Review: Jeremy Saulnier’s ‘Blue Ruin’ – A Gritty Tale of Vengeance and Desolation!
Director Jeremy Saulnier impressed me with Green Room, and I just discovered he also directed Murder Party which was a quirky and engaging film that I watched years ago. Blue Ruin has been on my radar for a while, but I just recently sat down and watched it finally.
The movie captured my attention from the get-go with its offbeat voyeuristic shooting style, gritty subject matter, and lack of dialogue in particular scenes. The title of the film when ‘googled’ basically means “complete and utter ruin, desolation.” Personally, I thought the title had something to do with the car the main character uses in the movie. A busted up blue Pontiac Bonneville which was actually a similar style car the director’s sister used to drive. The car makes multiple appearances in the film, and I thought it may stand as some sort of symbolism. It’s rusted and falling apart but still trudges along like the main character in the movie.
Dwight played by actor/director Macon Blair (Green Room, Murder Party) is a drifter living out of his car. One day he receives news that a particular individual is getting released from prison. This news triggers severe past trauma and thus puts Dwight on a path of vengeance. Some years back Dwight’s parents were murdered by a member of the Cleland family. Dwight, who was obviously crushed and distraught by this won’t let it go unpunished.
An unlikely, clumsy yet surprisingly resourceful Dwight manages to stir up hell with the Cleland’s in a whirlwind tale of revenge and loss for which there is no return. Blue Ruin is a tale of scathing violence and desperation. Macon Blair carries the film well as Dwight with his calm rational sense of behaviour which is occasionally disrupted with his instinct of violence to lash out at those responsible for his parent’s death. All the events that culminate are not as cut and dry as you would believe them to be as the film progresses.
Macon Blair is the director for the upcoming The Toxic Avenger reimagining. He also directed the Netflix film I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore. Blair is memorable in this; he gives off an aurora of helplessness but still handles himself accordingly. He gets some help from his gun toting friend Ben played by Devin Ratray (Nebraska, Masterminds) who assists him in the final stand against the Cleland’s to end it once and for all.
Blue Ruin was nominated for countless indie festival awards and took home some of those very awards. Jeremy Saulnier delivers another gut punch with Blue Ruin, delivering original material, harrowing violence, and distraught emotional events which bring together an engaging movie.
Directed by: Jeremy Saulnier
Written by: Jeremy Saulnier
Produced by: Richard Peete, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani, Tyler Byrne
Cinematography by: Jeremy Saulnier
Editing by: Julia Bloch
Music by: Brooke Blair, Will Blair
Special Effects by: Toby Sells
Cast: Macon Blair, Devin Ratray, Amy Hargreaves, Kevin Kolack, Sidne Anderson, Eve Plumb, David W. Thompson, Stacy Rock
Year: 2013
Country: USA
Language: English
Colour: Colour
Runtime: 1h 30min
Studio: The Lab of Madness, Film Science, Neighborhood Watch
Distributor: Anchor Bay Entertainment
