Blue Ruin Movie Review

Blue Ruin (2013)

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Written by: Jeremy Saulnier
Directed by: Jeremy Saulnier
Starring:  Macon Blair, Devin Ratray, Amy Hargreaves
Rated: R

My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it. Read my previous movie reviews!

Plot:
A man returns to his childhood hometown for vengeance.

Verdict:
This is such a good revenge movie. Every part of the movie is well done, and the story is painfully real. The protagonist isn't a special forces expert marksman. He stumbles along, intent on his task not because of blood thirst but because of obligation. It ends in the only way a revenge movie should. It's incredibly well done.
Watch it.

Review:
After watching Saunier's Green Room (2015) (read my review), I looked at his previous work and found Blue Ruin. Saunier was writer, director, and cinematographer for this, and I will definitely be watching his future movies.

This movie has a very quiet start as we slowly learn about Dwight just through what we see, and there's little dialog through the movie. We know Dwight is homeless, but we don't know why. Clues emerge as the story progresses, providing insight on Dwight. It's great storytelling with a morose mood that the movie keeps building.

Dwight isn't Superman, and he's not brave in the traditional sense. He's scared and knows he's over matched. He stumbles through his predicament intent on revenge yet reluctant, progressing through sheer tenacity. It's obvious he has no idea what he's doing. He didn't map this out, but he feels obligated to avenge and then protect his family. Revenge is twisted and winding and that's what this is. When it's revealed that the situation isn't quite what he thought, he has no intention of stopping. There is only one way this ends and Dwight knows that.

Macon Blair is perfect for this role and conveys a lot of emotion despite the lack of dialog. I can't believe how good this movie is. This is going to be one of my standards for revenge movies. From start to finish this is very deliberate. This isn't an over the top Hollywood blockbuster, and that's a good thing. The antithesis to this would be Taken (2008). While I love that movie, Blue Ruin is attempting the other side of that coin.

As the credits begin, a song starts with the refrain "no regrets."  I don't know if the song is affirming Dwight's plight or making light of it. Few songs are so effective at closing a movie.