Blue Ruin (2013)

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General		Extras
Category	Thriller	Theatrical Trailer-(1:47) Feature: 2.35:1 Trailer-(2:26) John Dies in the End: 1.78:1 Trailer-(1:52) Frankenstein's Army: 1.78:1 Trailer-(2:04) A Field in England: 2.35:1 Trailer-(1:43) Bavarian Sound Studios: 1.78:1 Trailer-(2:14) Beyond the Black Rainbow: 2.35:1 Trailer-(1:52) Hell: 2.35:1
Rating
Year Of Production	2013
Running Time	86:35
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL (47:31)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Jeremy Saulnier
Studio Distributor	Madman Entertainment	Starring	Macon Blair Devin Ratray Amy Hargreaves Kevin Kolack Eve Plumb David W. Thompson Brent Werzner Stacy Rock
Case	Amaray-Opaque
RPI	$29.95	Music	Brooke Blair Will Blair

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	Yes
Subtitles	None	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	Yes, Only the title at the beginning

     Blue Ruin is a revenge thriller with a difference - actually quite a few differences. Here the avenging central character is no vengeful angel of death. He is an ordinary man on a mission of morality, scared and unable to fire a gun until an old friend gives him basic instructions. It is this naked humanity of the protagonist that grabs the viewer and absorbs us in the drama of Dwight Evans. Fascinating though the film is, its birth as a movie is equally as fascinating. As I bemoan later, there are no extras on this disc, so to learn something about the filmmaker - writer, director and cinematographer Jeremy Saulnier - you need to explore for yourself.

     Saulnier and his filmmaking buddy, Macon Blair, who here plays Dwight Evans, have been friends since childhood. Every spare moment, it seems, was spent practising their chosen craft. Saulnier had to his credit the award-winning short Crabwalk and the horror-comedy Murder Party (2007). Despite the latter being picked up for distribution it was not successful enough to give its young makers any traction in the industry. The two, with pressures of marriage and families on their lives, finally decided to give up their shared dreams of becoming filmmakers. They would make one last creative effort, their swansong, into which they would pour everything they could of themselves, their craft and their lives. Saulnier did not set out to make any particular "type" of film, instead wanting only to showcase his friend in the lead. This became Blue Ruin, with the initial filming financed, literally, on credit card. What was intended to be the pair's "last hurrah" premiered in the director's week at Cannes in 2013 where, to their astonishment, it was awarded the FIPRESCI Prize. This award, given to enterprising film makers, has previously been won by the likes of Pedro Almodovar, Paul Thomas Anderson, Terrence Malick, Roman Polanski, Woody Allen and Jean Luc Godard. With this encouragement behind them, the movie was released in US cinemas - and VOD - on April 25th last. The filmmaking careers of Jeremy Saulnier and Macon Blair appear to be taking off. Once you have seen Blue Ruin you will understand why.

     The opening of the film brilliantly sets the tone for the entire film. The camera begins by isolating, in close-up, details in the interior of a house. We hear the sound of running water. The camera tracks slowly and carefully towards an open bathroom door, the plastic shower curtain concealing who is in the tub. There is a sound. The camera stops its movement and a hand pulls the shower curtain aside. A scruffily bearded youngish man looks towards the camera to check the source of the sound. He is reassured, lets the curtain fall and the camera recommences moving. So the camera "discovers" Dwight Evans (Macon Blair) and the audience is introduced to the man whose side we will not leave for the next ninety minutes. We observe Dwight and learn that he is a hobo, living beachside in Delaware - the fairground ticket stubs reveal that detail - sleeping in his wreck of a blue sedan and scrounging fast food remnants from garbage bins. Dwight learns from the police that the man convicted of murdering his parents, Wade Cleland Jr (Sandy Barnett), has been released from jail. Dwight considers it his moral duty to seek out the freed killer and slay him. We follow Dwight as he takes this path, bringing him into contact with the killer and his family, as well as his own sister (Amy Hargreaves), her children and an old school friend (Devin Ratray). How these interactions play out is the substance of the film, and I would not spoil that discovery for anyone. Suffice to say that the characters are totally believable, and the situations are charged with drama and almost unbearable suspense.

