Blue Ruin

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.

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.

This is a simple movie, yet very effective and original. With an ironic twist, it has a powerful message that will make you think. It is short and very watchable, and quite memorable. Highly recommended

A low-budget independent film that is nevertheless handsomely and confidently shot, Blue Ruin is a consistently unpredictable, twisty, and excellent thriller. At no point will you be quite sure where the film will take you, or what direction it will go next, up until maybe around the final scene.

Indeed, the film is so unpredictable, it would be a sin to tell you much about it.

But-- "Dwight is a vagrant, scavenging for food in dumpsters and sleeping by the beach in a broken-down car. His aimless existence is interrupted, however, when he receives notice that a man from his past is being released from prison." That's an abridged version of the PFF summary, and about all you need to know. I would recommend reading nothing else about the story of this film. Take the risk and dive in blind.

I was shocked how good Saulnier, a director I've never heard of until now, was good at generating suspense.

It was accepted into the Director's Fortnight at Cannes.

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.