Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Blue Ruin


Directed by Jeremy Saulnier.
2014. Rated R, 90 minutes.
Cast:
Macon Blair
Devin Ratray
Amy Hargreaves
Kevin Kolack
Eve Plumb
David W. Thompson
Brent Werzner
Stacy Rock
Sidne Anderson

We don't know what to make of Dwight (Blair) when we first meet him. He's homeless and making a quick getaway from a house he's broken into to take a bath when the people who live there show up. A short while later, he's picked up by the police. When approached, he starts to offer up an excuse for his actions, but is quieted by the unusually nurturing voice of the officer. She takes him back to the station, not to arrest him, but to give him an important piece of information. Wade Cleland is about to be released from prison. We don't immediately know who this is, but Dwight does and springs into action. What follows is a revenge tale during which the tables turn several times.

What strikes us immediately is how much is revealed through what Dwight does as opposed to what he says. This is not a movie given to long sections of expository dialogue. There is very little of it to be concerned with. This way, as the story unfolds it truly is giving us revelations, new insight into the world before us. For instance, as I said we don't really know who this Wade Cleland guy is, other than the fact he's obviously bad news if the cops are warning Dwight about him. Well, that and the obvious which is these two men have something to do with one another. Right away, we're put on edge. We have no clue what's going on, but we're intrigued. What kind of business does Dwight have with Wade. To be honest, I'm not sure if we've found out Dwight's name to this point, let alone discerning if he's actually the good guy. That works because as the answers to these questions come, in brief snatches of dialogue by the way, new questions arise. Tension and suspense are ratcheted up considerably. We become immersed in the story.


To help us stay in the story is a marvelous turn by Macon Blair as Dwight. His character is a man of few words. In fact, he often stumbles over the ones he uses. However, when needed, he can rather clear about what he means. Mostly, it's all about his thought process and how that translates into action and emotion. We can almost see the wheels spinning in his head as he formulates a plan and starts trying to carry it out. Best of all, though, is the fact that these plans are not perfect, nor is his execution of them. Far from it. This guy is a lot closer to Barney Fife than he is to Rambo. Still, we never take him for a joke. That's because he's a lot closer to us than Rambo, too. He's a man who has never had to do such things as he's attempting now, but finds himself in a situation where he's fighting for something bigger than himself. His end-goal is admirable, yet the path to get there is overrun with danger.

Other characters involved are only shown as necessary. Not only does the movie only introduce people germane to the plot, it only utilizes them to maximum effect. Quality is certainly favored over quantity. Again, we don't get people sitting around wringing their hands or trying to make sense of it all. Everything is in the moment and from Dwight's point of view. The whole thing becomes a tremendously minimalist affair during which we live every moment with our protagonist. Even though much of it plays out over wide stretches of territory, we cross state lines at least once, it still feels like we're stuck in a box with Dwight wherever he goes. That's actually a good thing because we become fully vested in his fate. This is the true aim of every movie and Blue Ruin accomplishes this. It does so by keeping us out of crowded cities and placing us in dustier parts of the American landscape. The calling card of legendary director Martin Scorsese is urban grit. Here, Jeremy Saulnier makes a worthy rural counterpart.

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14 comments:

  1. Yes! Blair was so good here, and this movie was SOOOO tight. I was literally on edge the entire time. Brisk, to the point and brilliantly effective at what it sets out to do.

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    1. Tight is the operative word here. There are extraneous parts. Every piece only serves the whole. Its a great achievement that deserves a much bigger audience.

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    2. So glad both of you guys finally got to this one. It is amazing! Love how you compared him to more of a Fife than a Rambo. The revenge movie always pits this unreal badass against the bad guys. Blair as Dwight is just a dude with a grudge on a mission. Great review!

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    3. Thanks! I'm glad also. And "just a dude" is a perfect way to describe Dwight. That's a large part of its effectiveness. We can see he had some ideas, but things didn't pan out the way he planned and he's kinda making it up as he goes along.

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  2. Great write-up Dell. This was a very gripping and solid little thriller. One of the best of the year, in fact. This made my top ten simply due to it's seemingly effortless ability to ratchet up the tension while remaining entirely believable and relatable. A lot of that must go to Macon Blair too. His performance was spot on.

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    1. Yes, its looking like a solid contender for my top ten even though I have lots more to watch. Its amazing the way this movie creates tension. And Blair is perfect.

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  3. This looks way too intense for my feeble nerves. Sounds like Macon Blair delivered a career-making turn here.

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    1. It is definitely intense. Hope you decide to give it a go, but understand if you don't. I really hope Macon Blair is on to bigger things.

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    2. Well if he's doing more of a drama, or something less intense/bloody, then I'll check it out :)

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    3. Can't lie. It's all sorts of intense, bloody on occasion.

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  4. Interesting read mate, specifically the element of holding back seemingly key plot points to create tension. And Blair was immense, I'm not sure anyone could dispute that, a career-making turn indeed. I saw this a while back, but your review now has me itching to watch it again as I can't seem to remember much, apart from remembering very clearly how much I enjoyed it. Gotta love a good ol' revenge flick. ;D

    cheers

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    1. Blair was great. I can see myself returning to this often. And yeah, love a revenge flick.

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  5. I love seeing people embrace this film - a favorite of mine from last year. I love it and you touch on one of the things that separates it from the common thriller. Dwight is not the revenge type. He has no idea what he is doing and stumbles all over himself in the process. I like that unique angle. And Blair is indeed phenomenal.

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    1. Its quickly became one of my faves of 2014, too. That Dwight does struggle is key to the movie and Blair fully exploited that aspect. Thanks for stopping by!

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