     Jeremy Saulnier is an assured and gifted filmmaker. This may be a low budget film, but don't expect any hand-held wobble-cam photography. The camera may be hand held, but any movement is economic, and meaningful - as in the superb opening. Straight from the suspenseful bathroom scene we go to a beautiful tracking shot of the owners of the house arriving, moving to catch the naked Dwight as he climbs out a window and flees to safety. From this great opening the film just gets better and better. Performances are perfect, with the actors not seeming to be acting at all. The only faces, or names, I recognized were Eve Plumb (The Brady Bunch) as one of the Celeland "gang" and Devin Ratray (Home Alone) as Ben, the old school friend. Macon Blair does not seem to be acting at all. He simply becomes this very human, flawed and driven character.

     If you like a thrilling revenge story, or a Hitchcockian suspense yarn - or just like movies - do yourself a big favour. Make sure you see Blue Ruin. Even though the local release is barebones, Madman should be thanked for giving us a local release of this remarkable film.

Video

     This independent film looks extremely good in its DVD release. Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and 16x9 enhanced the widescreen compositions are excellent. Whether it is the cramped interior of a car or wooded exteriors the camera is used skilfully and meaningfully. The image is sharp and clear in the daylight scenes, while night scenes and dark interiors have a softer look - probably due to the use of available light. Although detail becomes a little lost in some of the dark, suspenseful scenes, there is never any doubt as to what is happening on screen. Colours are subdued, perfectly fitting for the movie, and the skin tones are fine within the palette.

     The layer change (47:31) is smartly placed in a shot of the sky, with the momentary pause giving no disruption.

    There are no subtitles.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
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Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     There is one audio stream: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Encoded at 48 kHz.

     Although this is a modest soundtrack, much use is made of the surrounds for ambience - beginning with the beach and the fairgrounds early in the film. The dialogue is front and centred - and flawlessly clear. No problems at all, including sync. The surrounds are dramatically employed in the suspenseful scenes, with a breaking window or whatever surprising us from the rear. The subwoofer has a very busy time - the throb of car engines, the banging from a captive in a car boot, gun shots, Dwight's brief excursion to a club and the thrillingly dramatic original score (Brooke Blair and Will Blair). When the action gets violent so does the music.

     There are no big fireworks here, but the soundtrack is a thrilling complement to the mesmerising scenes on screen.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menu

     The menu screen is very basic, using a close-up still of Macon Blair and music from the film.

    There is nothing extra on the disc apart from the trailer, plus a selection of trailers for other Asylum features.

Theatrical Trailer (1:47)

     Quite a good trailer, the same quality and ratio as the feature.

Asylum Trailers

     This is a collection of trailers of distinctly out of the ordinary features, only two of which I have reviewed - the very enjoyable John Dies at the End, and the bizarre but interesting Beyond the Black Rainbow. All are quite good quality, and all are 16x9 enhanced.

• John Dies at the End (2:26): Presented at the ratio of 1.78:1.
• Frankenstein's Army (1:52): Presented at the ratio of 1.78:1.
• A Field in England (2:04): Presented at the ratio of 2.35:1.
• Bavarian Sound Studios (1:43): Presented at the ratio of 1.78:1.
• Beyond the Black Rainbow (2:14): Presented at the ratio of 2.35:1.
• Hell (1:52): Presented at the ratio of 2.35:1.

    There is censorship information available for this title. Click here to read it (a new window will open). WARNING: Often these entries contain MAJOR plot spoilers.

     Blue Ruin is being released in the US by Anchor Bay on July 22, both DVD and Blu-ray, with these extras: Feature Commentary with Writer/Director Jeremy Saulnier and Macon Blair, Behind the Scenes of Blue Ruin, Camera Test, Deleted Scenes, English and Spanish Subtitles.

     Perhaps Madman were not granted the rights to these extras. It's a shame when there is a film from a new and talented filmmaker about whom I, for one, would like to learn something. Under the circumstances I would have to say that the Region 1 release wins this one.

     No big names in this independent film, a terrific piece of filmmaking. There is no sense here that the film is following a script, but rather that these events are evolving while we watch. It's a revenge story, and the "hero" is a very ordinary man at the mercy of his quest for revenge. This is a truly thrilling, suspenseful film crafted with enormous skill. If you want to learn more about the making of the film, there is plenty on the internet - but sadly the disc does not come with extras. Do yourself a BIG favour, and seek this one out.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall