Blue Ruin (2013)
January 28, 2025 7:19 AM - Subscribe
"When the quiet life of a beach bum is upended by dreadful news, he sets off for his childhood home to carry out an act of vengeance. However, he proves an inept assassin and finds himself in a brutal fight to protect his estranged family."
This is a tense and tight revenge thriller, quietly edgy from start to finish. It was made by two friends from Alexandria, independent filmmakers, who financed it through a successful $35K Kickstarter campaign. It's broken into three clear parts. It act one, a dirty vagrant hears that the person who had killed his parents 20 years earlier is being released from prison. [Homeless protagonists are depressing af]. So he returns to the his hometown in Virginia to avenge their death. As an accidental assassin he sucks at it, but his saga takes him through extreme Anton Chigurh scenes of mayhem and 'Headhunters' survivalist adventures. Gritty, low-key modern Noir masterpiece.
96% Score on Rotten Tomatoes.
7.1 on IMDb.
Recommended - 8/10. But please watch it without reading any further information.
This is a tense and tight revenge thriller, quietly edgy from start to finish. It was made by two friends from Alexandria, independent filmmakers, who financed it through a successful $35K Kickstarter campaign. It's broken into three clear parts. It act one, a dirty vagrant hears that the person who had killed his parents 20 years earlier is being released from prison. [Homeless protagonists are depressing af]. So he returns to the his hometown in Virginia to avenge their death. As an accidental assassin he sucks at it, but his saga takes him through extreme Anton Chigurh scenes of mayhem and 'Headhunters' survivalist adventures. Gritty, low-key modern Noir masterpiece.
96% Score on Rotten Tomatoes.
7.1 on IMDb.
Recommended - 8/10. But please watch it without reading any further information.
Jeremy Saulnier's second movie! I loved that the protagonist wasn't deeply competent; you really get the sense of someone stumbling through a bad situation as best he can. I also recommend his movies Green Room, in which a punk band plays an ill-advised gig at a Nazi bar, and Rebel Ridge, which is about the problematic practice of civil forfeiture. He's one of those thriller directors who really understands how to merge social awareness and action, bless him.
posted by Bryant at 8:34 AM on January 28 [5 favorites]
posted by Bryant at 8:34 AM on January 28 [5 favorites]
I have nothing new to add, but second all the previous comments. It's a solid film.
posted by mrphancy at 8:46 AM on January 28
posted by mrphancy at 8:46 AM on January 28
Love this movie and the way it does so much with so little, and yeah I've always described it as "what if a regular slob decided to become a revenge killer/hitman...except like, not funny or played for laughs at all". The violence is all rooted in very realistic Normal Guy logic, decisions, mistakes - you can see the through line from this to Green Room where similarly inexperienced characters are trying their best to make these incredibly difficult calculations to survive. Saulner is a master at this, it makes everything much more tense and disturbing.
posted by windbox at 9:05 AM on January 28 [4 favorites]
posted by windbox at 9:05 AM on January 28 [4 favorites]
Lead actor (and Jeremy Saulnier regular) Macon Blair is a pretty great filmmaker as well -- I was a big fan of I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore (previously on Fanfare!) -- and I'm glad to see that his remake of Troma's The Toxic Avenger is FINALLY getting a release after spending a couple of years unable to get a distributor.
posted by Strange Interlude at 1:22 PM on January 28 [4 favorites]
posted by Strange Interlude at 1:22 PM on January 28 [4 favorites]
Yes, I already cued up both Macon Blair and Jeremy Saulnier for more
posted by growabrain at 2:09 PM on January 28 [1 favorite]
posted by growabrain at 2:09 PM on January 28 [1 favorite]
There are other movies where regular guys get pushed to the wall, but this one has a kind of mumblecore aesthetic that makes it kind of amusing.
For me the Saulnier ranking goes:
Green Room > Murder Party > Blue Ruin >>> Rebel Ridge > Hold the Dark.
posted by fleacircus at 11:24 PM on January 28 [1 favorite]
For me the Saulnier ranking goes:
Green Room > Murder Party > Blue Ruin >>> Rebel Ridge > Hold the Dark.
posted by fleacircus at 11:24 PM on January 28 [1 favorite]
Green Room > Murder Party > Blue Ruin >>> Rebel Ridge > Hold the Dark.Wow. I loved Green Room and Rebel Ridge, roughly in that preference, and now I have two very strong recommendations, thanks!
posted by kandinski at 9:15 PM on January 29
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posted by Carillon at 8:11 AM on January 28