Blue Ruin [2013] -- Independent // Chiller

[TRAILER REMOVED--RUINS THE DAMN MOVIE]

(My advice? Watch it first [NetFlix Available in U.S as of 2015!] and then read this. Don't watch the trailer. Watch the movie.)

Grade: A
Stars: 9.1

"The directing style of Blue Ruin is akin to lighting a candle with a match, while most other 'major block buster' films in the same genre and category go straight for the flame thrower. . . A slow burn the entire way, the movie reaches a fever pitch quite quickly and culminates in a blood curdling and heart stopping ride that takes hold, and doesn't let go until it's over."

Blue Ruin is a spine chilling indie flick that kept my eyes glued to the screen until the extremely bitter end. A highly immersive slow burner from start to finish, I found myself staring with wide eyes even after the credits started to roll. It felt like I had been holding my breath since the first 10 minutes, which really took me by surprise. Rarely do films evoke this level of actual fear in me the way this did. Not since No Country For Old Men & Zodiac has their been an unsettling film to hold weight in this category that I can think of.

Blue Ruin is the type of film that shoots for theatrical realism and minimalism, and thankfully, through stroke of directing genius, accomplishes both. This is the type of movie that makes you acutely aware of how unrealistic other movies are. It is unnerving and toe-curling-violent like Last House on The Left, yet without any of the trite directing tropes or faux pas. The directing style of Blue Ruin is akin to lighting a candle with a match, while most other 'major block buster' films in the same genre and category go straight for the flame thrower.

I was impressed to say the least with how this flick artfully skated around back story dumping. Although the character arcs and back story was never expounded on in a traditional sense, I never found myself growing frustrated. You learn through immersion, which allowed for a slower, but by no means relaxed, extra thirty minutes of actual plot progression. Although I was curious to learn more, I never felt like I was being held hostage to a mystery; none of the vital pieces were missing and all major plot arcs were conveyed coherently and timely. The frustration I so often find with these types of movies was refreshingly absent.

In a similar vein as Take Shelter, the acting in this film is spectacular. Sure, there are no big A name actors, but I think many can agree these types of films would only suffer if someone like Tom Cruise stared. Given the unassuming, timid nature of the lead protagonist, a relatively or entirely unknown cast is exactly what is needed to bring it together. 

Reflective in the character's actions are traits most all of us can relate to. This isn't a movie where the hero's can't be harmed. This isn't a film where the antagonist knows karate for absolutely no reason. I found myself wondering what I might do in a similar situation if confronted by the same problems this character faces, and I think what is so unnerving about it is that none of the character's actions are too far off from what the average person might do in a similar situation.

The cinematography utilizes many brilliant techniques both elegantly and subtly, without coming off as pretentious or inundating the way so many other indie flicks like this do with some of the more ambitious shots. Sometimes, less creative is actually better and I think that's what makes this film so compelling. The plot is so heart breaking, and being portrayed with such grace is a real masterpiece akin to Hitchcock himself.

To put it simply, this film, from start to finish, doesn't fuck around.  Despite a lack of dialogue, the tone is consistent and the details down to the last drop of blood are compelling. When people talk, it matters. I think the most compelling aspect of the entire film, perhaps the very mission statement it set out to accomplish, was that there is not a single moment where disbelief need be suspended. It looks real, it sounds real, and it feels extremely real. A slow burn the entire way, the movie reaches a fever pitch quite quickly and culminates in a blood curdling and heart stopping ride that takes hold, and doesn't let go until it's over.

Blue Ruin is one of the best films I've seen in a very long time.

Watch. This. Movie!