Literally a decade ago, I made best pals with a guy at the Melbourne International Film Festival while we were volunteering together. It was a magical time. And the kind of friendship that Bromances are made of. I won't dazzle you with the details except to say that my new friend was an industrious fellow and one of his many extra-curricular activities was running a website called WELCOME TO FILM CLUB. The site has long since gone to heaven but at the time he asked me if I'd like to review one of the movies we'd seen at the festival. And that movie ended up being BLUE RUIN. This is that review. Recorded here for posterity.
Without resorting to hyperbole, Jeremy Saulnier's second feature length film Blue Ruin is one of the best revenge movies I've ever seen in my entire life.
It is not only a completely refreshing take on the genre (it almost entirely succeeds in flipping previously established conventions on their head) but one of the most nerve-wracking experiences I've had in a cinema in a very long time.
If you're expecting to see Charles Bronson effortlessly taking people out, or Liam Neeson getting wounded (but never in any danger of dying) and saving the day, you're at the wrong revenge flick. You should walk away now. If not, you'll probably deal.
Someone's personal viewing experience of anything is largely subjective and I couldn't possibly anticipate what you'll get out of this movie. Or if you'll even connect.
Of the two people I went to see it with, one of them turned to me at the end and said, "Well, that was grim" with a half smile and a nervous expression on their face. The other person was still staring at the screen. When I asked them, they said with a blank look, "I'm not sure what I think about this yet."
Regardless of their initial responses, both of them, and much of the larger audience around me, seemed greatly affected by this film.
Personally, I think that's a good sign.
When my film viewing partners in crime asked the same question of me, I replied with:
"That movie was essentially about what would actually happen if Bruce Wayne were a regular person with no money. That was Real Life Batman."
If you're expecting to see Charles Bronson effortlessly taking people out, or Liam Neeson getting wounded (but never in any danger of dying) and saving the day, you're at the wrong revenge flick. You should walk away now. If not, you'll probably deal.
Someone's personal viewing experience of anything is largely subjective and I couldn't possibly anticipate what you'll get out of this movie. Or if you'll even connect.
Of the two people I went to see it with, one of them turned to me at the end and said, "Well, that was grim" with a half smile and a nervous expression on their face. The other person was still staring at the screen. When I asked them, they said with a blank look, "I'm not sure what I think about this yet."
Regardless of their initial responses, both of them, and much of the larger audience around me, seemed greatly affected by this film.
Personally, I think that's a good sign.
When my film viewing partners in crime asked the same question of me, I replied with:
"That movie was essentially about what would actually happen if Bruce Wayne were a regular person with no money. That was Real Life Batman."
To sum it up in two sentences is to do the film a great disservice. I went into Blue Ruin with zero expectation and came out the other side, having been thoroughly engaged and absolutely impressed.
I literally felt like I was taken on the journey with the main character Dwight (Macon Blair, in a career-defining role) every step of the way. I really connected with his character despite the fact that he barely utters a word for the first 15 minutes of the film.
Blue Ruin's strengths lie in its subtlety. At no point does any of the dialogue feel like exposition or forced for a quick laugh to relieve tension. Much of the back story isn't hammered home. Whenever it gets close to delving into movie stereotype territory, it feels like more of a knowing homage than a lazy cliche.
You won't get the conveniently found, obsessively kept scrap book full of newspaper clippings to explain what's been going on for the last twenty years. But you might catch a sideways glimpse of a folded newspaper on a car seat that has the slightest inkling of what has been happening, on the front page.
This film does what many often fail to achieve in any genre. It makes you feel like you're no longer watching something at the cinema and are instead voyeuristically immersed in another person's life.
There were a few moments where I had to calm myself down and briefly turn my inner monologue over to, "Relax. This isn't real. Nothing bad is going to happen to you. It's just a movie."
That's how intense this movie gets if you let it. And a big part of that impact exists because it feels so realistic.
Whether or not this film is legitimately realistic is moot. What they have successfully achieved is creating a believable universe where you feel like this is exactly how it would "realistically" play out. This gives the film an edge at every corner because it becomes completely unpredictable even when you think you know. It's very clever in the way that it telegraphs things that often don't end up happening at all.
I've purposefully strayed away from too many plot points in this "review." I don't think it's necessary. You need only know that it's a revenge movie and let it take you on that ride.
I will say this, however. This movie is often hilarious. Humorous scenes that might not work in a lesser film, or even be funny in other contexts, have that much more of a comedic impact, probably because of the emotional tightrope you're on (as well as obviously the consistent strength of the performances).
