Thursday 8 May 2014

Blue Ruin English Movie Review

Blue Ruin Review


Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Starring: Macon Blair, Devin Ratray, Amy Hargreaves

Make no mistake, this is the revenge movie of the year. A cold-blooded yet emotionally gripping independent marvel which feels like it arrived from thin air and swept through the scene like an unstoppable but refreshing wind. A story worthy of a Hollywood classic, direction reminiscent of a modern-day Hitchcock and a cast that wouldn’t go amiss in a Coen Brother’s masterpiece. It’s a sharp, unforgiving indie rollercoaster that grabs you by the throat from the off and never let’s go until those credits roll. A character study on a character we shouldn’t morally like, the fastest slow burner (if that’s cinematically possible) to grace our screens in recent years and a sure-fire hit destined for a cult status. It’s bold, original, uncompromising and absolutely captivating…and it just so happens to be little unknown filmmaker Jeremy Saulnier’s first foray into independent cinema.
Actualy, allow me to correct myself because right now Saulnier should be anything but unknown. Many debut features are merely just a dip in the water, a taste of promising things to come and if ‘Blue Ruin’ is Saulnier’s practice run then Hollywood undoubtedly has a new master craftsman on their hands. Hitting the ground running at 200mph, Saulnier’s efforts are clearly realised when the whole piece feels as if we’re going at 5mph. It’s this sublime technique which builds its’ resilient suspense from the opening credits all the way through to the very end. It’s Hitchcock in the modern redneck era, Nolan with a gritty edge or Greengrass getting personal.
We start off in Delaware, USA. A middle-aged scruffy looking man takes a bath in a middle class peaceful house. We already gather that this isn’t his home and before we know it he jumps out of the window with nothing but a towel and his well accomplished beard. From then on we follow Dwight, a very clearly disturbed vagrant living in a derelict car and eating from bin bags. One morning he is informed that his parent’s murderer is released from jail and so ensues a trail of vengeance and utter destruction.
Where this differs from previous revenge flicks is that it focuses on the conscience, the psychological trauma that follows after any blaze of bloody violence. This is all down to Macon Blair’s unforgettable turn as the film’s lead. Blair manages to move away from the stereotypical homeless man of Hollywood and allows us to witness a humanity, a twisted sense of emotional abandonment and a sudden realisation that this could happen to any of us.  Already famously compared to the Coen’s debut ‘Blood Simple’, Blair’s presence, intentional or not, steers more towards Shane Meadows’ DEAD MAN’S SHOES whilst also making room to honour previous vengeance stories such as GET CARTER and KILL BILL. However, this is something entirely different, it feels intimate and personal and as a large majority of Saulnier’s family were involved in the production and the film dedicated to a Saulnier, it feels that this has been something he has been waiting to shout from the rooftops for a long, long time.
As debut indie features go, BLUE RUIN is unprecedented filmmaking. Funded by Saulnier himself and from the help of public funding, it’s a prime example that an industry level film doesn’t always need the industry to make it happen and it’s a credit to the creator and its’ lead that they managed to tell a story that numerous Hollywood folk have been trying years to accomplish.
The year’s first best indie gem and the most ambitious debut in recent years. An unavoidable calling card for Saulnier and Blair and an overdue reinvention of a worn out genre. This is a slick, suspenseful and unbelievably gripping film which will hopefully get the attention it deserves.

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