Content to live the life of a vagrant, a homeless man finds a reason to live as the man who murdered his parents is released from prison, but a spontaneous revenge plan has unintended consequences in this grim and gritty crime thriller. Macon Blair is solid in the lead role, playing a rather interesting character. His vagrancy life is utterly intriguing as he breaks into houses just to shower and eat but never to steal anything of any significance, and there is quite a dynamic at hand as the prison release injects new energy into his life, especially as his revenge plan succeeds, which leads to killer's family trying to kill Blair himself rather than report him to the police. The film does not do quite so well when it comes to secondary characters, most of whom thinking nothing of Blair dropping off and on the map, plus the game of cat and mouse that results eventually tires, however, the film remains atmospheric until the end thanks to a throbbing music score and thoughtful use of the colour blue (though the title is chiefly meant to mean complete and utter ruin). There is also a lot to like in what the film has to say about the inability of revenge to truly solve any problems. Indeed, all that revenge leads to here is a nightmarish never-ending cycle, and the film's choice to conclude with the camera focused on the youngest member of the killer's family feels both poetic as well as thematically fitting.

First of all I have to raise my hands to Macon Blair. What an astonishing performance. And what a debut for both him and for Jeremy Saulnier. The first 15 minutes are as good as any Ridley Scott production.You get the Thelma & Louise feel going.... The filtered light, the scenery, the close-ups, the simple but strong plot evolves to an astonishing masterpiece.All of it perfection. I really like the Anti-hero theme in this. I have always rooted for the underdog all my life. And here we have it on film. Lucky me, lucky us. I have a feeling that we have the Tarantino of the 2010 and on, here. Just check out Green Room and you will see that this is not a fluke.Good luck to this film-team. Cause they are sticking together for a long time, is my guess.God speed everyone.

It is a curious piece, but a pleasing one. The auteur, Jeremy Saulnier, has roots in cinematography and it shows. While the visuals are deliberate at times and overly-filtered in general, the film has a beautifully polished quality to some pretty grainy and dire images at times. It is easy on the eyes - and what a relief to be allowed the pleasure of enjoying some long shots instead of the epileptic, Bay- esque staccato cutting that seems to be so prevalent these days.Speaking of outlandish budgets, this film was assembled for around $35 000 courtesy of Kickstarter, and to all those that contributed : feel pleased on money well-spent.Nothing terribly new here: a revenge odyssey and a passable thriller with the usual mixing-bowl pros and cons. But for $35k, a novice film-maker and a cast of un- and barely-knowns to achieve an award at Cannes and almost a million dollars at the domestic popcorn-store I feel compelled to give them a nod or two myself.The story involves a mysterious vagrant man who seemingly drifts through his days without causing anyone much bother. Yet upon finding out that his father's killer is being released from prison, he kicks into payback mode and briskly goes about executing (cough) a messy, committed, revenge killing. Somewhat botched (both himself and the attack) he realises that his actions have consequences on not just his personal safety, but an estranged sister and her kids too - his victim's family being the two- legs-and-your-heart-for-an-eye kinda folk. Things get progressively out of control as he tries to spirit his family to safety and offer himself up as restitution; but we all know it's never easy reasoning with armed criminal sociopaths. So everyone gets a bit carried away.It's taut - without ever being truly tense - but pleasingly the story moves. The acting is a mixed bag, mostly due to somewhat flimsy supporting characters, but the lead performance by Macon Blair (Dwight) is truly excellent. His soft features and placid expressions render him very hard to date (guess his age, not woo romantically) and his immersion into the role is impressive, especially given his extended screen-time makes him vulnerable to over-scrutiny. You never learn much about him, nor experience a bond, but he has a likable, authentic quality.Blair's performance, coupled with some stomach-churning realism, are the tent-poles of this picture. The violence is sporadic, explosive and explicit, but it's the suffering that certain characters endure which is effecting and accomplished in its presentation.The score is understated and appropriate and the outcome suitably bleak without being nihilistic, never quite delivering a devilish twist but swaying just far enough away from convention to keep one thinking longer than the first credits.Some have opined that Blue Ruin has elements of Tarantino and The Coen brothers - I'm inclined to disagree. Yes, their collective influence is residual in most independent film-making these days. But this movie doesn't orchestrate the stylish blood-shed of Tarantino's violence nor deliver the sly black humour that grouts the Coen body counts. If we must seek comparisons then I suggest back-track further left-field and compare works of Vincent Gallo and Arthur Penn. If you are a fan of either, or indeed both, their visionary output then sit yourself in front of Blue Ruin post-haste.Attempting to box this film does it a disservice. It is no masterpiece and its budget and story limitations are there to behold. Despite it's warts it entertains, engrosses and is something different. And for a movie which isn't an original, well - that's quite some trick isn't it?

It's hard to breakdown what I loved about this movie in just 1,000 words, but let me just start off by saying that this is one of the most refreshing thrillers I've seen in quite some time.The first thing that makes it great, among a number of superb qualities, is that the film never holds your hand. There's never any lame exposition, as all the answers are laid out visually for the audience.In fact, the characters in this film, despite very strong performances from all involved, have very little dialogue. Macon Blair, the lead, is particularly good, often expressing exactly what he is feeling just through his facial expressions. The direction and cinematography in this film is masterful. There were so many beautiful, lingering shots that I truly lost count of the number of times I thought "Wow, that is gorgeous". Plot-wise, the film is simple and straightforward. We know from the get-go that the major theme of the movie is revenge; what it does to us, and what it can make us do, I felt like the film explored this in very satisfying, haunting way. If you have a strong stomach (the violence in this film is fast, visceral, and realistically portrayed), and are in the mood for a truly well-made thriller, this film is definitely for you.