Out of the Blue

It was refreshing to watch a movie that accurately depicted events without all of the Hollywood American-Pie. The acting and cinematography made this film feel as though it were a fly-on-the-wall documentary. I feel that the subject, and particularly David Gray, could have done with more of an introduction. The movie was 100 minutes long but I was so engrossed by the candid nature of the film, it felt much shorter. I didn't even finish my popcorn and drink! All-in-all, this is a hard-hitting movie about a tragic incident. It isn't glamourised at all and I came out of the movie feeling quite subdued. Worth a watch.

Sarkies does a brilliant job setting up the feel and mood of a small New Zealand seaside town in a slice of life style, giving us a brief but sufficient set up into the lives of those involved prior to the massacre. Then, as the title suggests, out of the blue comes the dark and unexpected. Sarkies doesn't shy away from the violence and terror, nor does he glorify it. His method of storytelling via following the first affected family, to the first initial killings with Gray then onto the first (and only) officer on the scene is extremely effective in showing how tense and unpredictable David was, and how the town had a night of horrific terror. The acting is superb, the music effective, and the location beautiful (as it was shot at a neighbouring location to the actual town involved). Stand out performances by the two leading actors, although the rest of the cast (relatively unknown) perform exceptionally too.

It was inevitable that - like the Stan Graham saga of 1941 made into the movie "Bad Blood" - the Aramoana massacre of 1990 would eventually be turned into a feature film. To their credit, the cast and crew of this have done a good job of it and perhaps just as importantly, the script writers have attempted to provide a little insight into why it happened, although the full background is something that people will need to read the two books that were written about it to get. The film starts in the morning of the day it started (the events lasted into the next day) and continues - with only a couple of brief flashbacks on the part of Gray - till a conclusion just after Gray is shot dead by police. It manages to keep fairly true with the actual events (as described in the two books) although there are some departures of varying importance. The film works well as a drama and unlike a Hollywood movie doesn't portray anyone as a superhero, or thickly apply sentimentality. The cinematography is also superb.

I went to see this having read a couple of books on the subject several years ago, including the one on which the film is based.

Wasn't sure what to expect as there's been a lot of hype & media publicity surrounding this film.

I must say I certainly wasn't disappointed.

This is an excellent film. I haven't seen director Sarkies' other film Scarfies but I was impressed with this. No doubt he's headed for bigger things if this film is any indication.

Take a bow Mr Sarkies, you've already got the NZ Film Awards sewn up.

This is the kind of film you don't see too often, shocking and extremely tense, but without relying on the graphic violence and bloodspatter far too prevalent in mainstream films these days. Add to that this is a true story and there's plenty of attention to detail.

A few other 'bigger' directors could take note from this that the audience aren't all idiots. They can figure out what's happening without squibs going off left, right and centre and spent cartridges ejecting from the chamber in slow motion.

As the cinema sat in silence, I swear I could hear my own heart pounding at times as my blood pressure went through the roof. A great movie going experience not felt too often.

I wasn't sure if If I was watching a reenactment or remastered old news footage as the specialist Police moved in on the town. It looked very authentic.

In spite of his dastardly deeds, one couldn't help but feel a tad of sympathy for the bad guy who is portrayed as a sad, lonely dysfunctional person who's mental health gradually deteriorates. More good work by the director and certainly different from the norm.

It wasn't perfect though, the pacing of the film seemed a bit out of kilter in a few places, while I thought some of the acting in the film was brilliant at times, but not quite so at others.

The up close gun fire as well probably fell a little bit short in the decibel department and could possibly use a touch up.

That aside, on a global scale it's a small budget film so any shortcomings are excused.

I give it an 8 because I'm a very tough marker, with a 10 being nearly impossible.

Given the subject matter, I don't think I could call this entertaining, but it sure is an experience & somewhat unforgettable, enough to make a grown man cry.

In short, see this film!

On November 13, 1990, the peace and quiet that once reigned over the picturesque coastal village of Aramoana, New Zealand was forever shattered when one of its residents, a 38-year-old madman, went on an extended shooting spree, indiscriminately massacring more than a dozen of his fellow citizens and neighbors - innocent men, women and children alike.

Artfully directed by Robert Starkies, "Out of the Blue" is most notable for the matter-of-fact way in which it portrays the events of that day. The movie spends the first half hour or so focusing on the townspeople as they go about the business of their daily lives, blissfully unaware of the grim fate that awaits them. It's an unnerving reminder of just how fragile a thing life is, as it can be taken away without warning. Without a hint of sensationalism or phony theatrics, "Out of the Blue" plunges us deep into the heart of a real-life nightmare, staying true to the ordinary folk - both the victims and the survivors - who suffered through the ordeal and to the innate randomness of the event itself.

For obvious reasons, we don't get to know the characters all that well before they fall victim to the killer, but that's in keeping with the near-documentary nature of the film. And once the shooting starts, the focus shifts almost exclusively to the local law enforcement officials who are frankly ill-trained and poorly equipped to handle an emergency of this magnitude. Yet, out of the ugliness and chaos, acts of extraordinary heroism, self-sacrifice and kindness are born.

Beautifully photographed and exquisitely acted, "Out of the Blue" is a thriller in the truest sense of the term, made all the more gripping by its adhering so closely to life as we know it. Hollywood movie makers could learn a thing or two from this film.