Review of Blue Ruin (2014) by Danny D — 16 Jun 2014

I'm really looking forward to what this writer/director does next. What's so special about Blue Ruin is that it feels like it's happening. Set in a residential semi-countryside, the events unfold in ways that are as believable as they are frightening, the two going hand in hand with reason.

The scenes are well realized in that show-not-tell is used extensively and intelligently throughout to move the story along fluidly and to silently hold our breath in. The film is also wonderfully messy and as in other revenge films it crescendos to the point of no return, which is refreshing to see, as there is no copping out with a tidy ending.

Much like the Coen brothers, director Saulnier doesn't shy away from the dark humor in his subject, which furthers the film's realism. I feel like it's been a while since I've seen a film that put me on the edge of my seat and had me smirking.