I also like that this film has a lead character who is pretty much a homeless* person. Too often a portrayal of a vagrant is played for laughs or just used as furniture to make something more "urban" and "bleak."
Whether or not this film is legitimately realistic is moot. What they have successfully achieved is creating a believable universe where you feel like this is exactly how it would "realistically" play out. This gives the film an edge at every corner because it becomes completely unpredictable even when you think you know. It's very clever in the way that it telegraphs things that often don't end up happening at all.
I've purposefully strayed away from too many plot points in this "review." I don't think it's necessary. You need only know that it's a revenge movie and let it take you on that ride.
I will say this, however. This movie is often hilarious. Humorous scenes that might not work in a lesser film, or even be funny in other contexts, have that much more of a comedic impact, probably because of the emotional tightrope you're on (as well as obviously the consistent strength of the performances).
I also like that this film has a lead character who is pretty much a homeless* person. Too often a portrayal of a vagrant is played for laughs or just used as furniture to make something more "urban" and "bleak."
But I can't think of a film that I've actually seen since Lucille Ball in Stone Pillow where a homeless person was portrayed as a human being. Any one of us; all of us are often one horrific tragedy, some bad luck and an inability to cope away from homelessness. That person on the street could be you. Now imagine if you had to wreak vengeance? And you're not in the film Hobo with a Shotgun?
If you've seen Jeremy Saulnier's first feature Murder Party (2007) you might think you have something to compare it to, but these films are light years away from each other. Murder Party was a great idea and certainly had its moments but Blue Ruin is a game changer.
The years of experience that writer/director Saulnier has accrued since Murder Party as the cinematographer of other films like I Used to be Darker (2013) has obviously had an affect. As both the director and cinematographer on Blue Ruin, know that this film looks amazing. Not a shot wasted. Not a second of screen time misused.
If it has been released in time to be nominated for all sorts of upcoming awards in 2014, I would be really surprised if this didn't win anything at all. I think it could be a real contender.
The success of this film as an indie cinematic vehicle that showcases so much talent in so many areas is made even more courageous by the fact that this was completed on a tiny budget. In fact it was partly financed with crowdfunding.
A Kickstarter that only finished being funded in August last year. You can see it here and read what the film makers say about it themselves to give you an idea of what was at stake to get this movie onto the screen:
"We're going all in - Maxing our credit cards, refinancing homes and cashing in retirement accounts. But we need $35K-$50K in cash to cover expenses we can't swipe, barter for, or defer."
The gamble paid off.
If you get a chance to see Blue Ruin on the big screen, you should without hesitation. I guarantee you an experience versus turning your brain off for 90 minutes. You will most definitely escape, it just might not be somewhere you'd naturally want to go. But if you're anything like me, you'll be so glad that you did.
*Had I been writing this review in 2023, I'd definitely have said "unhoused person" instead of "homeless."
If you've seen Jeremy Saulnier's first feature Murder Party (2007) you might think you have something to compare it to, but these films are light years away from each other. Murder Party was a great idea and certainly had its moments but Blue Ruin is a game changer.
The years of experience that writer/director Saulnier has accrued since Murder Party as the cinematographer of other films like I Used to be Darker (2013) has obviously had an affect. As both the director and cinematographer on Blue Ruin, know that this film looks amazing. Not a shot wasted. Not a second of screen time misused.
If it has been released in time to be nominated for all sorts of upcoming awards in 2014, I would be really surprised if this didn't win anything at all. I think it could be a real contender.
The success of this film as an indie cinematic vehicle that showcases so much talent in so many areas is made even more courageous by the fact that this was completed on a tiny budget. In fact it was partly financed with crowdfunding.
A Kickstarter that only finished being funded in August last year. You can see it here and read what the film makers say about it themselves to give you an idea of what was at stake to get this movie onto the screen:
"We're going all in - Maxing our credit cards, refinancing homes and cashing in retirement accounts. But we need $35K-$50K in cash to cover expenses we can't swipe, barter for, or defer."
The gamble paid off.
If you get a chance to see Blue Ruin on the big screen, you should without hesitation. I guarantee you an experience versus turning your brain off for 90 minutes. You will most definitely escape, it just might not be somewhere you'd naturally want to go. But if you're anything like me, you'll be so glad that you did.
*Had I been writing this review in 2023, I'd definitely have said "unhoused person" instead of "homeless."
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