Hi everyone!
I had an absolute blast catching up on movies over vacation, in addition to reading a few books and playing video games, along with binging a little known television show called, and let me make sure I get this right, “Game of Thrones”. Currently on Season 5, a little behind but I’ve read the books. Years ago. Also, Joffrey can burn in hell. Spoilers?
Anyway, one of those films I finally got to see was director and cinematographer Jeremy Saulnier’s “Blue Ruin”. Check out my reviews of his more recent films, including the incredibly brutal “Green Room” (Episode #054) and the brutally incredible “Hold The Dark” (Episode #272). None of these films are for the weak of heart, no matter how beautiful each can be in its own way.
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Here we go!
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Today’s movie is “Blue Ruin”, the neo-noir action film written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier. The film follows Dwight Evans (Macon Blair), a beach vagrant who learns that the man convicted for killing his parents is being released from prison. Deciding to take matters into his own hands, he seeks out an act of revenge that re-ignites a feud between the two families, and leads to a horrific ending.
No spoilers.
Jeremy Saulnier and Macon Blair have a long history of collaboration. “Blue Ruin” isn’t even their first collaboration, which goes all the way back to 1998 for a short entitled “Goldfarb” and another short in 2004 called “Crabwalk”, right before Saulnier’s first feature film called “Murder Party” in 2007. After that, Saulnier disappeared into the world of cinematography, and Blair into the world of acting, until reuniting for “Blue Ruin”, and with “Green Room” and “Hold The Dark”, continued their collaboration into new, exciting, and critically praised territories.
“Blue Ruin” almost serves as a reboot to Saulnier’s filmography, taking all those years of cinematography experience and investing it into crafting films that makes sure the story and medium compliment each other. From the very start, our senses are assaulted with various shades of blue, generally considered a tranquil color, but also a color meant to symbolize masculinity. We watch Dwight living by the blue ocean out of his blue car, having a seemingly tranquil life until he’s informed of the release of Wade Cleland (Sandy Barnett). He goes from tranquil to something more primal, at times hunter and hunted, predator and prey, and along the way, we see small and large swatches of blue, both where we expect it and where we don’t. It’s a film to be seen to be believed.
Of course, you should only see the film if you’re ready for some direct violence. Once the switch is flipped within Dwight, from managing day to day, seemingly without purpose, to a driven character, the film becomes startlingly brutal. Each death feels a lot more realistic than the usual “one and done” kills in most action thrillers, with a lot of pain and suffering. Dwight’s journey reignites the feud, and rather than one side ending up as a victor, we head towards a strangely twisted stalemate, at least until one family or the other decides to seek retribution again. Macon Blair does a convincing job from beginning to end, making us believe Dwight at each stage of the way.
“Blue Ruin” is the film that reignited Jeremy Saulnier’s career and his collaborative work with Macon Blair, a neo-noir thriller between two intertwined families seeking retribution for past sins. Saulnier brings the cinematographer’s eye to the entire film, playing with the color blue both within and out of context, somehow making the brutal beautiful, and the beautiful brutal. Fans of neo-noir films, especially Saulnier’s later work, should definitely check out this tight little film.
Rotten Tomatoes: 96% (CERTIFIED FRESH)
Metacritic: 77
One Movie Punch: 7.8/10
“Blue Ruin” (2013) is rated Rand is currently playing on Netflix.
