storyline it has an air of originality attached to it.

This movie 'Blue Ruin' has received so much acclaim despite it lacking a star cast or any major publicity that I had to find out why. However once you have seen this film, it's easy to understand how this movie has captured the attention of so many people. Revenge thrillers are about a strong lead character who embarks on an impeccable road of destruction which is heroic and clinical, this is what we have come to expect but here we have something different. This movie follows a down and outer who returns home once he hears the murderer of his parents has been released. His aim is to take revenge which is something he has no preparation for and this leads to a series of tragic events. The film is riveting and compelling, with a real feel of the main character as he goes deeper and deeper into a path of self-destruction. This film is so different, you need to be patient with it and empathise with the lead character who makes some difficult decisions and is forced to bear the consequences.