Sometimes my favorite part of being a movie fan is discovering a film.  Every year when I put together my list for my most anticipated films of the year, I do a little research in order to properly compose my list.  Most of the films on the list are big blockbusters with well known actors and directors.  I don't need to do any research to fill the list with those kinds of films.  I then do some digging to find some other films that are getting some buzz.

 

I stumbled upon a website and down at the bottom they mentioned a film called Blue Ruin.  There was no plot synopsis, just a picture of a desperate looking bearded man holding a rifle.  The film wasn't set to come out for another year, so I decided that I would just remember the name and include it the next year. When the next year rolled around, the haunting image of the bearded man with the rifle still stuck with me, unfortunately, I couldn't remember the name of the film.  All I could remember is that it had the word "blue" in it.  After an exhaustive internet search, I found Blue Ruin and immediately put it in my Netflix queue.  I've been eagerly awaiting it's DVD release ever since.  It turns out that I would have heard about the film anyway because it has become a huge critical hit and is currently one of the best reviewed films of the year.

 

It's all deserving as well.  Blue Ruin is an intense, gritty thriller that takes normal revenge movie clichés and puts a realistic twist on it.  On the surface, Blue Ruin seems like your typical revenge film, but pretty early on it becomes evident that the film wasn't going subscribe to the normal Hollywood standards when it comes to revenge flicks.  It's never made more clear than when we meet the main character Dwight, a homeless man living in his car.  He's docile and withdrawn.  A solemn man living on the fringes of society.  

 

Dwight learns some information that brings him back to his hometown to avenge the death of his parents.  Dwight is played by relative unknown Macon Blair.  Blair gives a quiet, but powerful performance.  The first 20 minutes of the film are done with almost no dialogue.  Blair carries the film with just his eyes and facial expressions.  It's a grim, haunting performance.  Evans is a man with nothing to lose and it shows in the desperation in his eyes.

 

Once Evans cleans up a little bit, he looks even less threatening and you get the vibe that he is even less capable of accomplishing his goals.  He looks like an accountant, not some heartless killer hell-bent on revenge.  I think this is where a film like Blue Ruin really stands out from dozens of other revenge films.  Most other revenge films feature a main character that is some unstoppable killing machine.  Evans is the polar opposite of that.  He’s an everyman that finds himself doing something he would never have thought about doing in a million years. He’s bumbling and scared, just like most of us would be in a situation like this.

 

Blue Ruin also features some fantastic cinematography and quite a few moments of dark humor.  Maybe the highest compliment I could pay the filmmakers is that Blue Ruin really echoes many of the Coen brothers’ best films.  Ruin lacks the stylized trademark of the Coen brothers, but the natural realism is what sets Blue Ruin apart from all other revenge flicks.

 

Blue Ruin is a true success story and I can’t help but root for films like this. Director Jeremy Saulnier and Macon Blair are childhood friends that grew up making home movies.  Saulnier was a struggling cinematographer that dreamed of making his own film.  After years of getting told no by studios, he decided to make the film by himself, borrowing money from family and friends and maxing out credit cards.  A true rags-to-riches story.  

 

When people tell me there aren’t any good movies out there anymore, I tell them they’re wrong and that they just aren’t digging hard enough because movies like Blue Ruin are out there and they’re fantastic and they stick with you long after the credits role.  Just like the screenshot I first saw of the bearded man and the rifle.