Blue Ruin
Director: Jeremy Saulnier
By Alex Watson
Avenging your family is always a dangerous and draining task, but the movies about this subject are forever entertaining. Shane Meadows’ ‘Dead Man’s Shoes’ brought us a gritty but emotionally overwhelming thriller where a brother shed blood to bring himself peace, whereas the Michael Caine revenge movie ‘Harry Brown’ was about a man tired of the young punk populated society that had driven to him to despair and wanted to make his estate a trouble free place. This week, American writer/director Jeremy Saulnier has brought us the first possibly great retribution story of 2014 in his movie, Blue Ruin. Funded entirely by Kickstarter, this movie took home the FIPRESCI prize at Cannes last year and it appears we could have a major new talent on our hands.
Dwight Evans (Macon Blair) is a down and out homeless man who lives in the wreck of his old blue Pontaic car. But his life changes when he learns that Wade Cleland Jr – the man who brutally murdered his parents, is being released from jail. Dwight returns home to his former home state, Virginia where in revenge he kills Wade Jr! But in carrying out this act, an age family feud with the Cleland family is re-ignited and Dwight has now placed both his and his sister Sam (Amy Hargreaves) lives in extreme danger!
Jeremy Saulnier’s Blue Ruin is one of this year’s finest so far, and from the very get-go it is one of unbearable tension, things starts perfectly calmly as we see Dwight going about his daily business of collecting cans, rummaging for food in dumpsters and breaking in other families houses to bathe himself. But when he is informed by a kindly police officer that the man who wrecked his life is being allowed to walk- his following actions shift the tone considerably and from there he shaves off his lengthy beard and sets off to finish what he started. The bumps along the road do provide moments of unexpected humour, such Dwight’s attempt to illegally obtain a hand gun and when he finally steals one- it has a trigger lock that is too tough to break off or his attempts at beefing up his sisters home security as the Cleland gang close down on him.
As a protagonist, Dwight is a strange one as he is a very aloof character who is seemingly undergoing a major emotional reawakening, his early scenes alongside his sister are very strained as the pair try to find solace in each other, but each of them know that it is not possible. But the most endearing part to his character, is how when each of his actions in either vengence or self defense cause more trouble, his anguish grows more. But despite this man being treated with a wide variety of hostilities from his enemies, Dwight remains a near wordless hero and the pain filled look on his face tells the story magnificently. Saulnier succeeds in giving his audience a protrayal of an innocent being dragged into world he doesn’t want to see, but has no choice and the end result is one that has us on edge until the final reel.
But its Saulnier who emerges as the real star of Blue Ruin and his excellent script gives the movie a beating heart that is raw but also invigorating and side steps any need to provide any big or impassioned speeches, keeping words to a minimum allows this well paced thriller to spread its wings and it soars highly as a result. But his film making is more mesmerising in the movie’s quieter moments and thanks to his direction the fear and tautness bubbles furiously in the background as Dwight hides the shadows from his enemies.
Macon Blair makes for an oddly enthralling leading man but nonetheless less proves to be a revelation! From the very beginning when he hacks off his mass beard, he emerges looking like a man who on the verge of something unforgivable but is determined to see it through. In an excellent performance, Blair is powerfully stirring and gives Saulnier’s film a very moving core. Also look out for a quite funny and talkative appearence from Home Alone star Devin Rattray as Dwight’s old friend Ben- this man knows his rifles well!
Blue Ruin is one of those movies that is worth discovering because it will no doubt blow you out of the water and will have you holding your breath throughout as our hero seek justice for his families demise. Jeremy Saulnier is a director who could be going places and this is one place I recommend beginning.
Closer to the Edge 