Blue Ruin

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.

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.

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.

Apart from a few forgivable imperfections (remember, this is a debut film, after all), Blue Ruin is an excellent Indie drama/thriller.

I disagree with the previous reviewer who referred to this as a movie with multiple and constant plot twists - what you get in Blue Ruin aren't actually plot twists, instead they are merely plot developments presented in a story that is told in a fashion that is not strictly linear.

This is a well shot (some creative use of visual techniques and shot selections in this film), well written, engaging film that draws you in and keeps you watching right to the very end, despite the fact that it deliberately takes in time in various places.

I couldn't help but think of Take Shelter when I watched this film - both movies have a similar stylistic sensibility, where things are not overplayed, and the lead protagonist has an eccentricity and vulnerability about them that you just can't look away from.

A great film, well worthy of the 90 minutes it takes to get through, and a clear sign that this filmmaker has a very successful future ahead of him.

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.